Kaela (she/her) is an objects conservator with broad experience across archeological, historical, and contemporary collections, and a special interest in modern and contemporary art and design objects. She is passionate about outreach and expanding the reach of conservation. Kaela is currently the Objects Conservation Fellow at the Harvard Art Museums’ Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies. She is active in the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), most recently serving as Chair for the Emerging Conservation Professionals Network (ECPN) and Communications Chair for the Contemporary Art Network (CAN!).

Kaela holds an M.A. and C.A.S in Art Conservation from SUNY Buffalo State University, specializing in objects, and a B.A. in Art Conservation from Scripps College. She completed her year-long graduate internship in the Sculpture Conservation Department at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Kaela previously held a two-year conservation fellowship at Glenstone Museum in Potomac, MD. Her treatment experience includes working with artists and fabricators, caring for complex modern and contemporary works—including plastics, painted surfaces, assemblage, and large-scale installations—and supporting exhibitions, loans, and courier travel. She has also held conservation positions in both private practices and museums around the United States, including Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry.

Kaela and her cat Nani currently call Boston home. Outside of the museum, she enjoys trying to watch all the Oscar-nominated films each year, baking comforting treats, reading mysteries, and listening to comedy podcasts.