Meet Our Conservators

Siobhan Lindsay has enjoyed much of her conservation career at the Victoria Mansion. She brings over 20 years of experience across several mediums, including objects, paintings, and textiles. She began her work at the Victoria Mansion as part of the Gianfranco Pocobene Studios team, conserving the decoratively painted surfaces of five of the Mansion’s rooms over the course of a decade.

During that time Siobhan transitioned to the role of Staff Conservator in 2012, allowing her to draw on experience with the preservation of objects and textiles to complete numerous projects, including the creation of storage for over 800 original textiles, conserving the fire-gilt gasoliers and the cleaning and repairing of interior architectural elements such as drapery cornices and pier mirrors. She has spent the last several years organizing and digitizing the Mansion’s collection with the hope of one day making it available to share with all.

Vivian Cunningham’s inescapable love for preservation and all things house museums started very early in her life, following her mother around the various museums where she was director. Cunningham received her bachelor’s degree in Textiles and Fashion from the Maine College of Art & Design.

Cunningham’s introduction to museums of Portland began at the Maine Historical Society, helping with the 2020 exhibition Northern Threads, 200 Years of Dress in Maine, and as a guide of the Wadsworth-Longfellow House. This work led her to Victoria Mansion, and their extensive collection of original 1860s textiles. Today, Vivian can be found at MHS as their Visitor Services and Collections Assistant, or around Victoria Mansion as a Conservation Technician.