Sjoukje G. van der Laan

Sjoukje G. van der Laan (she/her/us) holds a BA in Art History from the University of Groningen (The Netherlands), and a MA and Professional Doctorate in Conservation & Restoration of Cultural Heritage from the University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands), specializing in modern & contemporary art conservation and restoration. Sjoukje gained experience in the conservation studios of the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (Washington, D.C.), Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art (Ghent, Belgium), and the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (The Hague, The Netherlands). Over the years, she has worked as a leading conservator in private practice in both Europe and Canada, and is since 2016 also employed at the Art Gallery of Ontario as conservator of contemporary art. Her specialization gives her experience with conserving and restoring a wide variety of (synthetic) materials, objects, paintings, kinetic and electronic art, and complex contemporary art installations. Sjoukje is a strong advocate for the conservation and preservation of cultural heritage, and emphasizes that engagement in our shared heritage allows us to understand and learn from the past while moving into a connected future.