New Mexico State University (NMSU) has announced the impending retirement of Sylvia Marinas-Feliner, a professor and the founder and director of the Museum Conservation program in the Department of Art. Marinas-Feliner will retire at the end of this year but plans to remain in Las Cruces.
In 2000, Marinas-Feliner assumed the role of acting director for NMSU’s Art Gallery, before establishing the Museum Conservation program in 2001. She embarked on extensive research, amalgamating knowledge from leading museum conservation programs across Europe and the U.S. to create a comprehensive curriculum. Marinas-Feliner secured backing from the Stockman Foundation, resulting in a remarkable 95% placement rate for graduates in museum jobs. According to an NMSU press release, she recently facilitated a $1.2 million endowment from Candis J. Stern for long-term support of the program.
"We could never replace Silvia, but we are starting the search process," said Margaret Goehring, an art history professor and department head at NMSU. "We are hopeful we will have the position filled by next August. We are lucky right now to have Sara Harper, a student who recently graduated from Silvia’s program, who can help us hold the fort for the spring semester."
Marinas-Feliner expressed mixed feelings about her retirement: "This is my time. I know that, and it is kind of bittersweet," she said according to an NMSU press release. "As we say in Spain, I am leaving with a wonderful, sweet flavor in my mouth. I love all my students and all my colleagues. Believe me, it is real. It's true."
Marinas-Feliner reassured her colleagues that she would be available to assist as needed after her retirement: "I have told all my colleagues that I’ll be here. Whenever we have a new conservator, I will be available for whatever they need from me. I'm going to retire, obviously, but if they need me, I'll be there," she said according to an NMSU press release.
NMSU's Museum Conservation program prepares students for careers working alongside art conservators. It offers flexibility for integration into other degrees at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Graduates can opt to pursue specialized art conservation graduate programs or continue studies in museum management, according to the art conservation program webpage provided by NMSU.
