At this year’s Utah Museums Association (UMA) conference in Vernal, our own Marie Desrochers was recognized with the Public Service Award. Marie is the Outreach Preservation Coordinator for our agency and the keystone of our Utah Collections Preservation Program (UCP). UCP delivers training designed to elevate the preservation literacy of collections stewards across Utah. Marie developed and delivered broad curricula (webinars, workshops, and the development of a Collections Preservation Team [CPT]) for UCP and supported each of the CPT members conducting their own preservation projects.
One CPT member credited Marie specifically, saying: “There is power in Marie’s presence, as an engaging speaker with clearly demonstrated knowledge about her subject matter. Marie’s charismatic teaching style and expertise as a trained conservator have provided me with vital tools and resources on how to teach my own volunteers and assist other institutions. Marie is compassionate, professional, and always approachable for help in all matters related to collections care.”
“Marie is a valued member of the Utah Arts & Museum team. We are so grateful to have her skills and experience serving Utah. Marie brings a positive grounding to her work. It is clear she enjoys people and loves sharing her knowledge of how to take care of important art and artifacts,” said Vicki Bourns, director of the Utah Division of Arts & Museums.
Our congratulations to all the awardees from the Utah Museums Association conference: Dale Gagon (Prehistoric Museum, Utah State University Eastern) won the Bessie Jones Volunteer Award; Alice Burch (Sema Hadithi African American Heritage and Culture Foundation) won the Rising Professional Award; Dr. Alexandra Greenwald (Utah Museum of Natural History) won the award for Excellence in Collections; and Jayceen Craven Walker won the Phil Notarriani Distinguished Service Award.