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Up Close with Conservators | Inside and Outside the Gallery Wall

Thu Oct 16 2025

6–7:30 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Paranoid Mirror, 1995, Lynn Hershman Leeson, mixed media and video installation, Anne Gerber Fund, 95.80, image: Paul Macapia.

Inside and Outside the Gallery Wall: "Paranoid Mirror" by Lynn Hershman Leeson and time-based media conservation collaborations at SAM
Liz Brown | Director of Objects Conservation

In 1995 the Seattle Art Museum commissioned Paranoid Mirror, an interactive multimedia artwork by Lynn Hershman Leeson, the first artist to use laserdiscs for interactive video art. Her explorations of surveillance, voyeurism, and identity invite visitors to participate with the work. Liz Brown will discuss SAM’s collaborative strategies for preserving complex time-based media like Paranoid Mirror, sharing how conservators integrate contemporary tools with original components to ensure these works remain engaging for future audiences.

This program is exclusively for SAM members and begins with a wine reception in South Hall at 6 pm. The talk starts at 6:30 pm in Plestcheeff Auditorium and will be followed by a Q&A.

Members: $10
Member Guests: $15

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Join the dialogue and reflect on important topics related to art and culture.

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Up Close with Conservators

Join SAM’s conservation specialists for the newest member-exclusive lecture series, Up Close with Conservators. Over the course of three monthly lectures, you will gain insight into the challenges, importance, and outcomes of art conservation.

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