Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Garner Hine
Hi Laura, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
“He who works with his hands is a laborer.
He who works with his hands and his mind is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist”
-St. Francis of Assisi
Art and creating have always been my first language. Since childhood, it has been my strongest sense, my inner compass and North star. I was raised in the city of Columbia, South Carolina. For as long as I can remember, I have always had a passion for all things odd, strange, old, beautiful, and insignificant (well, depending on whose perspective). I love the visual arts, and always have. My deep-rooted appreciation and passion for the arts has found its voice through numerous media, but the one that resonates with me the most is paint. Oil paint in all its excitable tangibility- from its long-bearing history to today’s modern applications.
I attended the University of South Carolina and graduated with a BFA in Studio Art with a focus in painting, as well as a minor in Art History. During my time at the University of South Carolina, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Groningen, the Netherlands; a fascinating hub of art and history in its own right. Upon completing my undergraduate degree in South Carolina, I continued my education by pursuing a Master’s degree in Arts, Culture, and Media at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands. It was during this time of my academic career that I saw a humble flyer in the library that would unknowingly alter the course of my life. The flyer was for a lecture and tour of a Fine Arts Conservation lab in the Southern Dutch city of Maastricht. Within minutes of attending, I quickly understood that this field was the marriage of all the things that made my heart sing and set my curious mind ablaze: fine art, history, process, methodology, materials, and science. Shortly thereafter, I left my Masters program in the Netherlands and moved to Florence Italy, where I completed a Masters program in the Conservation of Easel Paintings as well as Gilded Frames with Accademia Riaci.
After having lived and studied in Europe for nearly five years, it was time to return to the States. In 2014, I found myself back in Columbia, South Carolina and immediately began to look for work in the field of cultural heritage and historic preservation. I am fortunate to have found work, and worked alongside the few Art Conservators who operate their own private practices here in the city. The continued education and experience they afforded me is something I will forever be deeply grateful for and humbled by. Over the course of my journey, I have been given the gift of some phenomenal mentors. It was one of those very mentors who hired me to assist in the renovation of the permanent collection galleries at the Columbia Museum of Art. From 2017 until 2019, I served as an Assistant Preparator and had the incredibly inspiring experience of working alongside the curatorial team. From safely transporting all the works on view from the galleries to the vaults, to installing and de-installing traveling shows in the temporary gallery spaces, to restoring a number of frames in the permanent collection, to handling Jackson Pollock’s massive Mural, and executing a Sol LeWitt wall drawing installation alongside two of my favorite colleagues; it was a fecund and prodigious two years that again, would alter the course of my life.
Fast forward to 2024, and I now hold the current role as a full-time Preparator with the Columbia Museum of Art. Cinderella sang the words, “A dream is a wish your heart makes”, and I can say with the utmost certainty that I am working in a dream role, with some really amazing people, that makes me wish for hardly anything and makes my heart sing on a regular basis. I am blessed, grateful, and lucky. Hard work had a little something to do with it, as well. And perseverance!
Some say it may not be best to bring work home with you, but I do! Being surrounded by constant inspiration and imagery at the museum, I try to harness that the best way I know how, by creating in my studio. I continue to paint in my free time, predominantly in oils. Gold leaf is never too far from my work bench, either. Lately my work has taken a more playful turn, thanks in large part to the influence of my three-year-old daughter. Collages and mixed media assemblages are a collaborative effort we work on together. I love collecting found objects with her and seeing the wonder of the world through her eyes. After all, “The creative adult is the child who has survived”. Watching her delight in the process of creating almost feels like I’ve come full circle, but not completely. More so, it’s that I know I will always be curious and always scratching at the surface of inspiration, trying to dive into the depths of what makes me feel human, forever and in perpetuity.
I have many other loves in my life as well. My family and friends are a fierce foremost. Also our four fur babies, cups of tea, languages, books, anything antique, history (especially the artistically inclined), fresh canvas, brushes, and tubes of paint, goat cheese, raw pigment, gnocchi with truffle, porchetta paninis, the opera, playing ukulele, orange marmalade, duck eggs… and good tools!
I am thirty six years old, and I am blessed to have lived such a rich and beautiful life, but it is only just the beginning! To quote Picasso, “It takes a long time to become young.”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Most certainly there have been struggles and obstacles along the way, what path is clear of them in truth? If there was no rain, there would be no rainbows. I have found it is not so much what life throws at you, but how you respond to it. That’s the only real power we have as human beings in a way. Personally, and professionally, there have been mistakes that I have made; but accountability, transparency, humility, and perseverance have been my guiding tenants. Shame and regret should not live rent free within your soul. As another intrepid and wise mentor said to me, “Keep in mind as you go forward, Laura, that regret is a defunct emotion. You did not create the past or anything that occurred within it. Your obligation is to live and, now, to nurture the life of your daughter. That’s it. Which is a lot, and will require all of your developing skills. Zero time is to be wasted on any regrets of any kind. None. Your life is now.”
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
For the last decade, I have worked as a professional within the field of cultural heritage and historic preservation, predominantly within the field of fine art conservation. Currently, I work as a Preparator in the curatorial department for the Columbia Museum of Art. Essentially, my role within the museum is to prepare for any kind of moves or logistics when it comes to the works of art in the collection, or for any loans or temporary exhibitions that come into the museum.
Many of my duties are related to exhibition preparation, which typically includes installation, de-installation, shipping, receiving artwork, and assisting the Exhibition Designer in the design and construction of the exhibition, as well as the coordination of necessary staff and materials. I am also responsible for packing, unpacking, and crating of art objects, as well as purchasing supplies, assisting with environmental monitoring, and maintenance and organization of art storage areas and our exhibition preparation/fabrication spaces. I perform matting and framing and some basic collections care and cleaning of objects, maintain and repair casework and platforms, move object cases and other exhibition furniture, assist in lighting the exhibitions, install art in all media using accepted museum standards and practices, assist in art inventories, and maintain compliance with OSHA and ADA. Lastly, I perform or supervise the execution of duties which involve the handling of art objects for a variety of purposes aside from exhibitions, such as research and the maintenance of collections. Museum preparators often work closely with curators, educators, registrars, and conservators and abide by a code of ethics which prioritizes the safety of the objects.
Professionally and personally, I am known for my dedication to the arts. I am most proud of being able to work in a field that not only inspires me, but inspires others as well.
How do you think about happiness?
The thing that makes me the most happy is in fact, a three foot, six inches tall package of might and love. When all else fails, my daughter never falls short in being able to bring a smile to my face, or having me view the world in a different way that can shift my perspective or attitude completely. She brings an incredible amount of fulfillment to my life, which in a way is less fleeting and more constant and infinite than happiness. She truly is the most wonderful thing I’ve ever known.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artbylaura.net
