ONE SINGLE MOM, ONE NEW MOM, AND ONE RISKY BUSINESS
How two women are changing the face of artifact and collection care East County News Service February 12, 2019 (San Diego) – Starting any company is always a risk, but starting one that is so specialized that only a small handful of people in the entire country do it, well that’s on a whole new level. Yet that is exactly what local San Diego author and historian, Melanie Dellas, and museum professional and anthropologist, Karen Lacy, did – and they are changing the way museums and private collectors think about caring for their objects and fine art. Their company, Muse Curatorial Consulting Group (MCCG), was born out of a love of history and historical preservation – and from a growing need they saw within the industry. It serves cultural institutions across our region, including San Diego’s East County, and beyond. “Melanie and I have been caring for museum collections for over 25 years, collectively,” Lacy said. “During that time, we have worked with various institutions and collections from around the world, and saw differing standards and knowledge of preservation and care. We saw a need for a centralized group of professionals offering a variety of skills, as well as to advocate for the need to put collections care as a priority. We created a one-stop shop for museums and private collectors to fulfill that need. From collection management, conservation, and archival care, to grant writing, exhibit development/design, and custom storage and rehousing, our team of professionals can do it all.” Dellas and Lacy met 7 years ago when Dellas was in grad school at the University of San Diego and was interning at the museum Lacy was Collections Manager for. A single mom of two young sons, Dellas was a full-time student and full-time mother who needed to reinvent her career after the recession closed the doors of her previous business. “I needed to show my sons that no matter what life throws at you, you can be strong, pick yourself up and take the risk to follow your dreams,” she said, adding that when it was time to choose a museum to intern at, the San Diego Museum of Man was her first choice. “I wanted to work with the mummies! And it was there that I realized what I wanted to do next: protect artifacts and keep history alive through material collection care. Karen was my boss and mentor, and we bonded over history and motherhood.” The two women struck an immediate friendship and co-curated the museum’s Monsters! exhibit, which showcases their mutual love of folklore, mythological creatures and pop culture monsters from around the world. “Melanie was more interested in the Classic mythology, whereas I was fascinated by Dracula, fairies and zombies and how they were being reimagined for film, television, and literature,” Lacy said. “We were a perfect blend.” Six years later, the women decided starting their own company would not only give them more time to spend with their families, but would allow them to care for cultural objects in more than one museum, as well as for private collectors. They have always been inspired by history, so when forming their own company, using history as their muse, was easy, and Muse Curatorial Consulting Group was born. “It was definitely scary to say to my husband and myself, ‘OK, I’m leaving the world of full-time employment with benefits to start a company that may or may not take off,’” Lacy said, “but Melanie and I knew it was worth the risk. Private collectors are constantly looking for people to help them care and exhibit their objects and many museums need temporary staff they can trust. We realized there was a need and knew how important a job it is to preserve history for future generations. Besides, how often do you get the opportunity to challenge yourself and hang out with one of your closest friends?” Starting a business is nothing new for Dellas, who successfully owned two magazines for nearly 10 years: Native American Casino and San Diego Performer. Native American Casino received the Gaming Voice Award – Best Publication from the American Gaming Association and the Gold Ink Award for Best Cover Design. She has also been published in the San Diego Business Journal’s Top 50 Women Business Owners. But this company was different. “My previous company was very corporate and entirely dependent on ad sales, and the recession made it impossible for us to continue, unfortunately,” Dellas said. “However, MCCG is different in that it combines my knowledge and love of business, with both mine and Karen’s passion for history and historic preservation. It’s very easy because we go to the client and are able to provide much-needed services for museums and collectors that have small budgets and may not be able to support a full-time staff person, yet really need the help.” MCCG offers a broad range of services for its clients, aimed at supporting the preservation, conservation, assessment, and respectful care of historic and cultural materials, artifacts, and archival records. “Our mission is to guide each client in the preservation, curation and respectful care of historic and cultural ethnographic, archaeological, fine art, and archival collections,” Dellas added. “We provide services to private collectors, museums, businesses and cultural organizations, and train them to take the lead after we have completed a project, while maintaining open communication for as long as is needed.” Both Karen and Melanie bring a family approach to collections care. “It is not just about the object, but the history of the object and its meaning, both known and unknown, that is important to preserve,” Lacy said. “With this holistic view of object care, we bring a high level of care standards to each object but also connect the owners and stewards of the objects to a better understanding of the object itself. If a steward knows the object, they will be better able to care for it.” Muse prides itself with caring for the objects you love. Each object, piece of art, book, or photograph is treated with respect and love regardless of its monetary or historic value. Muse chooses to care for objects the way you care for them, making us the perfect partners in stewarding your collections together. The Muse Team Melanie Dellas Co-Owner & Cultural Object Preservationist Prior to MCCG, Melanie worked in the Curatorial Department of the San Diego Museum of Man (SDMoM) for seven years helping in the preservation of the Museum’s 100,000+ ethnographic, archaeological and archival objects. Some of