Restorer, Educator, and Conservation Innovator
We’re excited to welcome Māris Jēkabsons as one of the featured speakers at this year’s conference. With a career spanning over three decades in restoration and conservation science, Māris brings a unique blend of deep technical knowledge, artistic sensitivity, and educational leadership to the field.
Māris currently serves as a Restorer and Expert of Conservation at the National Library of Latvia, while also leading the Restoration Study Program at Riga Building College, where he has been a lecturer since 2014. His work is marked by a strong commitment to both practice and pedagogy, making him a cornerstone in Latvia’s restoration community.
With academic roots in chemistry and materials science—holding a Master’s from Riga Technical University – and a parallel background in vocal music from the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, Māris embodies a rare interdisciplinary approach. This diverse expertise has allowed him to work on some of Latvia’s most unique and challenging conservation projects.
Notable highlights of his career include:
- The restoration of fluid-preserved anatomical specimens at Riga Stradiņš University’s Anatomy Museum (2025–present),
- Conservation research on wax sculptures and historical moulages (including the intricate mushroom models of F.E. Stoll),
- And leadership in national projects, such as the Catalogue of Damage to Archive Documents, in collaboration with Estonian partners.
As a long-time board member of the Latvian Association of Restorers and a former expert for the State Culture Capital Foundation, Māris has helped shape conservation policy and standards on a national level.
His presentations and publications focus on the preservation of fragile archival materials and wax-based objects, as well as the evolving role of education in training the next generation of restorers.
Don’t miss the chance to hear from Māris Jēkabsons at the conference—his insights promise to be as meticulous and inspiring as the objects he helps preserve.
