David Harvey has 43 years experience in museums and conservation. He started his museum career at Colonial Williamsburg as a museum historic trades apprentice in the Blacksmith Shop where he also led an experimental archaeology project in reconstructing an early American Iron Bloomery Furnace in an Ore-to-Artifact study.
Later David began his career in conservation, and has conserved archaeological artifacts, antiquities, architecture, historic objects, public art, monuments, outdoor sculptures, cemeteries, contemporary and modern art, and has done surveys and assessments of museum collections, environments, and storage areas. David was the conservator for the James River Institute for Archaeology and the Yorktown Archaeological Trust, the Manager of the Metals & Arms conservation lab at Colonial Williamsburg, the Head of Objects conservation at the Rocky Mountain Conservation Center at the University of Denver, the Senior Conservator of Objects and Architecture at Griswold Conservation Associates (private firm in Los Angeles CA), Conservator & Project Manager for Historic Architectural Services (San Francisco CA), and has run his own private practice in both Denver Colorado and Los Angeles.
David has also supervised museum exhibit installations and the installation of sculptures and art in indoor and outdoor sites. Clients range from National Parks and Federal Agencies to State Parks and Museums, City and County Museums and Arts Commissions, to large and small museums and libraries, and private collectors across the USA. His projects have ranged from antiquities to modern art, historic cemeteries to iconic monuments, shipwreck collections to skeletons, historic architecture to an Apollo Space Capsule.
David was awarded AIC Professional Associate status in 1999. He was elected the AIC Objects Specialty Group Chair in 2003. He has been a field reviewer and national panelist for the IMLS Collections Stewardship Grants Program for several years. David has also been a peer-reviewer for Studies in Conservation since 2015.
During his career David has been featured in the nationally syndicated PBS series, "The Woodwright's Shop", presented a paper at the World Ironmaking Congress at Ironbirdge Gorge Museum, has published several journal articles and edited a research publication for Colonial Williamsburg on Social History, has lectured frequently, and was a consultant to a National Geographic Series featuring historic and artistic works and documents set in museums around the USA.
Linkedin Profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-harvey-32397712