Paul Messier's background in the field of photography and paper conservation combines academic and apprenticeship training with extensive treatment experience. He holds an A.B. cum laude in art history from Vassar College (1984) and an M.A. and C.A.S. in the conservation of works of art on paper from the State University College at Buffalo (1990). From 1986 to 1990, Mr. Messier worked as an apprentice in photographic materials conservation New York City and undertook an advanced internship in Paris. In 1990, he was awarded a research fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution’s Conservation Analytical Laboratory to carry out research on the chemical and physical properties of albumen prints. This work resulted in a total of six articles published between 1991 and 1994. Three of these articles were peer-reviewed and appeared in the Journal of the American Institute of Conservation and Microscopy Research and Technique. This work also formed the basis of the Albumen Photography Website. Funded by a grant through the National Center for Preservation Training and Technology and hosted by Stanford University, this site received recognition as an "Editor's Pick" by Popular Science Magazine and was a D-Lib Magazine featured collection, May 2003.
From 1992 to 1994, Mr. Messier held the position of head conservator in the paper and photographic materials laboratory of the Rocky Mountain Conservation Center in Denver, Colorado. During this time, he joined the art history department at the University of Denver where he developed and taught a graduate level course designed to acquaint students in Museum Studies with the field of art conservation. From 1997 to 2005 he served as adjunct professor in photograph conservation at the State University College at Buffalo’s art conservation program where he works on their External Conservation Advisory Committee. He is a regular lecturer for collector groups around the country, including those affiliated with the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the High Museum in Atlanta, and the Milwaukee Museum of Art.
Mr. Messier is a leader in the emerging field of electronic media preservation. He performed a major survey of videotape collections held by institutions affiliated with New York's Media Alliance funded through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. With Sarah Stauderman, he is the co-developer of the Video Format Identification Guide and with Timothy Vitale is the co-developer of the VideoPreservation Website. He was a primary organizer of TechArcheology, a project that brought artists, curators and conservators together...