Museum Textile Services, LLC, was founded by Camille Myers Breeze in 1999. We are located in the historic Ballardvale section of Andover, Massachusetts. Once a center of textile manufacturing, the first worsted wool in America, as well as the first wool flannel, were made in our small neighborhood. We are proud to once again be making textile history in Ballardvale.
Camille Myers Breeze
Director & Chief Conservator
Camille Myers Breeze began her conservation career in 1989 at the Textile Conservation Workshop in South Salem, New York. After earning a BA in Art History from Oberlin College, Camille received an MA in Museum Studies: Costume and Textiles Conservation from the Fashion Institute of Technology. She spent five years in the Textile Conservation Laboratory at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City before moving to the Textile Conservation Center at the American Textile History Museum, in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Camille founded Museum Textile Services in 1999 as a full-service textile conservation studio serving museums, historical societies, and private collectors. Museum Textile Services conservation and exhibition collaborations have received awards from the AAM, AASLH, NEMA, and Maine Preservation.
In 2015 she co-founded the Andover Figures line of custom museum forms for conservators and collections specialists. Camille is a Fellow of the AIC; she is the former Chair of the Ethics and Standards Committee, and a member of the Latin American Scholarship Committee. Camille is also the co-chair of the Conservation affinity group of the New England Museum Association, where she was previously a NEMA Independent Museum Professional Co-Chair. She also served on the board of the New England Conservation Association from 2005 to 2011. Camille is an instructor at the Center for Collections Care at Beloit College. She has taught elsewhere in the United States, the Dominican Republic, Portugal, and Peru.
Samantha Hann
Studio Manager
Samantha Hann joined Museum Textile Services in 2019 as an intern and has been the Studio Manager since early 2020. She earned her BA in Chemistry and Visual Arts, with a minor in Art History, from Roger Williams University. Before coming to MTS, she was the Museum Experience Coordinator at the Newport Art Museum, where she initiated procedural upgrades and developed her excellent customer service skills. Samantha manages all of the administrative and financial aspects of MTS. She also manages most of the client-relations, so when you are looking to have a textile conserved, she will be the first person you talk to at MTS. Recently, Sammi and her husband welcomed their first child. She is enjoying being a mom, while working hybrid in person and remote for MTS. When she is working remotely she is managing our Instagram feed with her son as a little helper to pick out the best pictures.
Rebecca Helgeson
Textile Conservator
Rebecca Helgeson completed a Museum Studies Masters at Harvard University in May of 2020. She began working part time at MTS in 2019, contributing to several major projects both in the studio and offsite. Rebecca returned full time in 2022. With a background in theatrical production, she also puts her years of experience fabricating, sewing and project management into creatively solving many complex preservation challenges. Rebecca is our in-house collections management and museum registrations specialist. Her recent conservation highlights include historical garments such as Arctic exploration clothing and a first-lady’s dress; antique and modern tapestries; uniforms and military equipment; and school-girl embroideries. She is also the NAGPRA liaison for MTS. Rebecca previously was the Collections Manager at the Framingham History Center, where she oversaw care, storage, exhibitions, and access to their collection, located in three historic buildings. She also interned with Museum and Collector Resource, and with the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments at Harvard University. Rebecca is the mother of a rambunctious and creative seven-year-old boy.
Every project at Museum Textile Services is a combined effort of our staff, interns, and occasionally our colleagues. We have found that when we are generous with our knowledge and time, we are rewarded with more exciting projects and life-long friendships. Learning to be responsible custodians of cultural heritage requires years of study, apprenticeship, professional development, and travel. Our team is reminded of the passion that unites students and professionals as we undertake the fascinating and sometimes taxing work of caring for historical artifacts. The joy we get from conserving your textiles comes through in the quality of our work and meaningful relationships we forge with our clients.