Rika Smith McNally & Associates
Providing exceptional art conservation solutions.
About Us
Rika Smith McNally & Associates specializes in the highest quality conservation treatment of sculpture and three-dimensional works of art, including metals, wood, ceramic, stone, plaster, and modern materials.
Most objects are treated at our spacious, well-equipped conservation studio but we also regularly provide on-site care for objects that are either too large or too fragile to move.
Our team
Rika Smith, Conservator, is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and has a master's degree in conservation from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Art Conservation Program. She also has a certificate in conservation from the Harvard University Art Museums and is a Fellow of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. Her published research includes a study of various wax and plastic coatings in protecting outdoor bronze from acid deposition, the inherent causes of deterioration in 15th century French Limoges enamels, the materials and techniques of the Harvard Glass Flowers and Botanical Models, and the preservation of modern and contemporary outdoor sculpture. She has special expertise in the conservation of bronze sculpture, including the preservation of public art, carrying out both treatment and consulting. Rika provides pre-fabrication reviews, connects clients with fabricators and installers, writes long-term maintenance plans, and provides on-site repairs. She also offers project management for larger-scale fabrications and installations.
Paul Riedl, Conservator, has a BA from the University of Hawaii, an Associates Degree in civil engineering from Wentworth Institute of Technology, and has taken courses at the Boston University Preservation Studies Program, the North Bennett Street School, Boston Architectural College, and the National Institute of Wood Refinishing. He specializes in bronze patinas, gilding of wood and metal, and lacquering. He has worked with Rika Smith McNally for 15 years. From 1985 to 1994, he apprenticed and worked for the US Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Northeast Preservation and Cultural Center. His experience focused on historic preservation and restoration of monuments and buildings within the National Park Service using techniques and methods that conformed to the US Secretary of Interior's standards for historic preservation.
Nichole Speciale, Collections Care Specialist, has an MFA in Visual Art from University of California, San Diego and a double BA in Fine Art and Art History from Brandeis University. She has over 10 years of experience in book preservation and public art conservation and has taken courses at Balboa Art Conservation Center and the Rare Book School. Each summer she coordinates and manages the annual Conservation Art Maintenance Program (CAMP) for the Cambridge Arts Council. With RSM & Associates, she has performed treatments on artwork by Nicole Eisenman, Tony Smith, Lillian Rosenberg, and Louise Nevelson among others. Nichole is also a practicing artist and Master Gardener in the Providence area.
Our Clients
Boston Art Commission
Boston Public Library
Edgar Allan Poe Foundation
Friends of the Public Garden, Boston
City of Boston, Parks and Recreation
City of Cambridge, MA
City of Newburyport, NH
City of Salem, MA
deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum
Faneuil Hall, Boston
Fenway Park and the Boston Red Sox
Hadley Crow Studio
Halvorson Design Partnership
J.F. White Contractors
Liberty Mutual
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MBTA and The Arlington Street Church
Mount Auburn Cemetary
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Ray Dunetz Landscape Architecture
Stonehill College
The Crosby Company
Town of Candia, NH
Town of Framingham, MA
Town of Provincetown, MA
Town of Rochester, NH
Tufts University
Wellesley College
and numerous private collections