Laura Elliff Cruz

With sixteen years of collections care experience, Laura re-joined the SAR staff in December 2020, and was the previous collections manager at IARC from 2008-2014. Prior to returning, Laura was head of the collection management department at the Denver Art Museum for nearly six years overseeing the daily care, including a major collection move project and numerous grant storage upgrades during her time there. Previous experience includes working as a collection consultant, as an on-line teacher through Northern States Conservation Center, four years at Fort Lewis College, Center of Southwest Studies, and she was a former Americorps VISTA volunteer. She has a BA in Anthropology from Illinois State University, a graduate certificate in Museum Collections Management and Care from George Washington University, and an MA in American Studies from the University of New Mexico. Overall, Laura will be in charge of caring for the IARC collections, and preventive conservation and collaborative care with source communities is her main passion.