A CPAL WORKSHOP
Estate & Legacy Planning 101
Fundamentals and Best Practices
NOVEMBER 9-11, 2026
Overview
This introductory program is designed for those new to artist estate planning—no prior experience or knowledge required.
Estate & Legacy Planning 101 - Fundamentals and Best Practices - takes place Monday November 9th through Wednesday Novemeber 11th, 9AM-5PM.
CPAL’s Estate & Legacy Planning 101 - Fundamentals and Best Practices, is a three-day intensive program designed to provide artists and those who support them with a comprehensive introduction to the basic processes and practices involved in establishing an artist's estate plan.
Designed for artists, their families, supporters, executors, studio managers, and others, the Estate & Legacy Planning 101 equips participants with the knowledge and practical tools needed to preserve visual contemporary artists’ legacies, protect artistic assets, and plan for their long-term stewardship.
Ticket Prices — Estate & Legacy Planning 101
All prices listed below are before tax.
3-Day In-Person Ticket: $235
Lunch included all three days.Single-Day In-Person Ticket: $80
Lunch included.Single-Day Zoom Ticket: $50
Available for Day One and Day Three only.
DAY 1: Archiving & Art Handling
Monday, November 9th, Onsite and ZOOM 50 West St, New York, NY 10006
9:00am – 11:00am
Archives: Photography
With: Cameron Sterling, Cameron Sterling, Archive Advisor and Manager
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Cameron provides advisory, management, and production services for physical image archives, digital image libraries, print collections, film, and ephemera. With 20 years of experience in visual art and content projects, he helps artists, photographers, collectors, estates, and businesses make, show, sell, inventory, manage, and value their visual art. Artist legacy and future planning are central to his work, and sometimes the primary focus.
Key experiences include working with photographers Richard Avedon, Hiro, and Ellen Graham; The Richard Avedon Foundation; and the team behind the 2016 launch of Adobe Stock. Additional client work includes projects on behalf of clients with Getty Images, the Library of Congress, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Norton Museum of Art, Hamiltons Gallery, Pace/MacGill Gallery, Fahey/Klein Gallery, and many publications.
Contact: Cameron Sterling cs@cameronsterling.com www.cameronsterling.com
Using photography as an example of fundamental archival practice, this presentation examines the preservation and management of archives exploring how physical photographs and other analog materials, alongside their digital counterparts, document and maintain an artist’s legacy.
Participants will gain practical insights into organizing, documenting, and preserving materials, as well as strategies for managing their long-term accessibility and use within an artist’s archive.
11:05am – 12:30pm
Inventory and Ephemera
With: Sur Rodney Sur, Writer, Curator, Archivist, Co-Executor of the Geoffrey Hendricks Estate
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Enigmatically recognized as an artistic collaborator, curator, writer and archivist —Sur is most renown for his former position as co-director of the celebrated Gracie Mansion Gallery from 1983-1988. During the early to mid 1990s he served as a curator and archivist at Kenkeleba House, a Lower Manhattan African-American art institution and was hired to assist with archiving the New School University’s art collection.
His work with artists estates, at cause to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, led him to serve on the board of Visual AIDS (1994-2009) and help establish the Frank Moore Archive Project, a support for artists with HIV/AIDS and their estates.
Sur has organized an archive of his late spouse Geoffrey Hendricks, an artist associated with Fluxus, and his collaborator Brian Buczak for the Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections Northwestern University Libraries and the Arleen Schloss papers for the Downtown Collection at NYU Fales Library.
This presentation will explore what constitutes ephemera and artifacts, their role in documenting and preserving an artist’s legacy, and best practices for inventorying and managing collections.
Topics will include establishing consistent identification standards for all items—including ID numbers, categories, descriptions, measurements, and locations—and evaluating the use of inventory spreadsheets versus specialized collections management systems. The presentation will also address digital files, appraisal, insurance, and valuation, while examining the historical and contextual significance of ephemera and artifacts, how they contribute to an artist’s legacy, and who benefits from their preservation and accessibility.
12:35pm – 1:30pm Lunch
1:35pm – 3:00pm
Digital Platforms for Archiving
With: Stephanie Neel, Director of Archives and Operations, Margaret Morton Archive.
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Stephanie Neel is an archivist based in New York City, working primarily with artist estates and performing arts collections. She has been the Director of Archives and Operations for the Margaret Morton Archive since 2023, and has served as a consultant on projects most recently with The Town Hall, Parsons Dance, and Mark Morris Dance Group. She is a member of Society of American Archivists, the Association of Moving Image Archivists, and was the keynote speaker for the 2026 New York Archives Conference. Stephanie has a BA in Art History and Dance from Barnard College and an MLIS from Pratt Institute.
Effective digital stewardship is essential to preserving, managing, and providing access to artists’ archival materials and legacies. This presentation examines how digital platforms support these efforts, with a focus on digital asset management and the relationship between physical collections and their digital records.
Participants will gain practical strategies for developing and managing digital archival content, improving access to collections, mitigating risks, and supporting the long-term preservation of artists’ legacies.
Key themes include digital asset management, accessibility, risk management, and the role of digital platforms in preserving and sustaining archival collections.
3:10pm – 5:00pm
Art Handling 101
With: Elaine Angelopoulos, Registrar, Ronald Feldman Fine Art
DAY 2: Site Visits to Atelier4, Nancy Graves Foundation & Mosaic Artspace
Monday, November 9th In-person ONLY
9:00am – 10:45am
Site visit: Atelier 4
35-00 47th Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101
Participants will rotate through three sections of the facility, covering Atelier 4’s processes, visual inspection reporting and basic art handling, and the storage facilities. Each section will be led by the relevant Atelier 4 team members.
Juliette Eberle, Client Advisor and Art Concierge Associate, will briefly present Atelier 4’s processes in the conference room area.
Gary Cullen, EVP Technical Services, will demonstrate visual inspection reporting via Articheck and discuss basic art handling in the Viewing Room.
Gregg Deering and Connar Masotti, Storage Sales Manager, will conduct the tour of storage facilities (Private Vaults are off-limits).
11:00am – 12:30pm
7 minute walk
Site visit: Nancy Graves Foundation
33-20 48th Ave, 2nd Floor, Long Island City, NY 11101
Led by: Christina Hunter, Executive Director, Nancy Graves Foundation
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Christina Hunter, executive director of the Nancy Graves Foundation since 2011, oversees the foundations art collections and archives, administers its annual grant program and collaborates with scholars, museums and galleries to research and curate exhibitions.
Christina Hunter, executive director of the Nancy Graves Foundation since 2011, oversees the foundations art collections and archives, administers its annual grant program and collaborates with curators, scholars, museums and galleries to research and develop exhibitions. She received her Ph.D. from Columbia University in 2003 writing a dissertation about Kurt Schwitters and was an adjunct professor in the Department of Art History and Archaeology through 2014, and has been a lecturer and researcher at major academic and cultural institutions. A scholar and an artist, her studio practice is based on the concepts and techniques of collage.
The Nancy Graves Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, established and endowed through a provision of the artist’s last will and testament, became active in 1996 and is dedicated to investigating the legacy of Nancy Graves in the context of her era through exhibitions, loans of artworks, research, publications, educational and cultural programming and the preparation of a Catalogue Raisonné. The Foundation maintains a collection of Nancy Graves’ work in sculpture, painting, film, drawing and print media. A library and archive of original papers, photographs, publications and research materials documenting the artist’s life and work is available to scholars by appointment in the Foundation’s research library. www.nancygravesfoundation.org
Nancy Graves (1939-1995) is an American artist of international renown whose work has been featured in hundreds of notable exhibitions and is in the permanent collections of major art museums. Based in SoHo and fully engaged with the cultural and intellectual issues of her time, Graves is recognized as a leading conceptual artist and post-minimalist sculptor.
Built into a raw industrial space, the Nancy Graves Foundation offers a firsthand look at a straightforward budget-conscious facility designed to reflect and accommodate the current and anticipated needs of the foundation, as well as recall the artist’s SoHo industrial loft.
Christina Hunter, Executive Director of the Foundation, will guide us through the exhibition space, archives, and on-site storage of Nancy Graves’s artwork. She will also introduce the foundation’s current project to digitize Nancy Graves’ own visual archive of motifs and ephemera, integral to the development and stewardship of her legacy.
8 minute walk
Lunch and exhibition at Mosaic Artspace
12:45pm – 1:45pm
49-28 31st Place, Long Island City, NY 11101. Lunch courtesy of John Kalafatis.
Setting up and running a foundation
2:00pm – 2:45pm
49-28 31st Place, Long Island City, NY 11101.
Magda Salveson: Executive Director, Jon Schueler Foundation. Author of Artists' Estates: Reputations in Trust
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Magda Salvesen, born in Scotland, was educated at the University if St Andrews and the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. She joined Jon Schueler in New York in 1976, and although she taught art history and then garden history until 2020, ending up at New York University as an adjunct professor, she continued to help her husband, Jon Schueler with studio and office work. After his death in 1992 she ran the Jon Schueler Estate which in 2023 became the Jon Schueler Foundation. With help, she works on organizing and conserving the paintings and works on paper, expanding the archive, cooperating with galleries and museums for exhibitions and outreach, and she aims to continue sorting boxfuls of accumulated material to prepare for the eventual take over and continuation of the Jon Schueler legacy work.
2:50pm – 3:40pm
Building a Legacy: Inside Two Artist-Endowed Foundations
49-28 31st Place, Long Island City, NY 11101.
Susan Reynolds, Executive Director of the Milton Resnick and Pat Passlof Foundation, and Cathy Claman, President of the Stephen and Palmina Pace Foundation, share how their foundations came into being and how they became involved. They'll compare their two organizations and the different paths each has taken. The discussion covers the practical work of running an artist's foundation: developing programming, working with a board of directors, partnering with galleries, navigating financial challenges, and planning for the foundation's long-term future.
Susan Reynolds: Executive Director, The Milton Resnick and Pat Passloff Foundation
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Reynolds is currently the Executive Director of The Milton Resnick and Pat Passlof Foundation. She was the Director of the Rhona Hoffman gallery and later co-Director of Feigen Inc., Chicago and Feigen Contemporary, New York. Reynolds was a fine art appraiser at the Art Dealers Association of America when she joined the Resnick Passlof Foundation in 2014. She became the Executive Director in 2018. .
Cathy Claman: President, The Stephen and Palmina Pace Foundation (in conversation)
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Cathy Claman has served as President of the Stephen and Palmina Pace Foundation since its inception in 2016. During her tenure, Cathy has organized exhibitions of Stephen Pace’s work and overseen acquisitions of his art by numerous institutions. The Foundation funds annual programming to support mid-career artists. In 2008, on behalf of the Paces, she facilitated the gift of their Stonington, Maine home and studio to the Maine College of Art & Design. Prior to her work at the Foundation, Cathy held positions at the College Board and in publishing. She earned her BA from Bowdoin College and MPA from New York University.
Panel discussion and Q&A Navigating the Challenges of Artist Foundations:
49-28 31st Place, Long Island City, NY 11101.
Joy Glidden will lead a Q&A with Magda Salvesen and Christina Hunter exploring the practical challenges of establishing and managing an artist’s foundation, including family relationships, probate, and the ongoing stewardship of an artist’s legacy.
Moderated by Joy Glidden, Executive Director and Founder, Center for the Preservation of Artists’ Legacies, CPAL
Magda Salveson: Executive Director, Jon Schueler Foundation
Christina Hunter: Nancy Graves Foundation
DAY 3: Estate Law, Appraisals & Succession Planning
Monday, November 9th, Onsite and ZOOM
50 West St, New York, NY 10006
Understanding Probate and Estate Taxes in Today's Environment
9:00am – 10:30am
With: Caryn Keppler, Principal, Offit Kurman, LLP
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Caryn Keppler is a Principal in Offit Kurman's Estates & Trusts Practice Group, where she advises individuals and families on estate, gift, charitable, and business succession planning. A former IRS attorney, Caryn has extensive experience with domestic and international estate matters, trust administration, and planning for artists, collectors, and families with unique needs. She is a frequent speaker and author on estate planning and the specialized planning considerations facing artists and creative professionals.
10:35am – 12:00pm
Estate Trusts vs Foundations
With: Michael J. Borger, Borger Law, P.C.
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Michael J. Borger concentrates his practice in complex trusts and estates litigation, sophisticated estate planning, and estate administration. Mr. Borger also serves as a court-appointed Guardian ad Litem for minors and intellectually disabled individuals in contested probate and guardianship proceedings.
12:35 – 1:35pm Lunch
1:40pm – 3:30pm
Appraisals
With: Sarah Kirk Hanley, Specialist, Fine Art Prints, Swann Galleries, Certified Appraiser, AAA
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Sarah Kirk Hanley, AAA, is Specialist, Fine Art Prints at Swann Auction Galleries and a certified appraiser in printmaking and editions. Her knowledge of Western printmaking spans the Renaissance to the present and she has over twenty-five years of experience in the field. She also serves on the board of The Atelier 17 Project and is a guest lecturer and speaker in her area of expertise for seminars, professional associations, colleges, and museums. Hanley is a member of the Appraisers Association of America, ArtTable, the Association of Print Scholars, the Catalogue Raisonné Scholars Association, and Phi Beta Kappa.
Ms. Hanley was certified with the Appraisers Association of America in 2010 and is currently USPAP-compliant through May 1, 2027. Formerly, she served as a consultant for fine art prints for Winston Artory Group, Art Peritus, Auctionata, Freemans, 1stDibs and others. She has taught the history of printmaking at NYU and SUNY Purchase. Hanley has published widely in her field, most recently the online catalogue raisonné The Editions of Robert Kipniss, 1967-2023. She served as Assistant Vice President of Christie’s New York Print Department from 2006-09 and was Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs at the Milwaukee Art Museum from 2000-05.
Strategies for succession planning
3:10pm – 5:00pm
With: Jonathan Justice, Chief Strategist, Succession Planning, Atelier 4
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With a career spanning over 25 years in financial and art services, Jonathan Justice brings deep expertise as an enterprise strategist, estate and financial planner, and art market advisor. As Chief Strategy Officer for Atelier 4, LLC—an art logistics and services company—he drives strategic growth and capitalizes on expanding opportunities for the Company. His extensive background includes foundational experience at Sotheby’s auction house in Manhattan, alongside senior roles in private banking and advisory at institutions such as Bernstein Global Wealth Management, Wells Fargo Private Bank, and U.S. Trust, Bank of America.
A recognized authority in wealth management and fiduciary advisory, Jonathan holds the Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA) designation from the American Bankers Association and has been named an Accredited Estate Planner ® (AEP ® ) by the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils. He actively contributes to the professional community, formerly as a member of the Estate Planning Council of New York City and presently within the Charlotte Estate Planning Council. Additionally, Jonathan shares his knowledge as an Adjunct Instructor in the Financial Services Institute at Central Piedmont Community College, educating others on the intersection of aesthetics, commerce, estate planning, and financial management.