Angie Elliott and Anne Simon wanted to update all of you on the progress of the Mentoring Program. We have outlined several goals and discussed ideas with other members of the ECPN and the AIC staff.
- One of our aims is to be inclusive, recognizing that no two paths are identical when developing a career in conservation.
- We want this program to foster professional relationships between practicing conservators and those who want to enter into the field.
- Conservators will be able to share their knowledge with up and coming professionals and create an ongoing dialogue between individuals at different stages in their careers.
At this point we have drafted forms that will be filled out by interested participants of the program. The forms will act as a preliminary guideline to match the needs of the mentee with the experience of the mentor. Sometime this spring, the AIC website will have a place to download those forms. More information about the program, including goals and operation, will also be included on the website. The program will be launched at the AIC Annual Meeting in Los Angeles this May.
As we are still in the early stages, we would greatly appreciate feedback. If you would like to become more involved with the organization of this or other ECPN initiatives, please contact Ryan Winfield at the AIC office or Angie Elliott (angiemelliott@yahoo.com) and Anne Simon (asimon@email.arizona.edu) directly.
Who we are…
- Anne Simon is in her 3rd year of graduate school at the University of Arizona in the Department of Chemistry with an interest in Conservation Science.
- Angie Elliott is currently a Kress Fellow at The Walters Art Museum but will begin a new job in January as the Assistant Objects Conservator at the Baltimore Museum of Art.
Hi Angie and Ann,
Thanks for all your hard work on this exciting program! I am just curious about some of the details: At the annual meeting, who (ie. what professional level of conservator) will be encouraged to fill out these forms? Also, where will you be presenting this? Will you make an announcement in the general session?
Has anyone thought about getting a booth for ECPN??? (just throwing that out there)
Keep up the good work, Chris
Hi Chris,
Nicky Emery, Anne and I are working on a poster for the annual meeting that will be included in the general poster session. The poster will highlight the ECPN and its projects, including mentoring. There is also talk of having a sign up area near the registration desk. I will let the mentoring ladies answer your questions about forms, etc.
The other ECPN activities that are planned for now are: a networking workshop and an informal evening on Tuesday, and a business meeting on Friday. We are encouraging emerging conservators to also attend the AIC business meeting and the Issues session- which is why our meeting will not be until Friday.
We are also planning on giving out Emerging Conservator ribbons to wear on name badges.