ECPN interviews emerging conservators using social media to network with local conservators
Jennifer Martinez, Sacramento, CA
Tell us a little about yourself-your background, where you’re working now and what you do in your current position?
I graduated from San Diego State University with a B.A. in Art emphasized in graphic design. After working at a small design studio and then the prepress department of a print shop I decided to pursue my passion of book binding that I had discovered in college. I had a chance meeting with Dr. Sabine Hyland, Associate Professor in anthropology, who specializes in Inka culture and is currently investigating a khipu board with text. It was her mention of art conservation that I realized the importance of preserving these artifacts for such dedicated and enthusiastic people such as Dr. Hyland. Last summer, I completed a conservation internship at the UCLA Library Conservation Center. I am currently a preservation intern at the California State Library in Sacramento where I work on the general rare book collection, encapsulations, box making, etc. I am also a pre-program conservation intern at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco working on a special project of cleaning, rehousing and photographing over fifty glass plate negatives from the late 19th c.
What form of outreach are you using? If it is an online tool, please specify which platform (Blogspot, Tumblr, Twitter, etc.).
I created a blog in 2010 to follow my journey in conservation. I post updates to my Facebook account and joined the ECPN Facebook page to find more people in my area. I used the AIC web search to find local conservators and asked to visit their studios. One such visit let to a meeting with a big group of pre-program students who kept in touch through email. I posted comments on the AIC ECPN blog to ask questions and reach out to local pre-program students. I also joined the local art conservators guild to start being informed of all the conservation efforts going on in the area.
Who would you say is your target audience?
The target audience for my blog is other pre-program students and potential employers who might be interested in a more detailed account of my conservation activities.
What were/are you trying to achieve using this form of outreach? Was it met or solved using this particular approach or tool?
My blog was a way to keep me focused on the conservation environment and express my opinions and approaches to pursing grad studies. It’s a way to check in with myself to see what areas I have covered and gets me writing on a semi-consistent basis. Joining the ECPN Facebook page and being active early on in the comments section of the ECPN blog really helped with networking and meeting others in the area. Visiting labs has also been extremely successful in outreach to professionals.
Is there anything you would do differently, or any recommendations you would make to other conservators who might want to use your approach / tool for themselves?
Always follow up with people and if visiting labs send thank you cards for their time. If you do get a Meet and Mingle together make sure to keep in touch with those who came and perhaps get a email group going to keep each other updated if there is no guild in your area. I still have coffee once in a while with a couple girls I met from the very first lab visit I went on to a private conservator’s lab.
Have your outreach endeavors produced any unexpected outcomes or benefits?
After working with Melissa Stone of Zukor Art Conservation to put together the first Meet & Mingle she was lucky enough to come into contact with professional conservators who wished to be more involved with the pre-program students and another Meet and Mingle was created for professionals and students to interact. It was a great way to get involved in the local guild.
Check out Jennifer’s blog at: www.jenmartinez.net
Melissa Stone, Oakland, CA
Tell us a little about yourself-your background, where you’re working now and what you do in your current position?
My name is Melissa Stone. I am a 27-yr old living in San Francisco, CA. I have a BA in Art History and Ceramics and a Post Graduate Diploma in Paper Conservation from Camberwell College in London. After coming back from London in 2009, I started volunteering for a private conservator in Oakland, CA. I have been working for her as an assistant and office manager since.
What form of outreach are you using? If it is an online tool, please specify which platform (Blogspot, Tumblr, Twitter, etc.).
My main form of outreach has been Facebook and the ECPN network. The first meeting that was put together was done so using Facebook. We used the event feature as well as the ECPN website to advertise the event. After the first event, I had a large list of emails of interested emerging conservators that I could use as a base for further meetings. The second meeting relied heavily on it’s sponsors; the Bay Area Art Conservation Guild (BAACG). I asked to use their email lists as well as my own to advertise the event. In the invitation, I asked that people pass on information to interested parties in an effort to advertise as much as possible. I also used Facebook to advertise this event, through the ECPN and BAACG website.
Who would you say is your target audience?
My target audience is anyone interested in conservation, no matter their level of experience. When I first started learning about conservation and the different programs available to me I had a difficult time connecting with others and finding the information I was looking for. My aim is to connect people together so that emerging conservators feel connected to each other and to the conservation community.
Is there anything you would do differently, or any recommendations you would make to other conservators who might want to use your approach / tool for themselves?
My recommendation to other conservators is to use professional organizations. They are already established in the community and members generally know of emerging conservators in the area. They are also a good resource when trying to find events to attend and often have spaces, volunteered by their members, that can be used for meetings. For example, the BAACG meeting I helped to organize was held at a BAACG member’s framing business.
Have your outreach endeavors produced any unexpected outcomes or benefits?
The unexpected benefit of my outreach endeavor was getting to know established conservators in the area. It turned out to be a great networking tool for myself and other emerging conservators and it was also beneficial to the professional organization because many of the emerging conservators became BAACG members. It was also great to meet so many people my age who shared my interests.
To learn more about the Bay Area Art Conservation Guild, go to: http://www.baacg.org/
or its Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/groups/152907821387505/