…to become more involved with the Emerging Conservation Professionals Network! For all of you emerging conservators hoping to connect with ECPN, here’s an easy way for you to help:
What you need to do: Like I said, it’s very simple; all you have to do is contribute your ideas for a potential blog post or webinar. Just click ‘comment’ below and type in a topic—general or specific—that would be useful to you. Commenting does not oblige you to author a blog post or organize a webinar, but if you are considering it, please mention that and we’ll put your talents to good use.
Why contribute: This blog is meant to support all emerging conservators, from pre-program to graduate students, to beginning professionals—anyone with less than 7 years experience in the field of conservation. In order to ensure that everyone is being represented, we need to know what all of you would like to see.
How you benefit directly: Besides seeing more of the topics that interest you personally, you’ll also connect with other people in the group and begin building a network of colleagues. Also, each time you contribute a post or help with a project, you can add that to your resume. It’s a win-win!
One idea for a potential webinar could be centered around portfolios. I live in the Midwest so I'm not that close to the conservation programs, thus I probably won't be able to make it out to the Portfolio Days. Maybe a webinar full of how to make a successful portfolio and pictures of some examples would be awesome!
I joined ECPN in February so I'm not sure if something like this already exists but if not, I'd love to help organize one!
Thanks, Anisha! A webinar on building a portfolio is a great idea, and something we're considering.
Jason Church at the NCPTT has generously offered to host the webinar; we just need to work out the logistics. Do you, by chance, know anything about webinar technology?
It would be great to get a series of posts from conservators about their transition from student to professional. Something to encourage emerging professionals.
Whitney, I think that would be helpful, too, specifically, how to go about the fellowship/job search and what types of things they felt equipped/unequipped to handle. Were you thinking of anything else?
I don't know anything about webinar technology but can usually learn things about technology fairly easily. I can do some research and self-teaching. I'd be willing to help in any way you need!
I like the idea of a portfolio webinar, I think many people could benefit from that. I'm afraid I don't know much about webinars but if there is a way I can help, please let me know.
I have been wondering about Masters programs for Art Conservation that are overseas. I am planning on applying to some, but have heard that it can be more difficult to get hired with a foreign degree. So I'm wondering if there is someone who knows about this topic that would be willing to write about it.
Anisha and Capri, thanks for volunteering to help with the webinar! I'll send you each a message to coordinate this. Amongst the three of us, I'm sure we can figure out the technology!
Capri, there is a post up by Ida Pohoriljakova, a Canadian conservator with a Queens degree working in the U.S. I'll see if I can track down an American with a foreign degree working in the U.S.
Like Anisha, I am also in the Midwest, so portfolios would be a great topic. And if conservators have suggestions for classes that aren't necessarily required for the programs, but ones they would have found useful either before going to school or just in their professional experience, that would be great to know as well!
One thing that might be good is to help emerging conservators get together by their location. Just to chat, have coffee, talk about their experiences, etc. Kind of like support groups:)
Could be organized by city if there are enough in a specific area that could have meetups.
I too would really appreciate and participate in a portfolio webinar. At last years UDell portfolio day, most students had a lot of intern conservation projects in addition to artwork. Any info on that topic would also be very helpful. Thanks!
Thank you for letting me know about the post by Ida, Heather! And just let me know about the webinar.
Support groups for art conservation groups would be interesting, especially as we are moving around a lot while interning and may not know a lot of people where we are, it would be good to have that connection.
I'm have a foreign degree and I'm working in the US though I did not do a Master's. I'm one step down in a PostGrad diploma. But if there is anything I can do to help I would love to.
Also, I go to SJSU and they use Elluminate for their online class meetings. I am pretty familiar with that but don't know if it is something anyone can use. Thought it might be worth looking into for webinars.
Lastly, I thought it would be interesting to learn about the day-to-day in different kinds of conservation practice. For instance, I work in a private practice and know little about museums or libraries. Don't know if that is something anyone else would be interested in or if it has already been done but I thought I'd put it out there. Sorry about the long post! I guess I had a lot to say. 🙂
I also feel like a portfolio webinar would be a great idea! I'm in the midwest too, and would really like to learn more before I apply to programs. I used Elluminate for a chemistry course, and it was actually really great.
Additionally, I agree with Jennifer, I think it'd be great to have ECPN meetups, like coffee or something, in major areas. I'm in the a big city (Chicago, specifically), and I think it'd be great to meet other pre-program students, recent grads, and fellows from the area and share stories.
Thanks for all of the wonderful ideas! If any of you are inclined to write on one of these topics, please let me know!
Portfolio days are also difficult for me to attend since I live in Alabama, so I agree that a webinar on portfolios would be helpful. Additionally, I would be interested in hearing about the differences in interning and/or working in a private practice vs a museum. Lastly, I would be interested in advice on settling into a new location from those who have moved frequently to pursue internship opportunities.
I would be willing to help but I'm not sure how useful I would be. I'm working in a private conservation practice but I mostly do office work. I would also be willing to host a gathering if persons in the SF Bay area were interested in doing so. Let me know: melstone84@gmail.com
I'd love to learn about alternative methods of education – people who learned through apprentice training or rose through the ranks by working in labs while pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in other fields. I live in the Upper Midwest and just can't get to a formal program.
There are some really wonderful ideas here. I am a pre-program student and have worked with 2 conservators who apprenticed and trained into the field and 1 who went to the Buffalo program. Lisa mentioned that she would like to hear about apprenticeships, and I could possibly interview a couple of them this fall and put together advice from conservators with both backgrounds? It would be even more interesting if people could ask conservators they are working with about their experiences, and we could gather those stories and advice in one place. Any ideas?
Also, I would be happy to organize an ECPN get together in whatever city I am in next! I will keep you posted.
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