Category: Emerging Conservation Professionals

Winterthur offers one to three month short term fellowships for academic, museum, and independent scholars, including graduate students. Fellows receive a stipend of $1500 per month. Applicants need not apply for a specific named fellowship, but they do designate certain awards as:

* Faith Andrews Fellowships for the study of Shaker life and material culture

* Robert Lee Gill Fellowships for research on American decorative arts, painting, architecture, or historic preservation

* Dwight P. Lanmon Fellowships for the study of glass and ceramics

* Neville McD. Thompson Fellowships for the study of domestic life, late 19th- and early 20th-century design and material culture

To Apply

1. Application Form: Complete the application cover sheet. If you are applying for a Dissertation Fellowship or a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, you may ask to have your application considered for a short-term research fellowship in the event that your primary application is not accepted.
2. Essay: Prepare an application essay of no more than 1,500 words that opens with a concise overview of the project and then addresses the following questions.
* What ideas, questions, or problems guide your project? If this is a new area of research, explain its significance in your discipline and field of study.
* What is distinctive about your project? How does it complement, expand, or challenge prior study in the field? Please be specific about prior scholarship that informs your work.
* What work do you plan to undertake at Winterthur? Why is a residence fellowship at Winterthur necessary for successful completion of your project?
3. Bibliography: Based on your searches of Wintercat (our online library catalogue), prepare a bibliography of no more than two pages of primary sources you plan to use at Winterthur. If you plan to use objects from the museum collection in your research, please provide a brief listing.
4. Vita: Provide a copy of your current vita.
5. References: Obtain two recent letters of reference addressing your previous scholarly record, your current project, and your ability to work with a collegial group. If you are a graduate student, one of these letters must come from your dissertation advisor. Please instruct your reference writers to e-mail their letters to the address below. Please ask that they put your last name and the word “reference” in the subject line. We prefer .pdf documents. Word documents are also acceptable.
6. E-mail the completed application package to the e-mail address below (cover sheet, essay, bibliography, and vita). Please put your name in the subject line.

researchapplication@winterthur.org
Subject: Your Name

Mailed copies are also acceptable, if necessary. Mailed copies must contain six copies of the completed application package (cover sheet, essay, bibliography, and vita) to the address below. Mailed letters of recommendation (one copy only) also should be sent directly to this address

Rosemary Krill
Administrative Assistant, Research Fellowship Program
Academic Programs
Winterthur Museum & Country Estate
Winterthur, DE 19735

The deadline for all research fellowship applications is January 7, 2009. Notice of acceptance is sent by mid-April.

Okay, Katie and Rose – you’ve convinced me to answer the call!

Hello fellow ECPNers! Allow myself to introduce…myself. My name is Crista Pack and I am currently employed by the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis as their Conservation Technician. Some might find this odd considering that there are no conservators at the Eiteljorg…in fact there isn’t a conservation department or lab either. I’m it. I like to joke that I’m the head of the department and the lackey all rolled into one.

I’m at the Eiteljorg because two years ago they were awarded an

IMLS grant to conduct a condition survey of nearly 5,000 objects in their collection. The money is being used to bring in Conservators specializing in objects, textiles, paper, paintings, and sculpture. I get to work with these conservators to survey and photograph the objects and then enter this information into our database. It’s a great gig and I’m happy to have it.

However, today as I was entering my 2,437th survey into the database it occurred to me how nice it would be to have a conservator type sitting across the room who I could just shout out questions to spontaneously and then get an immediate response. Sure, I’m lucky to have Richard McCoy as my mentor extraordinaire…but he’s all the way across town at the IMA. And even though I imagine that he is usually just sitting by his phone, anxiously awaiting my phone calls – sometimes he’s not.

But, I digress. The point is, as a person still learning the field; I often have random questions about simple things. Like, what the heck does “skinning” mean when referring to a piece of paper? Or, what is the difference between cockling and buckling? What exactly is Silly Putty made of?

So, I turned to my trusty Google toolbar. I figured I would at least get hits on a half dozen dictionaries, and from those I should be able to decipher a conservation-related meaning for “skinning.” But I got something much better. I’m sometimes the last person to figure out tech/web-y things, so bear with me if you’ve known about these websites for years, but holy friggin’ cow…I feel like I hit the motherload today!

The first one is the Fine Arts Conservancy website:
http://www.art-conservation.org/glossary.htm

There you will find glossaries for paintings, works on paper, furniture, and decorative furniture elements. This is also where, by the way, I found my answer:

Skinning:
Excessive intervention resulting in losses of the original media; also called “over-cleaning”, or “excessive cleaning”.

Yay! Very handy. The only way the website could be any better is if they had a glossary for ethnographic objects. Which made me think, “hmm, what other glossaries might be out there?”

Well, in my search I found these gems:

Paintings: http://www.si.edu/MCI/english/learn_more/taking_care/painting_glossary.html

Scientific Research:

Material Name: Silly Putty®
Description

[Binney & Smith] A bouncing, rubbery polymer developed in 1943 by James Wright at General Electric. Silly Putty® is made from silicone oil
polymerized by the addition of boric acid. Peter Hodgson gave the bouncing rubber the name Silly Putty® in 1950 when he introduced it at the International Toy Fair in New York. Binney & Smith purchased the rights to the product in 1971. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Silly Putty® was put on display in the Smithsonian Institution.
Synonyms and Related Terms: Potty Putty (Br.); Tricky Putty
Hazards and Safety: May leave silicone oil residue on contacted surfaces.

Additional InformationSilly Putty: Website

IR spectrum of silly puttyTransmission spectrum. Sample prepared on zinc
selenide crystal. Credit: Infrared Spectroscopy Lab, Analytical Answers, Inc.,
Woburn, MA.

Surely, there must be others out there. If you have websites that you use regularly, or that you’ve heard of, please post them here! I would love to find out what other resources people in the field regularly use.

Of course, it still might be nice to at least have a cardboard cutout of a conservator I can prop up on my back wall. I’ve been thinking about adding this paper conservator to the department:

She was posted by

Rachel on the ECPN blog before and I’ve been told that she kind of resembles a mini-me. Frankly, I don’t think my head is quite that square.

http://www.luzrasante.com/la-conservacion-un-juego-de-ninos/

October 7, 2009 from 3:30-7 PM at Winterthur Museum

Students interested in applying to the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation (WUPAC) should not miss this insightful career opportunity. On October 7, 2009, the program will host its annual Portfolio Day, in which the entering class of graduate students shares their pre-program experiences, art work, and résumés. Students will be able to engage with graduate students. Potential applicants are welcomed to ask the current conservation fellows questions and get an idea of the process involved in applying to graduate school for art conservation. Faculty will also be on hand to answer questions.

http://www.artcons.udel.edu/news/2009/07/03/Fall_Art_Conservation_Portfolio_Day_

The Peter J. Sharp Internship in the Library Conservation Department at The New-York Historical Society is designed to provide an opportunity for practical hands-on training in book and paper conservation at an intermediate level. This internship is for individuals who have at least a bachelor’s degree and who have 1-2 years of practical experience working in book and paper conservation, or for students currently enrolled in a formal conservation training program.

Interns will undertake and complete a project based on their interests and skills and the needs and capabilities of the Conservation Department. At the end of the internship period, the intern will be required to produce a written report and possibly deliver a presentation of their work.

To apply for this internship, please submit the following:

• A detailed letter of interest that indicates the specific department(s) with which you would like to be placed;
• A current resume;
• Three professional recommendations;
• A five to ten page academic writing sample;

Please note: An interview with the Senior Conservator is required (preferably on-site) and candidates should present a portfolio of completed treatments at that time.

All applications must be submitted electronically only. Please email completed application package to internships@nyhistory.org with your name in the subject line. The cover letter, resume, and writing sample should be submitted together in one email. Recommendations must be emailed directly from the reference to internships@nyhistory.org and should have “Recommendation for Applicant’s Name” as the subject.

Applications are due by 5:00 PM on Monday, September 14^th, 2009.

If you have any questions about this program, please contact Betsy Gibbons by email at internships@nyhistory.org or by phone at 212-485-9281.

ECPN Conference Call 8-20-09
Present:
Ryan Winfield
Katie Mullen
Rose Daly
Rachel Penniman
Kathleen Dardes
Angie Elliot
Jason Church
Steve Pickman

I. Welcome
II. Project Updates
a. Communications

i.Blogging/calendar
Email, NING and Blog will get text of call for bloggers, please also send this out to folks that you personally know are interested.

ii. Skype interview with Jeff Guin
Interview between Jeff and Rachel P. will be posted. Address available soon…

b.Outreach
i. Angels Project
Ryan reports that Ruth did not get a chance to visit any potential sites, but Tony Rajer is providing leads, and we will ask Ann to start looking for potential sites as well.

ii. Flicker site for presentation photos
Possibly – Flickr.com\groups\ecpn
No approval needed for joining, must join to post. Most important thing is to tag your photos as extensively as possible. Jason will do a blog post explaining how the Flikr group will work. Jason will discuss on the blog being aware about use your institution permits, along with an emphasis on photos that can be shared, and about how to edit the rights licenses

Logo – we’ll revisit the logo, since we’re branding on flickr, etc. We’ll ask for more submission within a month and then do a poll. Group members will try to go back and tag the logo entries in the blog in preparation.

c. Professional Development/Training
i. Status of training advisory group
RP reports for Amber that all ANAGPIC programs, except Buffalo, have contacts in place. Katie will send name of contact that she had initially at Buffalo. Then Amber will send out introductory email to advisory group explaining what types of things we’re looking to work on. Example: ECPN can coordinate with the programs to provide a consolidated source for emerging conservators on internship and volunteer (pre-program) info, and on possibilities funding info for attending conferences. The information can then be placed in the career section of the website.

ii. Mentoring
Angie – Ryan has passed on more applications. There need to be more matches – what’s the best way to do it? Ryan will send out an email blast w/ call for mentoring program applicants and bloggers.
How will people be matched up? – Ryan says that Angie et al, can match people once they want to know how to approach it. One idea: Rank people by 1st – how they want to communicate, then by specialty. The mentee applications will be sent to the mentors, who can then choose from a pool – but that might lead to problems if many mentors pick one mentee. Tyrna points out current program in NY to mentor possible museum directors, she will pass on contact info and we’ll see what they can learn from that program about matching people. An “online dating model” might be a good way to approach this as well – all people go into a pool that is password protected, then choose each other.

III. New Business/ Open Discussion
a. 2010 Budget
It is budget preparation time, come up with ideas for September about what type of budget we might like to see, which will go to the board meeting in November, e.g. funding to attend anagpic.
Rachel asks if people have ideas for projects that would require a budget. Example, should we try again to have a workshop at AIC?
Steve suggests for equipment for podcasts, as a possibility – Zoom h2 handy recorder, which is under $200. Ryan says AIC in general might purchase this, he’ll check into this. Jason could coordinate who and how it’s going to if we did get one. We are looking into meeting accessibility requirements in terms of close captioning and transcription for podcasts.
Also add budget for chairperson attendance at internal advisory group.
Budget for ECPN meeting at the annual meeting next year, which would be a good opportunity to solicit more mentors and mentees, and have those who are already meet. This will be also be announced in the official program next year.
We’ll have informal dinner again (but not a budget issue)

b. 2009 IAG Meeting
Nov 14th, Saturday. All committee and specialty group chairs meet with the board and all strategize for the next year of the organization. If we have anything for this – pass it on to RP before she attends.
No further new business.

IV. Setting of next call and adjournment

Next call will be September 17th 1 PM EST.

During the summer of 2009, the four intern/fellows, Rose Daly, Diana
Larrabee, Laine Kirkhof, and Laura Brill, decided to look at outdoor
sculpture through the SOS program to learn more about documentation
methods, outdoor sculpture, public outreach, and Vermont. Rose arrived
in Vermont with the idea for this project, and the three
other interns in the lab were interested in it as well. The
project is accessible to anyone, regardless of the extent of their
knowledge of outdoor sculpture, since the guidelines and forms are
already in place. There is even a girl scout merit badge, which we all wanted desperately, but had to be affiliated with a girl scout troop, too bad.

The project was very informal. Our objectives were to become more
familiar with the SOS process and investigate how the project had been
carried out in Vermont. We also wanted to encourage future efforts
in Vermont, and other interns to do the same in other states. After
researching and downloading SOS forms, we set out to examine a
sculpture.
Rose and Laura examining the first sculpture

We printed out reports an went to look at one sculpture as a group to get an idea of how difficult it would be to write up a report in the field. In terms of logistics, it took us about 45 minutes to fill out the form and take pictures. For this sculpture we used the longer form, that is no longer required by the project.
We brought along a camera, tape measure, our clipboard, forms and a pen. A flashlight, a
magnet, and color card could also be useful items.

A few days later, Rose, Diana and Laine went to the Vermont Historical
Society to research the 1992 SOS files. They spoke with Paul Carnahan
the VHS librarian, who explained the filing system, and gave some
suggested some improvements for future efforts. He was very supportive
of the effort and offered to publicize any future project through the
League of Local Societies. On a side note, Barre is one of Vermont’s
biggest granite producer’s and there are many granite sculptures and buildings in the area.
Diana and Laine researching previous records of sculpture and more about the goals of the SOS! project.

To prepare for the trip to Burlington Laura downloaded the Art in Public
Places tour booklet from the Burlington City Arts. We chose the walk
down Church Street as it had the most public sculptures. We looked at
Democracy, Leapfroggers, and Millennium Sculpture.

We greatly enjoyed the project and would recommend it to any emerging conservator who is interested in outdoor sculpture.

* If you’re eager to present a paper at a meeting but aren’t sure how to condense your ideas into 250-500 word proposal . . .
* If you’re familiar with bibliographic abstracts but aren’t sure how to convert that style into a dynamic and compelling response to a call for presentations . . .
* If you want to use the abstract-writing process as a way to clarify your thoughts for future writing projects . . .

. . . this is a workshop for you.

In this 60-minute online meeting you will learn:

* The four different goals for writing an abstract.
* What you need—and don’t need—to include in a paper or presentation proposal.
* How to write an abstract/proposal for a paper you haven’t yet written.
* How to make your proposal engaging without sacrificing your authority.
* Three simple tricks to match your abstract to a call for papers.

Writing a good abstract or proposal is a skill you can learn.

The workshop presentation will be a text-based discussion in a “Group Meeting” or IM format.

Cost:
To attend the workshop: $25.00
Special: Attend the workshop and we will review* your draft abstract/proposal $40.00

American Institute for Conservation (AIC) Member Special: 20% discount.

Click here for the registration form ABSW09
Download, complete and mail or email your registration to us. Use the drop-down menu and button below to pay via credit card or PayPal. We also accept checks.
Mailing address: P.O. Box 6611 New York NY 10128

I can’t speak for everyone involved, but as someone who is engaged with trying to get the blog up and running in a meaningful way for ECPN, here’s how I see it:

Why Blog?

I think the better question is why not blog?

*It provides a relatively informal forum in which emerging conservators can pitch their research, and get their names out there!

*It invites collaboration – in that the format of a blog invites informal peer review and discussion, in a more accessible way than other conservation publishing venues permit.

*It’s timely – ongoing research can be posted and commented on. There is often a several year lag time with other venues.

*Along with collaboration and review, it encourages transparency in our work.
(see Richard McCoy’s musings in Dan Cull’s brilliant blog on the role of “conservy” blogs http://dancull.wordpress.com/2009/02/20/the_conservy/)

*a blog invites discussion also on people’s thoughts and reflections on the field, not just their research, in a timely and direct way that is not possible through traditional venues.
(here’s a good example, again the product of Richard McCoy, guest blogger for Ellen Carrlee:
http://ellencarrlee.wordpress.com/2009/05/11/new-directions-or-radical-ideas/
Indeed, look at all of Ellen’s posts on the proceedings at AIC for great examples of how to marry quick dispersal of the research being done in conservation with review. Like this:
http://ellencarrlee.wordpress.com/2009/05/29/aic-2009-in-la-more-sessions/)

*The blog is a playground! Not only to get to know one another one one another’s research, but for those of us, like myself, who don’t blog on our own, it invites us to engage with and learn how to use emerging technologies and communications methods. And we can even find members to tell us how to begin!
(http://emergingconservator.blogspot.com/2009/08/helpful-thoughts-on-writing-blog-post.html)

*We’re already attracting some attention and discussion, no? So I would say it will serve as a touchstone for building the ECPN community. And possibly serve as a base for those interested in some of the great blogging that a few conservators are doing now, through the engagement of guest bloggers and tools like a blog roll.

*It’s empowering!

Writing a blog post can be daunting. You have a page staring back at you and you want to be informative, clever, and maybe a little silly. Luckily, there are several tutorials online to help you out.

The ECPN blog is run through blogger.com.
Youtube.com is a great source for how-to videos of blogging.
From the basics of setting up a blogger account and writing a post, an example of adding pictures from the internet see this tutorial.
There are also youtube videos about adding youtube videos to a blog

Blogger provides a comprehensive help section as well.

Now we’ve covered the basics and the how-to, I would like to open a discussion about what makes a blog interesting and fun to read.

• Write about what you know: I think this is most important, and if you have a specialized knowledge of something in conservation you would like to share, that’s great. People will love to hear about it. Blogs are written by people, not corporations, and people want to know what YOU think.
• Be honest, share your opinions, offer hints and advice, write a review about:books, articles, workshops, museums, websites, other blogs . The best blog posts are discussions that offer information, lots of links to sources for more information, and ask a questions to start a dialogue between the blogger and the reader.
• Link as much as you can, let the reader decide what information they can follow. This tutorial can help you to add links in your posts.
• Add photos and video if you can. There may be rules and regulations depending on your museum, and we hope to address those issues in future posts. I did find a number of photos of the Lunder Conservation Center at the Smithsonian American Art Museum online, and with Creative Commons I can use the photos if they are attributed correctly and not used for profit.
  

  from flickr.com

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/nostri-imago/ / CC BY 2.0

• The information I used for this post I found on this site, and this one. But a simple search for “How to write a blog post” will give you many other sites.
• But to really begin you need to understand and become part of the blogosphere by reading and becoming actively engaged with other bloggers.
• 

From: http://www.coxandforkum.com/

• Here is my conservation blog and a few other blogs I read and enjoy. You can read them, post comments, link to them, and join in the conversation on the ECPN blog
• http://www.dalyconservation.com/
• http://dancull.wordpress.com/
• http://ellencarrlee.wordpress.com/
• http://bethhellerconservation.wordpress.com/
• http://jeffpeachey.wordpress.com/
• http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/category/conservation/
  

Happy Posting!

We’re opening the blog up as a forum for our members! Get your name, your work and your own blog out there to your peers Are you an emerging conservation professional with something you’d like to say? Or an experienced professional with something you’d like us to hear?

Seeking guest bloggers for ~500-1500 word entries!

Suggested topics include your outreach efforts, your ongoing treatments, perspectives on your specialty, resources you think we want to hear about, how you get and keep volunteers in your lab, disasters you’ve planned for and ones you haven’t! Have another idea that you’d like to write about? Just let us know!

How:

Pick a week in the next calendar year in which you think you can post one blog entry and contact Katie Mullen @ kamullen at library dot in dot gov to get signed up.