Tru Vue Conservation Conference Scholarships provide funding to conservation professionals to participate in industry conferences and events with the goal to encourage international exchange and information dissemination. After attending the events, scholarship recipients return to their organizations and communities where they share their experiences and the knowledge gained.

 

As the second story in our three-part series, we proudly feature some of the recent scholarship recipients from The Institute of Conservation (Icon). Icon training and development manager, Patrick Whife, works closely with Tru Vue and administers the Conservation Conference Scholarships to mid-career conservators through the Icon Grants Programme.

 

“The Icon Tru Vue Grants are a fantastic opportunity for conservators to actively support their own continuing professional development,” stated Whife. “The grants can and have so far been used to support a wide range of activities enabling mid-career conservators to stay on top of the latest changes and best practice in the sector.”

 

A diverse range of applications have been awarded for professional development opportunities in Europe, Japan and the U.S. The recipients’ courses and experiences include:

• Paper conservator Melissa Lewis, who took a course on “Adhesives, Coatings and Consolidants” at Tate Britain with Velson Horie
• Brighton Royal Pavilion and Museums’ paper conservator, Amy Junker Heslip, ACR, who studied “New Methods of Cleaning Surfaces of Paper” at Tate with tutor Richard Wolbers
• Conservation manager for objects and paper at the Museum of London, Helen Ganiaris. ACR, who studied “Conservation and Exhibition Planning: Material Testing for Design, Display and Packing” at Smithsonian American Art Museum
• Staffordshire Hoard conservator, Kayleigh Fuller, who studied “Conservation of Plastics” at West Dean College
• Conservator Tanya Millard, who studied “New Methods of Cleaning Surfaces of Paper” at Tate
• Manuscripts conservator Gianlorenzo Pignatti Morano, who studied “Risk Assessment” in art exhibition management at Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli (LUISS University), Rome
• Storage project manager Emily Watts, who studied “Chemistry for Conservators” with the International Academic Projects

 

All recipients have submitted blog articles which are being posted on the Icon website. Following is a summary of the blogs that have been posted to date.

 

Melissa Lewis on “Adhesives, Coatings and Consolidants”

Melissa Lewis said her coursework, “opened up a different way in which to broach difficult conservation problems, an area into which much of my work takes me. We spent the afternoon testing materials: their tensile properties, setting properties, solubility, cracks and color change. I now understand how to measure the refractive index (RI) of glass and therefore choose an adhesive or coating with the same RI. I measured the change in reflection of coatings, and became aware for the first time how color changes reflection dramatically.” Read more

 

 

Amy Junker Heslip and “New Methods of Cleaning Surfaces of Paper”

Sharing a similar passion for her educational experience, Amy Junker Heslip, commented, “My goodness! The course was probably the best practical paper conservation training that I have had since leaving Camberwell College. Certainly, my pool of treatments has broadened. The testing on conductivity, the use of gels, silicones and solvents are all-new and very helpful learning points for me. I would recommend all paper conservators apply to attend this course.” Read more

 

 

Emily Watts on “Chemistry for Conservators”

With her scholarship, Emily Watts completed a four-month distance-learning course on chemistry for conservators. She explained, “You receive a chemistry experiment pack in the post that enables you to carry out nearly 30 experiments to consolidate the theory you learn via text books and a course pack. Being able to carry out experiments yourself, I found hugely beneficial. I learn best by doing. Not being a natural at studying science… I will happily admit I was even a little bit excited when I carried out the first experiment and could see the reactions taking place.” Read more

 

 

Emilia Kingham on the “Society for the Preservation of Natural History Specimens, Annual Conference”

Emilia Kingham concluded, “The salient point in the conference sessions was that the previous decades of strict environmental guidelines for collections has done more harm than good in respect to sustainability and that we as practitioners need to push forward the idea of relaxing strict temperature and humidity.” Read more

 

 

Kayleigh Fuller on the “Conservation of Plastics”

Kayleigh Fuller recently attended the “Conservation of Plastics” course at West Dean College. She explained, “This was both to increase my knowledge in a rapidly developing area of conservation as well as to gain skills in identification and treatment of plastics, so that I may aid the Birmingham Museums Trust conservation team with long term collection care aims.  The course was very comprehensive and we started learning about the historical production of plastics, which unsurprisingly can tell you a lot about the object and even indicate what type of plastic it is made up of.”  Read more

 

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More information about applying for these scholarships can be found at http://www.truvue2023prd.wpengine.com/museums-collections. To review the first story in this three-part
series on FAIC International Scholarship recipients, please click here. The third story in this three-part series will feature Mountmakers Forum Travel Scholarship recipients.