Outreach
Image: Sarah Freshnock
Conservation Clinic
WINTERTHUR/WUDPAC
As part of the museum’s and the university’s missions of public service, advice on condition, care, and possible treatment is offered to members of the public. Faculty, students, and Winterthur staff share their knowledge about caring for works of art and archival material with collectors, curators, owners, caretakers, and scholars.
As a graduate fellow I have had the opportunity to take part in conservation clinic on several occasions and have enjoyed interacting with the public, learning about their prized possessions and helping them make decisions about the care and long-term preservation of their objects.
Image: Kaeley Ferguson
Focus Lab Tours
WINTERTHUR/WUDPAC
Every month, second-year graduate fellows lead tours of the Louise DuPont Crowninshield Research Building conservation labs to interested members of the public.
On these tours conservation staff, current students and interns share a bit about the kind of work done in their lab as well as the projects they are currently working on. These tours are a great opportunity to work on public speaking skills and engage with the public!
Image: Jason Wierzbicki
Delphi After School Art Club
PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART
Delphi After School Art Club is an after school arts education program hosted by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Meeting weekly over the course of a year students in the program learn about a variety of artists and art techniques, tour the Museum's galleries, and create their own works of art.
In Winter 2020, conservators and scientists from the Philadelphia Museum of Art presented on conservation to the Delphi Art Club students. Along with graduate intern Livy Bailin, I presented on reconstruction of ceramics, discussing the materials we use, our thought processes, and the steps we take. After our brief lecture students got to try their hands at reconstructing ceramics, practicing on broken mugs and bowls provided. It was interesting to see how different students approached the process and the questions that arose as they worked through the exercise.
Image: Anya Shutov
Cool Jobs Workshop
FRESH ARTISTS, PHILADELPHIA
The goal of the workshop, held annually, is to expose over 600 seventh grade students from across Philadelphia to individuals employed in the arts who love their jobs, many of which the students do not know exist. This includes people from all different parts of the vast art world such a chefs, fine artists, fashion designers and art conservators.
I participated in the workshop, along with colleagues from the Barnes Foundation, presenting on preventive conservation and frame conservation. During the hand-on breakout groups, I worked with small groups of ~10 students to make their own plaster elements and explain the science behind plaster. I also had the opportunity to speak with students one on one to answer any questions they had about our project, the field of conservation and my own background.
Image: Sally Malenka
Family Festival
PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART
The theme of this event, hosted by the museum's education department, was Art Protection Squad and all activities endeavored to explain to kids and parents alike just what it takes to care for artworks in the collection. The event was split into collection tours, an art project and tables hosted by different conservation labs and the analytical lab.
The objects lab chose to discuss metals and patina and drew on the pieces the kids had seen on their tour, such as a bronze statue on which one spot had been rubbed bright and shiny. Each child was given a handout and asked which of the nine metal samples were the same. Most gave an answer based on color or texture but no one could believe that they were all in fact the same metal that had simply been treated to look different. This handout served as a jumping off point to then discuss different aspects of conservation of metals based on the age and interest of the visitor. Topics discussed were qualities of metal, fabrication and casting, patination and how these topics relate to our roles as conservators at the museum.