Status Update

I’m alive and kicking! The end of last semester had me completely overwhelmed and I had to hide myself away to kick butt in my studies. With a new year comes my second semester of general chemistry, which I’m completely fascinated with, as well as a new internship at the Legion of Honor museum in San Francisco.

Sometime last year a wooden box of glass plate negatives was discovered in the de Young basement with no record of how they came to be there. Even more interesting is that they are housed in the original envelopes with notes from the photographers. My job is to clean, re-house in acid free envelopes, construct proper mats for the broken negatives, preserve the original envelope without further damaging the emulsion on the plates and photograph the glass plates for the museum database. Plus, uncovering more about these mysterious photographs!

The research part has put me in touch with some of San Francisco’s well known historians who are filling in the pieces of the photographers. I am compiling all evidence and will be summarizing my entire experience soon on the FAMSF blog for all to enjoy. Working with Debra Evans and Victoria Binder has been such a treat and wonderful learning experience.

Last year I wanted to become more involved with local conservation efforts and I joined the Bay Area Art Conservation Guild, which has put great effort into organizing local lectures. Our upcoming event is going to be held on February 25 at San Francisco State University on textile treatments from Joyce Hulbert and Elise Yvonne Rousseau. All are welcome to attend!

I also wanted to become more involved with the AIC’s Emerging Conservators Professionals Network and have volunteered to be the ECPN liaison for Northern California. I am excited to start working closer with locals to organize and support conservation events and really find out what pre-program students are doing on the quest to grad school. I hope to bring this experience with me to the ECPN’s committee meeting at AIC’s 40^th annual meeting, which I just booked! Very excited indeed!

If you would like to be involved with local conservation efforts of Northern California, have ideas for networking and want to contribute please feel free to email me anytime. 

Last, but not least, things at the California State Library are wonderful. Since my return from UCLA last summer I have gained enough experience to begin working on some of the rare books from our collection. Here's some of the recent books that had to be resewn and rebacked. 

Looking forward to the year. Less than a year until I apply to grad programs!