Graduate School: Conservation Programs visited

As soon as I was done at AIC I had four days to get home, take my chemistry final, finish up my projects at the California State Library and then pack for a two week vacation and graduate school tour to the east coast. I had never been to New York before and was excited to see the environment of the different programs and talk with staff and students.

New book lab at Buffalo State

First stop was Buffalo, NY where I had arranged to meet with paper conservator instructor Judy Walsh. We toured the facilities including the new wing that will be completed this fall. It looks amazing! It was nice to learn about the type of people that  have come to learn there and the environment the students are immersed in. I got a good sense of the structure of the program and what to expect as a student there. Seven full time faculty members with adjunct members who come throughout the year. I was really pleased to hear about how well the first year of the Library Archives specialty went and got to see some of the books that had been worked on. Judy was wonderful to talk with and even had me pose for a picture in the furutre book lab. I enjoyed walking around the campus with its beautiful old brick buildings and the city was fun to explore. My mom and I were able to visit Niagara Falls and the Dean Martin Complex, which was wonderful.

Next we headed to Philadelphia where we stayed for five days. We drove down to the Winterthur Museum and met with current WUDPAC fellow Carrie McNeal. She showed us the different labs and projects that are being currently worked on and introduced various instructors and students along the way. She is also part of the Library Archives specialty, so it was nice to see what she has been working on and upcoming internships she will get to take on. The grounds were beautiful even with the rain drizzling all day. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about furniture conservation and the amazing craftsmanship that takes place there.  

Philadelphia Museum of Art paper conservation lab

During our stay in Philadelphia I was also able to visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art and tour the conservation labs. After meeting Scott Homolka, Stephanie Lussier and Elisa Spaulding at the AIC conference it was nice to be able to see them in their element. The labs were beautiful and storage areas amazing. After walking the labs, my mom and I were able to enjoy the galleries, which turned out to be one of best museums I have ever visited.

After taking the train to New York City and coming up from the bellows of Penn Station I walked up into a city that I have been aching to visit my entire life. The energy of the city had me awe struck and I was so excited to be walking the streets and hailing cabs.

Thaw Conservation Center at the Morgan Library

My first impression of conservation in NYC was meeting with Margaret Holben Ellis at the Thaw Conservation Center. I had the opportunity to introduce myself to her at the AIC conference before the tour so I didn't feel quite as nervous as I might have originally. It was such a beautiful space and Ms. Ellis was wonderful with all the information she provided about the lab and the conservation program at NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts. I felt very challenged by the questions she asked me and I walked away with a greater view of conservation than I originally had.

The next day I met with academic advisor, Kevin Martin, at the NYU Institute of Fine Arts, Conservation Center. It was the first time I had sat down with someone to go over admissions to a program and we talked about my transcripts, plus other requirements. I hadn’t realized how nervous I would be discussing my application and it was a great experience talking about why I wanted to be in conservation. After talking about the interview process and the type of students that come to study at NYU we headed up into the labs and talked more about how the curriculum is set up and what to expect as a student in the program. I got lots of good feedback about the Library Archival specialty after its first year has gone by.

I closed out my trip with enjoying the great city of New York and came home with a lot to think about. I think a lot of preprogram students have an idea of which program they would like to attend and I left the trip thinking what great programs all three were and how excited I would be to attend any one of them.

Family bonding

After I returned from my trip I had another four days to pack everything I owned and move to Los Angeles to begin my summer fellowship at the Huntington Library. Now that a couple months have passed and the excitement has settle somewhat I am glad to have this perspective on the training of the conservation field and what each program focuses on. One thing is certain, I am very excited to be applying this coming winter!