Conservation activities are performed by trained professionals with specific skills and experience in specializations such as paintings, paper, objects, textiles, etc. The website of the American Institute for Conservation provides information on “Becoming a Conservator”. The Parsons Conservation lab offers opportunities to students considering a career in conservation or allied profession.
INTERNSHIPS
Volunteer or academic-credit internships may be arranged at the discretion of the conservator on a project-specific basis. The course “Issues in the Conservation of Art and Cultural Property” is generally considered a pre-requisite for lab internships. The Museum’s annual summer Mellon internship program may include positions or activities in the conservation lab. Advanced internships can also be arranged for graduate students currently enrolled in a conservation degree program.
RESEARCH PROJECTS
Students from many academic disciplines may pursue object-based research, working with the conservation lab in the technical investigation of materials, methods of manufacture, and age. These projects are supervised by the conservator and are developed in collaboration with the appropriate curator(s).
COURSES
Semester-long courses related to the field of conservation are offered through the Art History department.
ArtHist 387/ 592: Issues in the Conservation of Art and Cultural Property
This course will provide an introduction to the field of Art Conservation as well as an overview of the principle issues surrounding the care and preservation of cultural properties. Lecture and discussion will address historic materials and technologies, as well as aging properties, deterioration, and conservation treatment. Examples will be drawn from a wide variety of cultures and will represent diverse media, including paper, paintings, stone, metals, ceramics, archaeological remains, and historic monuments. We will examine the use of science to recognize fakes or forgeries, document artists' working methods, and identify historic materials. Discussions will consider issues of aesthetics, artist’s intent, change over time, and compensation for loss or damage.
ArtHist 393/ Phys 380: Special Topic – Investigating Art with Physics
This course will introduce students to a selection of art materials and to the physical techniques used to analyze them. Questions of material choice, working method, authenticity, provenance, and restoration are each addressed through the scientific investigation of art. Lecture and discussion will consider historical uses of materials in the production of art, as well as the circumstances motivating the scientific investigation of specific objects. Case studies from the Carlos Museum collection will provide context for these discussions. In hands-on workshops students will produce paper, drawings, and paintings on which they will conduct practical lab experiments using beta radiography, infrared reflectography, neutron activation analysis, and ultraviolet fluorescence. Prior coursework in physics, visual arts, or art history is not required.
ArtHist 397R: Internships
Hands-on experience introduces students to a variety of conservation activities, including documentation, re-housing, cleaning, repair, and materials identification. ArtHist 387 "Issues in the Conservation of Art and Cultural Property" is generally considered a pre-requisite.
Permission from the supervising conservator is required for enrollment.
