Winterthur/University of Delaware

Masters of Science in Art Conservation

Major:

Paintings Conservation

Preventive Conservation

Minor:

Third Year:

My third year was spent at the Brooklyn Museum in Brooklyn, NY, working under the supervision of Lauren Bradley (Associate Paintings Conservator) and Ellen Nigro (Assistant Paintings Conservator).

PC: Camille Ferrer

Second Year:

The second year of WUDPAC is when classes focus in on our chosen specialties. This involves treatment projects, scientific research, focused seminars and more.

Treatments

Most of my time as a second-year was spent in the paintings lab, working on my treatment of a 17th-century Copy of Madonna in Preghiera after Guido Reni.

PC: Evan Krape

Science Research

For my second-year science project, I tracked the vibration dampening effects of different backing board materials and analyzed the painting’s surface before and after exposure to vibration for morphological changes.

PC: Evan Krape

Seminars & Classes

Throughout second year, I attended focused seminars for both my paintings conservation major and preventive minor. Seminars included consolidation of ground and paint layers, canvas humidification, and IPM strategies among others. I regularly went on field trips to museums, galleries, and auction houses. I also took Matthew Cushman’s cleaning class which explored dry, aqueous, and solvent modes of cleaning of cultural heritage surfaces, with a focus on introducing scientific and practical concepts governing cleaning decisions and formulations.

PC: Miriam-Helene Rudd

Preventive Work

I developed and executed projects that expanded on my preventive skills. One of my major preventive projects was a full assessment and documentation of paintings storage in the paintings lab. With tiered recommendations on how to improve the conditions and outlining what is currently working.

First Year:

The first year of study is divided into 3-4 week blocks which allows for the exploration of different specialties within conservation. This included research, documentation, treatment, housing design and more. The carousel below shows images of projects from this exploratory first year.

  • Inpainting photo from Tuskegee University Archives - Photo Block

    Photo Credit: Evan Krape

  • Practical Seminar on Wax-Resin linings - Paintings Block

    Photo Credit: Caroline Shaver

  • Field trip to the Lunder Center - Paintings Block

    Photo Credit: Amber Kerr

  • Ceramic bowl consolidation - Inorganics Block

    Photo Credit: Miriam-Helene Rudd

  • Field trip to PMA - Inorganics Block

    Photo Credit: Philadelphia Museum of Art-Division of Conservation

  • Cellulose Acetate fiber exhibiting signs of elongations (+) - Microscopy

    Photo Credit: Adriana Benavides

  • Treatment & rehousing leather baby shoes - Organics Block

    Photo Credit: Adriana Benavides

  • Field trip to the Delaware Museum of Nature & Science - Organics Block

    During the Museum’s redesign, many specimens in temporary storage and pre-treatment

    Photo Credit: Adriana Benavides

  • Case Cut-Away Rebinding Project - Library Block

    Photo Credit: Dr. Melissa Tedone

  • Documentation project of stipple engraved print - Paper Block

    Photo Credit: Adriana Benavides

  • Weaving sample textile - Textile Block

    Photo Credit: Miriam-Helene Rudd

  • Cross-section sample from documentation project - Wood Block

    Photo Credit: Adriana Benavides

  • Building new housing for artist sketchbooks - Preventive Block

    Photo Credit: Johanna Pinney