The Conservation Department has strong links with all of the organisations listed below through live projects provided both on and off site. Project work, placements and internships offer invaluable opportunities for our students to work with conservators and other heritage professionals on ‘real life’ conservation problems. The Department is also entrusted with a wide variety of objects from public institutions and private collections, which students are able to work on during their final year of study.
For many years conservation experts Nic Lee, Head of the Stone, Wall paintings and Mosaics Conservation Section and Facsimile Service in the Conservation and Scientific Research of the British Museum and Catherine Nightingale, Conservation Manager for the Museum of London, have acted as invaluable professional advisors for our Conservation Department, regularly sitting on the Boards of Studies and supporting new developments.
We are delighted to announce that they have now been joined by three new industry experts, Edward Cheese, Jacqueline Moon and Valeria Duplat, who are advising on the new Books & Paper pathway. Edward Cheese is the Conservator of Manuscripts and Printed Books, Assistant Keeper at the Fitzwilliam Museum; Jacqueline Moon is the Conservation Manager for Paper & Photography at the Tate Gallery; and Valeria Duplat is the Paper Conservator at the Tate.
The Annual Conservation Research Symposium of final year projects is regularly attended by experts from the Conservation and Museums sector. Attendees regularly include experts from: The Victoria and Albert Museum; Museum of London; British Museum; Taylor Pearce Conservation Practice; NPL; Knole House Conservation; and Westminster Abbey.
Of the special prizes available to our conservation graduates each year, two are for 2 month work placements funded by Venice in Peril. This is a completely unique opportunity for a graduate to work on a funded conservation project in Venice hosted by San Giorgio Maggiore Basilica and Venice in Peril. This highly prestigious award, only available to graduates from the department, recognises the very high level of conservation research and practice skills and conservation ethics and theory that our students acquire during the course.