As autumn arrives here in the Northern Hemisphere, alongside new school terms it often sparks a renewed drive for learning, improving skills and pushing our professional prowess just a little further. With that in mind, we have shortlisted some great workshops and conferences to help you hone new skills and think about how the future of a sustainable conservation practice can really look.
New Skills
Conservation Science Tutorials
With the support of the Getty Foundation, FAIC has created a series of self-paced modules that review key science principles in conservation. The modules are designed to:
Help mid-career conservators refresh their knowledge, prepare participants for workshops on specific topics and assist students about to enter a graduate conservation program.
This project was conceived at a Directors Retreat organized by the Getty Conservation Institute and was developed with grant funding from the Getty Foundation.
Registration is FREE, but you must log in via the AIC to register (if you do not already have an account with F/AIC, you can you create one for free).
Find out more and register here.
Photographic Chemistry for Preservation
The Photographic Chemistry series explores key elements of photographic chemistry that are essential to understanding the nature of silver-based analog photographs, their creation, and their deterioration mechanisms. These topics are critical for photograph conservators, but also of interest to photographers, artists, collectors, and other photography enthusiasts including conservators who are considering joining the field of photography. This series of online self-study modules includes video lectures and quizzes on specific topics in the chemistry of photography. Study at your own pace and repeat sections as needed!
Find out more and register here.
Icon Skills: Grant Writing with Emma Chaplin
How to write effective – and successful – grant applications.
When: 8 March 2023
Develop your ability to write effective and successful funding applications.
Whether for a conservation project, your own professional development, or wider cultural heritage projects that you are involved in, this workshop will give self-employed and employed conservators practical knowledge on how to make an effective bid.
Find out more and book here.
Sharing Knowledge in Conservation
Learning from Mistakes
This platform centralizes resources relating to how and why we make mistakes, and it aims to cultivate understanding of why it’s important to talk about and learn from mistakes when they do occur.
Lifelong learning is an integral part of the conservation profession. Let’s build a healthier culture together that empowers us to speak openly about our mistakes and learn from one another.
We invite you to explore content relating to these events and to the broader theme of making mistakes - including TED talks and articles - in this self-guided learning module.
Find out more and book here.
The Traditional Paint Forum Conference: ‘Bring Back the Colour!’
When: 18th November 2022
The topic for the conference is ‘Bring Back the Colour!’. Speakers will discuss how they have approached the subject and the methods they have applied to “bring back the colour” in their projects. Presentations include 'Repair and redecoration of Buckingham Palace Grand Staircase, Louis Randall, Head of Property Operations, Royal Household Property Section’.
Find out more and book here.
Sustainability
Environmental Sustainability Network: Sustainability Curricula for Cultural Heritage Conservation
When: 12th October 2022
A presentation on the research in progress by the UCLA/Getty Program in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage. Justine Wuebold will describe the development of models for embedding sustainable practices into conservation education. In adapting conservation practices for the climate crisis, this initiative looks at holistic approaches to teaching environmental sustainability at the intersection of economic and social issues.
Find out more and book here.
Sustaining Art 2022 - a three-day conference, based in Dundee and partially streamed online.
When: 9 – 11 November 2022
During the conference we seek to address sustainability in its widest sense in relation to contemporary art conservation.
Find out more and book here.