The future of conservation really does lie in the hands of young, student and emerging conservators. Willard Conservation have always supported upcoming conservators and this year is no different. Take a look below at the initiatives we are involved with this year…
Young Professionals Forum
Alongside the IIC, we are co-sponsoring the scholarship selection, covering registration fees for a number of basic fellowships to be upgraded to full participation to the Young Professionals Forum. The scholarship is open to students and early career practicing conservators currently engaged in either a public or a private capacity located in emerging economies (South America and the Caribbean, Africa and SouthEast Asia).
The forum is a place of exchange, sharing and training to build a common vision useful to young professionals in the process of evolution and change of the profession.
The 2022 edition of the Young Professionals Forum aims to inspire undergraduates, graduates, PhD students, researchers and professionals in the field of cultural heritage to operate with an open mind and in line with the UN Agenda 2030, to strengthen or skills and knowledge.
During the Forum, discussions will be held on the impact of the changes taking place in the profession; on the relationship between new technologies and systems of conservation, use and transmission of heritage; the need to identify sustainable solutions in terms of people’s well-being; the environment and social balance; the role of internationalisation in a context of constant updating; and how to guarantee the protection of heritage in context of historical, political, environmental and cultural crisis.
For more information on the event, click here.
The Gerry Hedley Symposium
An event we sponsor every year, The Gerry Hedley Symposium is an annual student-run conference, where postgraduate students and interns from three of the UK’s conservation courses, The Hamilton Kerr Institute, Northumbria University and The Courtauld Institute of Art, have the opportunity to present research that has the potential to make a positive impact on the future of art conservation.
This annual one-day symposium is named after its founder, Gerry Hedley, who was a Reader at The Courtauld Institute of Art and a leader of pioneering research in conservation, inspiring generations of students. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the conference, and the slow return to normality after the pandemic, this year’s event will be hosted in person by Northumbria University. For more information, click here.
West Dean College
Willard Conservation has presented a research prize to be awarded for the outstanding achievement of a student for many years & we're pleased to be supporting this year's 2022 students too.
Anna Plowden Trust.
Willard Conservation are the Founding Corporate Sponsors of the Anna Plowden Trust and continue to provide their support to the Trust in 2022.
What could you do to support young conservators?
Sharing and collaborating on new research, techniques and methods is the best way to bring forth knowledge to the new generation of professionals. To do this and benefit from existing knowledge, young conservators must have access to educational resources both in the classroom and in practice. But this all takes time and money which some do not have the privilege of.
Here are some ways professionals can support young conservators…
Help to fund an internship
Offer paid student placements
Run discounted workshops
Discounted or free presentations
Sponsor a student place at a congress
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