Programme overview

Thursday 15th October

09.00 - 10.00 Registration, Introduction and Coffee
Faculty of Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art, Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 37, 00-379 Warszawa

10.00 - 12.00 Studio Visits
Conservation Studios across Warsaw

Lunch- participants will need to sort out their own lunch arrangements on Thursday as they will be making their way back from the various studio visits

13.30 - 16.00 Web Broadcast, Session 1.
Faculty of Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art, Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 37, 00-379 Warszawa

DIFFERENT BEGINNINGS FOR THE SAME JOURNEY
Differences in the conservation education systems of different countries and how these can help or not.
- Some countries have BA and BSc and MA or MSc degree courses in conservation, some have only MA or MSc courses; does this variety of degree type encourage conservation students to transfer between training programmes during their studies? There are not that many students who have studied conservation in more than one country and, usually, if they move between countries during the course of their studies, it is to gain a bachelor’s degree in one country and a master’s in another - and sometimes the two degrees are in different fields.
- Is it easy to begin conservation studies in a country different from your initial schooling? Or is the Erasmus Programme (in Europe) the best and only way to access study abroad? Are there significant differences in admission requirements for candidates who wish to undertake a conservation course in a country other than their own?
- The content and focus of conservation study courses vary from country to country; for instance in some countries conservation of wall paintings falls under the generalised topic of “Painting Conservation” – but in other countries it is a separate specialisation. How can influence a decision on moving to study in a different country, does this limit later job opportunities?
- What are the expectations of employers from interns / young employees who have studied conservation in another country?

18.00 - 23.00 Evening Reception - Nadwiślański Świt
Hotel Logos, Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 31/33, 00-379 Warszawa

Friday 16th October

09.00 - 10.00 Coffee
Faculty of Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art, Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 37, 00-379 Warszawa

10.00 - 12.30 Web Broadcast, Session 2
Faculty of Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art, Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 37, 00-379 Warszawa

BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN STUDIES AND WORK
The first steps after a graduation: supplementing academic qualifications with practical training, workplace / job experience and volunteering. Mentors and Professional Association support. Differences and similarities between various countries.
- In the “ideal” world the student should focus on their studies when still at university/ in their training programme. But employers who offer positions to junior conservators require some practical experience. How does that work in “real life” (and in different countries)? At what point should a student begin to think about their future job? Do they need to begin looking for part-time employment or volunteering when they are still studying? If they take a job / volunteer during their studies does this affect their academic performance?
- What are the chances of volunteers getting a real job once they receive their degree?
- Some conservators feel more suited to a museum / institutional job, some see themselves working in a private company, or on their own. Does this mean that experience should be gained in various work environments? How this can be done during and immediately after one’s studies?
- However does a student know where they will find their first job? (and will they take it regardless of what it is?). Do many conservation and cultural institutions offer opportunities which give short-term employment and a limited income at this stage of a career?
- Can graduates count on mentorship of senior colleagues / their former professors etc.? Are there professional associations which could help a young conservator take the first steps of their career?

12.00 - 14.00 LUNCH - Nadwiślański Świt
Hotel Logos, Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 31/33, 00-379 Warszawa

14.00 - 16.30 Web Broadcast, Session 3.
Faculty of Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art, Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 37, 00-379 Warszawa

THE CONSERVATION-RESTORATION PROFESSIONAL
The Conservator with more than five years’ experience: specifically, how can networking make a difference for younger professionals (under 35) and what national / local legal barriers have been encountered by them?
- A few years after graduation… is it still a struggle to find the perfect workplace / the right career path or has one’s career already taken shape by that time?
- The longer one works in one place, the more courage it takes to make changes. Are there people who, a few years into their career, would still consider changing their job from institution to a private company - or vice versa? How important is it to network with colleagues from different work environments if one wishes to make a change?
- During the first years of their career, do young conservators have many opportunities to travel, establish new contacts, network and try out other job possibilities, or should they feel obliged to commit to their first job (whether in an institution or a private company) and then give that job priority over their own potential development?
- Is it still possible/easy to transfer between institutions? Or, once a conservator gets a job do they stick to it? How does this differ between countries? Some conservators stay firmly in their jobs because they fear the risks of change – does this makes the entire “system” rigid and hamper any transfers?
- How easy is it to transfer between institutions in different countries? Are there any national/legal barriers which could hamper such transitions?

16.30 - 17.30 Reception
Faculty of Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art, Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 37, 00-379 Warszawa

Saturday 17th October

11.00 - 14.00 Tour of the Faculty of Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art
Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 37, 00-379 Warszawa

SPEAKERS

Thursday Session 1

Gaby Irving
Northumbria University, MA Conservation of Fine Art / Student
Gaby received a BA in Art Conservation with a minor in Art History from the University of Delaware in 2011. After graduation, she completed internships in Washington, DC in a number of institutions including the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Gaby is now in her second year at Northumbria University and is earning her MA Conservation of Fine Art with a concentration on Easel Paintings.

Sofia Johansson
University of Bologna, MSc School of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage / Student
Sofia is a Master’s student in Science at the School of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage at the University of Bologna. She earned a B.Sc. degree in Paintings Conservation at the KADK School of Conservation in Copenhagen in 2013. During and after her B.Sc. studies she completed several internships and worked for private companies in both Denmark and Sweden, before moving to Italy in 2014 to pursue her interest in Conservation Science. She is now in her second year of the MSc programme and is looking forward to writing an experimental thesis where she can combine her knowledge of Paintings Conservation with Conservation Science.

Eva Christiane von Reumont
Conservation Department of the Bern University of Arts / Student
The main focus of Eva’s studies is conservation of non-European polychrome art work and cultural heritage, particularly paintings and sculpture. With a background of many years as student of Philosophy in the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg in Germany, Eva's foremost interest concerns conservation ethics on an international level. In her master's thesis she intends to depict a comparative discussion between Museums in Java (Indonesia) and in Europe, concerning the conservation of Wayang kulit shadow play puppets, Java's Intangible Cultural Heritage (UNESCO 2003). As student representative she has initiated and finalised a school funding system encouraging fellow conservation students to attend international conservation conferences. She is interested in working towards a PhD.

Anna Gołębiowska
Zenzie Tinker Conservation Ltd, Brighton, UK/ Textile conservator
Anna graduated from the Faculty of Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw in 2014 with MA in textile conservation. The focus of her MA project was late mediaeval embroidery. During the course of her studies she did internships with private companies in the UK. Anna has been gaining her professional experience as freelance conservator in Poland and UK.

Moderator
Graham Voce
IIC - International Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works
Graham Voce is IIC’s Executive Secretary, responsible for the IIC’s Office’s day-to-day workings. Since taking on this role in 2004, Graham has been involved with most of IIC’s activities including working with the organisation of (to date) five IIC Congresses and three Student & Emerging Conservator Conferences, as well as other IIC events, activities and publications. Graham studied both Landscape Architecture and English Literature to BA (hons) degree level, is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and a member of a number of heritage organisations; he has also been involved in a televised conservation architecture and building project. Based in London, Graham previously worked as the Office Manager of a leading not-for profit sector recruitment agency and, before that, in publications and video editorial work in the world of corporate finance.

Session 2

Ana Alba (via Skype)
Alba Art Conservation LLC / Paintings Conservator
Ana received her master’s in painting conservation from the Buffalo State College Art Conservation Department. She has completed previous internships at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and was the William R. Leisher Fellow in the Research and Treatment of Modern Paintings at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. After two years working for Luca Bonetti, Corp., a private practice in New York City, Ana recently moved to Pittsburgh to establish Alba Art Conservation LLC, a private conservation studio specializing in the treatment of paintings.

Lisa Edgren
AB Stenkonservering Väst/ Cultural Heritage Conservator
Lisa is paintings and painted surfaces conservator with a background in fine arts. She received her B.Sc. (2010) and M.Sc. (2015) in Cultural Heritage Conservation from the Department of Conservation at the University of Gothenburg. Since 2009 she has been working on both preventive and active conservation within the private sector, but at the public commission in Sweden. In 2015 Lisa was selected for the Graduate Scholar Award of the Eight International Conference on the Inclusive Museum in Delhi, India. In relation to this she was accepted to present her paper ”Contemporary Conservation theory for Sustainable Development of Cultural Heritage Objects” which is based on parts of her master’s thesis. Her current research interest includes sustainable development, material and immaterial preservation, as well as conservation from an inclusive and interdisciplinary perspective.

Adam Klupś
Diocese of Gloucester (Church of England), Assistant Church Buildings Officer
Adam holds a BA in History of Art with Material Studies from University College London and an MA in Principles of Conservation, from the Institute of Archaeology (UCL). He was fortunate to take part in a number of archaeological and building conservation projects. Adam currently works for the Diocese of Gloucester, supporting the work of the Diocesan Advisory Committee, which advises on matters relating to church buildings and churchyards, promotes the long-term sustainable future of the historic churches and assists individual congregations in caring for them and adapting them for today’s needs.
Adam is also a trustee of the Józef Piłsudski Institute of Research based in London, disseminating knowledge and fostering public understanding of Poland's early 20th century history and its legacy. Adam’s current professional interests and research encompass contemporary conservation theory and ethics, and conservation considerations involved in the adaptive reuse of historic buildings.

Beatríz Torres Insúa
Paper, photograph and film conservator
Beatríz is a paper, graphic art and photograph conservator, having studied Cultural Heritage Conservation at the National School of Conservation, Restoration and Museology in Mexico City. Following this, Beatríz studied motion picture / cinematic film restoration at the Selznick School for Film Preservation at George Eastman House in Rochester, USA. In 2010 Beatríz started working at the film archive of the School of Cinematographers in Mexico (CCC) and in the same year was awarded a World Cinema Foundation Scholarship to attend the FIAF Film Restoration Summer School in Bologna. Now living in Vienna, she has worked with a number of different cultural institutions in Austria such as Film Archiv Austria, the Wienmuseum, the Weltmuseum Wien and the Technisches Museum Wien. Beatríz now works as a conservator at the Austrian National Library where her main duties are the restoring and mounting of objects for the Literature Museum and the restoring of glass plate negatives and photographic prints from the Image Archive.

Moderator
Julia Burdajewicz
Faculty of Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art, Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
Julia Burdajewicz received her MA in conservation from the Faculty of Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art in Warsaw, here she is currently working as a teaching assistant. After graduation she completed an internship at the Department of Paintings Conservation of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles and an Andrew Mellon Fellowship for Advanced Training in Paintings Conservation at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. Besides conservation of easel paintings, Julia specialises in the conservation and maintenance of archaeological sites and monuments with an emphasis on sites in and around the Mediterranean. Her professional experience in this field includes directing conservation works at archaeological excavations at the Roman-Byzantine site of Hippos-Sussita (Israel), conservation of Roman wall paintings at the ancient site of Stabiae in the Bay of Naples, conservation of wall paintings from an early byzantine site at Jiyeh in the Lebanon, as well as participation in a conservation project for mediaeval wall paintings in Lebanon carried out by the Faculty in Warsaw. Julia is a PhD student at the University of Warsaw and in her thesis she focuses on early Byzantine wall paintings in the Middle East.

Session 3

Sagita Mirjam Sunara (via Skype)
Assistant Professor, Arts Academy in Split
Sagita has a degree in conservation from the Arts Academy of the University of Split, Croatia, and is a doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb. She works as an Assistant Professor at the Arts Academy in Split, where she teaches easel painting and polychrome wood conservation, preventive conservation and methods of research and documentation in conservation. Sagita formerly worked as a documentalist at the Section for Stone Sculpture of the Croatian Conservation Institute – Department in Split, and was involved in the conservation of the Peristyle of Diocletian's Palace. She curated three exhibitions about that project.
Sagita has a strong passion for advocacy and public outreach, and a growing interest in conservation of contemporary art. She conducts artist interviews, organizes conservation-related public lectures and professional workshops. She was one of the organizers of the international conference "Our Modern: Re-Appropriating Vulnerable 20th Century" and is currently organizing the international conference "SPark: Conservation of Sculpture Parks".

Dr Jennifer Booth
Tru Vue, Inc., International Museum and Conservation Liaison
Jennifer has an archaeological and conservation science background having studied for the BSc Archaeology (2008) and the MA Principles of Conservation (2009) at the Institute of Archaeology, UCL. Subsequently, Jennifer undertook an AHRC funded Collaborative Doctoral Award with the University of Oxford (2013) and the British Museum, investigating consolidants for stone museum artefacts. Fieldwork experience includes time spent on projects in the UK, USA, Turkey, Iran, and Egypt. Jennifer is currently the International Museum and Conservation Liaison for Tru Vue, Inc., a manufacturer of glazing materials for the art and heritage industry. In this role she works with museum and conservation professionals to increase the understanding of the technical capabilities of Tru Vue materials and how they can benefit different collections.

Susan Corr
Freelance Conservator
Susan studied History of Art and Spanish (University College Dublin) and trained as a Paper Conservator. (National Gallery of Ireland, ICCROM Rome and Japan). She is the author of ‘Caring for Collections, a Manual of Preventive Conservation’ and as co-ordinator of the E.C.C.O. Working Group on Professional Competences was involved in writing the publication ‘Competences for Access to the Conservation-Restoration Profession’. Susan was the Irish delegate to E.C.C.O. in 2004 and served as Secretary General to E.C.C.O. from 2007-2013. She is currently the President of E.C.C.O.

Tiarna Doherty
Lunder Conservation Center, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Chief of Conservation
Tiarna became Chief of Conservation at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in 2011. Previously, Tiarna worked for nine years as a paintings conservator at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. She holds a bachelor’s degree in both chemistry and art history from Tufts University, and a master’s degree in painting conservation from the Winterthur/University of Delaware art conservation program. Tiarna has published on the technical study of works by 17th and 18th century European painters.
Tiarna is actively involved in both researching and teaching cleaning methods for painted surfaces. She was a partner in the Cleaning Acrylic Paintings project, a collaboration between the Getty Museum, Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) and Education Department of the GCI. Tiarna is a Directory Board member of the International Committee of Museums- Conservation Council, a Fellow of the International Institute for Conservation, a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation, and member of the Western Association for Art Conservation. She reviews conservation grants for the Institute of Museum and Library Services. In 2012 Tiarna participated in the Getty leadership Institute program Museum Leaders: The Next Generation.

Sarah Staniforth
International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, President
Sarah Staniforth was elected President of IIC (International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works) in January 2013, she was on IIC Council from 1992-1998 and was Vice-President from 1998–2005. She is currently a Trustee of English Heritage, the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons, the Pilgrim Trust and the Landmark Trust, and a member of the Heritage Lottery Fund South West Committee, the Westminster Abbey Fabric Commission, the Gloucester Diocesan Advisory Committee and Arts Council England’s Museum Accreditation Committee. She is a Fellow of IIC, the Society of Antiquaries and the Royal Society of Arts.
From January 2011 – June 2014 Sarah was Museums and Collections Director at the National Trust. She was also a director of National Trust Enterprises and continues as a Director of Historic House Hotels of the National Trust. She was Historic Properties Director from 2005-2010 and Head Conservator from 2002-2004. She joined the National Trust in 1985 as Adviser on Paintings Conservation and Environmental Control. Before that she worked in the Scientific Department of the National Gallery for five years.

Moderator
Anna Czajka
Central Laboratory for Conservation of Archival Material - Central Archives of Historical Records, Warsaw
Anna Czajka graduated with MA degree in paper and leather conservation from the Faculty of Conservation-Restoration of Works of Art of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Her professional carreer started at the Restoration and Conservation Department of the Polish National Library where she worked as Head of the Old Prints Restoration Workshop (until 1994). For the following nine years Anna worked in Beirut at the Lebanese National Archives as an international restoration specialist with UN. She set up the first paper restoration laboratory in Lebanon and has been involved in projects related to the rehabilitation of various Lebanese cultural heritage collections after the civil war there. Currently she works as the head of the Central Laboratory for Conservation of Archival Material at the Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw. She acts also as an adviser on archival preservation to the Head Office of the State Archives. She participates in activities of the ISO organisation’s working groups (ISO/TC46/SC10) on drafting international standards and technical recommendations in area of preservation, conservation and storage conditions of archival and library materials. Since 2010 Anna has taught graduate and postgraduate students specialising in archival studies at the Institute of History of the Warsaw University, leading a course on Conservation and Preservation of Archival Material.