More Reading: Further Education

Chances are that if you're here, you possess at least a moderate interest in the practice of conservation.  Whether this is merely a general curiosity, or researched with a personal treasure in mind, there are a few additional scholarly resources that might pique your interest.  Obviously, those who are interested not just in the practice of conservation, but in the field itself, will be acquainted with these universities, but for the rest of the audience, here are some blogs from graduate students in Conservation:

Queen's University (Ontario): Student Blog
UCLA: Archaeological and Ethnographic Materials: Program Blog

University of Delaware's Student Blogs:

Class of 2013
Rose Daly
Caroline Roberts
Steven O'Banion
Chris Cole
Amanda Norbutus

Granted, these are not the only institutions with Conservation graduate programs, simply the ones whose students are updating the internet public with their activities and progress.  For a more complete list of Conservation degrees awarded in North America, please visit the AIC's Conservation Training Resources page.

Other Reading: December Edition

Though obviously here at the Center we like to think that we dispense some of the finest information you can find on art conservation, we're not jealous of the excellent knowledge provided by other conservators and industry professionals.  Here's a sample of what we've wanted to share lately:


AMIEN, connected to the Intermuseum Conservation Association (ICA), is an resource concerned with presenting unbiased information on artists' materials.  If you're an artist, this kind of well-kept information is invaluable.  If you're a conservator, you thank your lucky stars as well: it's the easiest way to ask what exactly is in that art world darling's preferred random medium.  And, of course, if you're artistically minded and perpetually curious, the science behind the art is incredibly fascinating.


In a less substantive vein, there's always Recent Setbacks in Conservation Online, where devotees of the prestigious profession scribe research articles on conserving the Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, for example, or the effects of volatile materials on museum artifacts -- said materials being perfume and aftershave.  Entries are requested to be "irrelevant and irreverent," making for entertaining reading.


Of interest to WPA mural aficionados might be another well-written fiction, this time from a hometown blogger who goes by Chicago Guy.  Though he's praising the writing portion of the New Deal's impact on this country's humanities majors, so to speak, you'll note from his accompanying illustration that art and storytelling go hand in hand.


And finally, an article that correlates the philosophies behind old works of art and old forms of yoga: what convinces some that "the original" or its closest approximation, is what we need in the modern day, and what convinces others that the yellow patina or modified positions should remain?


These fine resources are now linked in our left sidebar for your reading convenience.