The Emerging Conservators Special Interest Group has been rolling along nicely. We had a great response to the Mentorship Program this year, with 83 applicants overall (both mentors and mentees). We made a few changes this round based on feedback from previous participants—the main addition being an option for more casual chat-based match-ups, as well as the original three-month program. We used a few spreadsheets to help us match up participants based on interests, aims, availability, and a range of other criteria. One mentee, Grimwade Centre student Asli Gunel, reflects on her experience so far, below.
Screenshot of one of the spreadsheets used to match up participants for the AICCM Mentorship Program (data removed for privacy).
The AICCM Emerging Conservators Facebook page continues to be our most active community space, and we also started up on Instagram earlier this year. We have posted a few ‘Emerging Conservator Spotlights’, which are short interviews sharing a participant’s pathway into conservation or a project they’ve been working on. If you are an Emerging Conservator, whether just out of uni or a few years in, we’d love to hear from you too!
Belle Williams + Bella Lipson-Smith
AICCM Emerging Conservators SIG Co-convenors
Reflections from the Mentorship Program
Asli Gunel (matched with Lisa Mansfield, AGNSW TBA Conservator)
‘Doing a master’s degree can be an overwhelming experience as a multitude of decisions have to be made along the way on matters such as electives, minor thesis topics and volunteering opportunities. I receive guidance and support from Lisa Mansfield (AGNSW TBA Conservator) for all of the above and beyond. We started off our mentorship with exploratory chats, which were incredibly helpful, and in the process two projects have taken shape. We are currently working on the first one, a masterclass with Louise Lawson (Head of Conservation, Tate) organised in collaboration with SC@M being held in late August at the Grimwade Centre. The second project will extend beyond the three-month mentorship, which speaks to the long-lasting collaborations this program can facilitate.’