Description

Established in 2016, the AICCM Emerging Conservators SIG connects students, graduates and new professionals with the established cultural materials conservation community in Australia. Fostering ongoing learning, continuity of friendship, and conservation dialogue for Emerging Conservation Professionals (ECPs).

To help you feel supported during student and post-graduation years we aim to:

• Connect ECPs in the field with each other, the heritage community, and the AICCM.

• Create and promote training, networking and mentoring opportunities through AICCM events

• Partner with student groups such as Student Conservators at Melbourne (SC@M) and UC GLAMS student club at the University of Canberra.

• Increase the involvement of ECPs at AICCM conferences, symposiums and events.

For Ask-A-Conservator Day 2024, we asked conservation professionals and conservation students to tell us about what makes their work enjoyable, and why they chose to pursue their passion. Here’s what they said…

Emerging Conservator Conveners

Cristiane Prado

Christiane ‘s journey into conservation began with an internship at the Centro de Documentação e Apoio a Pesquisa Histórica from 2006 to 2008, followed by seven years at Memoria Web as a Project Coordinator in Conservation. Since January 2023, she has been working as a Conservation Administration Officer at International Conservation Services, a role that has allowed her to continue her experience in arts administration, but also work in the conservation space in Australia, in the ICS paper lab and supervising on-site projects across Canberra,  at the Australian National University  and the Museum of Australian Democracy.

Angela Dek

Angela is an emerging conservator with a Master’s in Creative and Cultural Futures from the University of Canberra. She is an Assistant Conservator with International Conservation Services and has worked on conservation projects at national institutions like the Old Parliament House (MoAD). As a passionate professional in the creative industries, her toolkit includes skills and experience in paper and photograph conservation, project management and research into sustainable practices in conservation and the safe operation of lasers in heritage.

Jo Lupgens

Jo is a recent graduate from the Master of Cultural Materials Conservation at the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation at the University of Melbourne. They specialised in painting conservation at the university but their big passion is  for the conservation of queer and women’s heritage, both tangible and intangible. As one of the co-convenors of the Emerging Conservators SIG, they hope to be able to help other emerging conservators find their footing in  fantastic career paths!

Events

The Emerging Conservators SIG is currently in the process of developing an event calendar with mentorship and networking opportunities.  Watch this space for upcoming events or sign up to the Emerging Conservators SIG to get email notifications.

Past Programs – Mentorship Program

The Emerging Conservators SIG Mentorship Program ran in 2021 and 2022 and was a great opportunity for mentees to ask questions and receive valuable feedback on treatment, research, conference presenting, project management or other professional skills. We will not be continuing with the program for 2024 but will continue organising networking events and facilitating conversations among established and emerging professionals in the field.

Social Media

Our Facebook group Emerging Conservators Australia is a supportive space for ECPS. We welcome students/graduates from Australian and international cultural materials conservation, heritage conservation and allied training programs to join the conversation. We hope you’ll share all those burning conservation questions you’re dying to ask, along with professional opportunities, conservation news and events.

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live, and recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to all First Nations peoples.