Hi I’m entering my second year in a Chemistry PhD program and I’m worried that the lab I’m in/research I’m doing won’t set me up to go into heritage/conservation science on the chem based end of things. I work in an organic lab and my research utilizes laser spec techniques and I’ve been thinking about mastering out and applying somewhere else that has more research aligned with inorganic/analytical. Maybe even go somewhere in Europe. Any help or insight would be appreciated.

A clients mother was a professor for FIT. An oil painter was hired to repair the work.

Ya’ll would know better than me but it looks like he painted over the gold leave in yellow. And applied white all over for some reason.

There are two large cracks.

I’m pre-program but I recently got my dream job as a full time paper conservation technician at a small regional lab. I’ve read some of the classics like how to identify prints by Bamber Gascoigne and the AIC photography guide, but is there anything that you found super helpful early on in your career to read or things you wish you had read/learned earlier?

Hi! Maybe not a typical art restoration request, but we had disaster strike an extremely sentimental and cool Scooby Doo Poster that came right out of the Warner Brothers Stores when we were trying to take it off the wall to move it. You can likely see some lines in the poster, what those lines actually are are full blown rips that have almost cleaved it in half. It’s huge and made of a firm vinyl/plastic material.

I’m mostly just looking into whether repair on something like this is even possible outside of securing it from the back and putting in a frame. Any advice, accounts that talk about this kind of repair, companies that work with this kind of material etc. would be appreciated! (No bananas so slipper for scale)

Hi everyone,

I could really use some guidance from anyone who has taken or knows about the IGNCA Diploma courses in Museology and Preventive Conservation.

I've applied for both courses and wanted to know what the admission process is like, especially the interview/entrance (if applicable). What kind of questions do they usually ask? Are they mostly based on general awareness, museum studies, conservation, or something else? Since I don't come from a formal museum studies background, I'd really appreciate any advice on how and where to prepare.

A little about me: my background is in textiles, craft documentation, and digital documentation, and I have a basic understanding of textile conservation. I'm trying to build a career in museums, collections management, and conservation, but I'm still figuring out the best path forward.

I'd also love to hear from alumni or professionals:

• Is the IGNCA diploma worth pursuing?
• How was your learning experience?
• Did it help with internships or job opportunities?
• Which diploma would you recommend if my long-term interest is in museums, textile collections, and conservation?
• Are there any books, online resources, or YouTube channels you'd recommend for preparation?

I'm feeling a bit lost about the next steps in my career, so any insights, experiences, or suggestions would mean a lot. Even if you haven't taken these courses but work in museums or conservation, I'd love to hear your perspective.

Thank you in advance!

I'm going to university in Italy in the fall and I get to choose between doing PFP1 (which was described to me as conserving and restoring everything that is attached to a building, so murals, mosaics, etc) and PFP2 (Everything that can be moved such as paintings and furniture). I was told that PFP1 has the most work and I'll almost certainly get employment with it while PFP2 has more students applying to it and slightly lower chances of employment.

I like the idea of both but I do want to restore paintings. However, there are also paintings on walls and ceilings and I like the idea of restoring those as well. Does anyone have any advice or pros and cons for either of these paths?

Thank you so much!!

This unprovenanced lamp is in the collection of a museum that I'm on the board of and I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out the surface pitting on it. I've never seen anything like it before on an ancient artefact.

Yes, it's definitely ancient—it's not a modern piece using lava glaze.

I believe this would've been a post-depositional effect but it doesn't feel familiar at all. Would being submerged in the Mediterranean cause this? Or something else?

Thanks!

The signature appears to read "J.R. Lionpaw Jr." Any ideas?

# Everyone Starts Somewhere

Catalina recently approached us at Filmworkz looking for the opportunity to train on **Phoenix Restoration & Colour** as she begins her career in professional digital restoration.

Having studied Film Preservation and worked as a digitisation technician at Filmoteca Española, she's now taking the next step into restoration.

In this guest post, Catalina shares her journey so far, what inspired her to enter the industry, and why she's passionate about preserving our audiovisual heritage.

**Read Catalina's story below, then find Filmworkz in your Pocket to learn more about Phoenix Restoration & Colour and connect with the global restoration community.**

Placed an order on various items through their website (https://www.restaurarconservar.com/), paid via bank transfer. Two weeks have passed, no order confirmation, no shipping information. Ordered as "visitor", thus have no way to log in to check the status. Sent several emails, tried calling during work hours - didn't answer. Has anyone had this experience with them? Understanding that it is summer, and the business isn't big, but two weeks seem excessive. Perhaps anyone has any direct contact with this company or lives in Lisbon, Portugal, and could help out?

Hi!

I was wondering if anyone has any good documentaries, podcasts, book or any other form of media suggestions into this subject?

I'm hoping to get into art conservation (specifically canvas) and will be applying to some masters next year.

I don't come from an art, history or science background so worry a bit about getting in. I have signed up to a chemistry for conservators course and have just finished an intensive 3 month atelier. Does anyone have suggestions of some other things i could get done in this upcoming year?

I recently purchased a painting at an art festival that was explicitly labeled and sold to me as an "Original Oil." Because this was my very first time buying an original painting, I was incredibly excited. However, the artist delivered the piece to my home after the festival had ended, and upon looking closely at the texture, I am afraid there may have been an accidental inventory mix-up where I was given a hand embellished print instead of the original canvas I thought I viewed at the booth.

To better understand what I am looking at, I documented the piece. I have taken high-resolution photographs of the canvas edges, the back, and shots of the pigments using a 60-120x microscope. I also included a video looking up close and using the microscope.

I am trying to get a conservator opinion on whether this is indeed a genuine original oil painting, or if the physical evidence points to it being a hand-embellished giclée print. I know that it's not possible to be absolutely certain with videos and photographs, but I was hoping to see what others thought before I bring it in physically to a conservator. I'm finding out it's very expensive, plus it's hard to find the time with a toddler and a baby, so I thought I'd reach out to see if it's worth taking the time or if I'm just imagining things and getting anxious over nothing.

I posted a video in the comments to see it better.

Thank you everyone in advance for your thoughts and opinions!

I’m on vacation looking for treasures, and I bought this at the end of a castle tour from a shop keeper whose English was limited. All I could gather from him as far as care was to keep it out of the sun, but do I need to know anything else like to avoid certain light bulbs? I do keep reptiles and plants inside so I use some UVB bulbs as well as some very bright grow lights. Would I be able to keep this in the same room as one of those lights if it’s 10~ feet away or should I keep it in a different room entirely?

It’s hand-colored but I don’t know if it’s with ink or something else.

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!!

I’m looking to get my master’s in Textile Conservation, and am trying to find all possible masters programs. I know it’s a niche specialty in an already niche field, but I figured I would ask if there were any options I wasn’t already aware of. I have already researched the programs at FIT, University of Glasgow, and University of Amsterdam, but are there any other programs that specialize in textiles that aren’t on this list?

Nationality does not really matter at this stage as long as they are taught in English. For context, I already have pre-program work experience, but everyone I have worked under either attended one of the above programs or went the self-trained route. Also, if anyone knows of any other training opportunities in the specialty like the Balkan Field School, I am all ears!

I inherited this from my dad after he passed. It’s one of the few things of his I had and unfortunately the foot portion fell off when someone moved it. Is it possible to repair? I know nothing about it or what it’s made from to even begin to try to fix it.

Hello!
I'm just starting to plan for applying to art conservation graduate school, and I'd love some feedback on whether I seem like a competitive applicant and if there’s anything else i could be doing before I apply. (I am not planning to apply for probably the next couple years while I complete the prerequisite courses and get more experience. I also regularly make art, myself, in various mediums)
I'm 26 and have a BA in Photography from Southern New Hampshire University. During college, I honestly was not aware that art conservation was a career path I’d want to take.
I currently work as a gallery maintenance technician at the Yale Art Gallery, where I’ve worked for about 2 years now. My typical duties are to dust and maintain the pieces in the gallery, and I often help out the art handlers/exhibition staff with moving pieces, installing, and taking down exhibitions. Recently, the paintings conservators trained me and 1 other coworker to dust most of the painting frames in the collection as part of preventive conservation. Frames were not in our duties before because we were not previously trained in how to do preventative care so close to paintings. They recently returned to work on more complex paintings that only conservators handle and invited us to shadow them. I spent about an hour talking with one of the conservators, asking questions about her experience so far in the field, the conservation process, and her career path. She also offered to stay in touch if I have more questions and invited me to tour the conservation labs at Yale's West Campus.
This experience has made me realize that conservation is the career I seriously want to pursue.
My plan over the next couple of years is to complete the required science prerequisites (general chemistry, organic chemistry, and any other courses recommended by the programs I'm interested in) before applying. I'm also hoping to continue building conservation-related experience through my job and by learning as much as I can from the conservators at Yale.
I'm particularly interested in programs like the University of Delaware/Winterthur and NYU, although I'm still researching different schools.
Does this seem like a strong foundation for a future application? Besides completing the science prerequisites, what would you recommend I do to become a more competitive applicant? If anyone was accepted after coming from a nontraditional background (not majoring in conservation-related field from the beginning), I'd love to hear from you about your experience.
Thanks so much! I'm excited about this potential journey and want to make sure I'm spending the next few years preparing in the most effective way possible.

I also have a lot of questions about funding, scholarships, stipends, and other financial aid, but I haven't done much research on that aspect of the process yet.

Hi! I have recently completed my post graduation from AUD in Conservation and Heritage Management. I also have an experience of 4 years working in the heritage sector. However, no experience in Conservation as such.
After completing my post-graduation I have started to apply for jobs. It is so shocking that private sectors are only paying 18-20K to someone who has a masters degree.

Can anyone realistically explain if that is the market standard. If not, where and how can I get a job as- Art Conservator, Archivist or a museum curator?

Conserv is hosting a free webinar on mold risk in cultural heritage collections, and we'd like to extend an invitation to the community.

On July 30 at 10:30am Eastern, Dr. Morena Ferreira, Preventive Conservator and mold expert, will walk through the fundamentals of mold in collection settings — what it is, what drives its development, and how institutions can approach prevention and monitoring.

Topics will include:

• What mold is and why it poses a risk to collections
• The environmental conditions that contribute to mold development, including the role of temperature and dew point
• Health and safety considerations for staff working with affected materials
• Practical approaches to prevention in collection environments
• An introduction to monitoring tools for tracking environmental conditions over time

The webinar is designed to be accessible across a range of roles — conservators, collections managers, registrars, archivists, and library staff are all welcome.

Date: Wednesday, July 30, 2026
Time: 10:30am Eastern / 9:30am Central / 7:30am Pacific
Cost: Free
Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tO7AnE8kQCuBfC9stAJ7rg#/registration