Expert: Tom Riddolls M.A.C. - 5/13/2010

Question
Good morning,
I am interested in your educational path. What kind of background did you have prior to beginning your graduate program? Is it necessary for someone to be artistically talented to be a conservator? Did you know people in the graduate programs for art conservation or art history who didn't have an undergraduate degree in a related field? Do you know if a graduate program would even consider such a person?


A little bit of an autobiography: I have always had a great interest in art history, but chose a "more employable" (as my mother puts it) undergraduate degree in mathematics. I'm not terribly adept at creating art myself, but I regret not looking more into the options for art history majors.

Any information would be greatly appreciated!
Lilly

Answer
My education prior to the MA in conservation was a dual BA in art history and studio art.  I also had gone to two art colleges previous.  I then did a MA in Art history in which my topics were technological based.  I definitely came from an art crafting background but I am very hand-on and technologically minded.  Also my father with a millwright for the physics department at the university so I inherited his practical problem solving skills and fine motor skills from him.

There are also chemistry students that enter conservation and must pick up the art side.  that works and they often make better research conservators.  The artist cum conservators often are too cavalier and subjective in their treatment.

I now teach at the university where I earned my degree so see many different student types.  We do accept mature students that have experience rather than schooling but it is a little harder to prove yourself.  They will look for experience in a lab (volunteer hours are fine) or related work such as digging at an archaeological site.  

What they are looking for is a keen mind.  If you show drive and the ability to quickly grasp new concepts they will consider you.  The best thing is to make an appointment with a prof in a field you like and go talk with them.  Be yourself and do your homework but be upfront about your current state of knowledge - no BS.  Then again apply your current work.  Find a way to use statistical analysis to study trends in art or something like that.  Make them see your knowledge as an asset.

Art History and Conservation really are worlds apart - I did not think so before but I know it now.  Historians are intellectuals and we are geeks.  But we both hold incredibly specialized knowledge and the ability to quickly assimilate new ideas.

Good luck