Studentship at RCA/V&A--addendum

RCA/V&A Conservation Programme
Royal College of Art, London
MA Studentship for 2003/04

In addition to places already announced for academic year 2003/2004
(see Conservation DistList Instance: 16:40 Thursday, December 19,
2002), RCA/V&A Conservation offers the following

    1.  Two MA places in Natural History Conservation (2 years)

    2.  One MA place in Paintings Conservation: Cleaning of 20th
        Century Unvarnished Paintings (two years)

1. Two MA places in Natural History Conservation (2 years)

    Context: In collaboration with the Natural History Museum,
    London, RCA/V&A Conservation is able to offer for the first time
    two MA studentships in the conservation of natural history
    collections.

    The Natural History Museum is the UK's national museum of
    natural history, and a centre of scientific excellence in
    taxonomy and biodiversity. The Natural History Museum holds the
    national collection of over 70 million natural history
    specimens. The collections are held across six departments:
    Botany, Entomology, Mineralogy, Palaeontology, Zoology and
    Library. Within each of these departments staff apply expertise
    in order to maintain and develop the collections and use them to
    promote the discovery, understanding, responsible use and
    enjoyment of the natural world.

    The proposed two-year MA studentship will focus on the practical
    issues of collections care within natural history. Staff within
    each department will deliver practical experience of their field
    and students will develop wide ranging specialist knowledge and
    practical skills. Students will be based within the
    Palaeontology Conservation Unit, the only specialist
    conservation group within the Natural History Museum, and work
    on material from all collections departments as well as carrying
    out projects in each. This work will be further supported in
    relevant areas by a paper conservator.

    The MA course will follow the award-winning format of other MA
    specialisms offered by the RCA/V&A Conservation Programme. These
    include furniture, stained glass, sculpture, paper, ethnographic
    objects, social history objects, and conservation science. The
    course provides a common taught programme of conservation topics
    for all students in their first year, including principles of
    conservation, materials science, preventive conservation, ethics
    and professional skills. These components are delivered by
    course staff and invited lecturers through seminars, tutorials
    and special events, and generally occupy two days of the week
    during term. For the remainder of the week the student works and
    learns in their host laboratory or studio. Academic assignments
    are designed to cover both theory and practice and are required
    throughout the two year course. Our students are encouraged to
    take advantage of events at the Royal College of Art and final
    year students display aspects of their work in the RCA's
    acclaimed annual Show.

    Entry requirements: The combination of practice and academic
    study provides a challenging learning environment at
    postgraduate level. Students must be able to direct aspects of
    their learning and to develop critical awareness of their
    progress. A good knowledge of natural history, conservation,
    collections care, and scientific principles is essential,
    probably based on an undergraduate degree in conservation or
    natural sciences. A mature, flexible and creative approach to
    learning is essential and experience of work within museums is
    desirable.

    Deadline for Applications: 31 March 31, 2003

2.  One MA place in Paintings Conservation: Cleaning of 20th Century
    Unvarnished Paintings (two years)

    Context: In collaboration with Tate, RCA/V&A Conservation is
    able to offer for the first time a specialised studentship in
    the Conservation of Modern Paintings.

    Tate's Collection includes British and International modern art
    from the 20th Century to the present day. During this period
    many artists have employed a wide range of paints and other
    materials and preferred not to varnish their paintings or
    protect them with glazed frames. The chemically and physically
    variable paint surfaces are unprotected from both the
    accumulation of dirt and the processes used to remove it.
    Consequently many uncertainties attend cleaning procedures.

    The proposed two-year MA studentship will focus on the practical
    issues raised when modern unvarnished paintings are cleaned. The
    paintings from the Tate Collection required for display will be
    cleaned under supervision by experienced Tate conservators. In
    addition, test paintings and test samples will allow more
    systematic evaluation of various cleaning processes.

    The proposed study will help conservators at Tate to assess the
    effects of commonly used cleaning methods and materials on
    modern artists' paint. Conservation Science at Tate has begun a
    major project of analytical work to examine artists' materials
    and changes that occur.

    Through this practical component of the course a chance is
    offered for an enquiring, imaginative and innovative student to
    collaborate in what should be an important contribution to
    developing and improving treatment methods for modern paintings.

    The MA course provides a common taught programme of conservation
    topics for all students in their first year, including
    principles of conservation, materials science, preventive
    conservation, ethics and professional skills. These components
    are delivered by course staff and invited lecturers through
    seminars, tutorials and special events and generally occupy two
    days of the week during term. Studio practice occupies the rest
    of the week. Academic assignments are designed to cover both
    theory and practice and are required throughout the two-year
    course. Our students are encouraged to take advantage of other
    events at the College and final year students display aspects of
    their work in the RCA's acclaimed annual Show.

    RCA/V&A Conservation does not offer primary training in the
    conservation of paintings. This is because there are other
    well-known institutions in the UK that offer postgraduate
    courses in paintings conservation.

    Entry requirements: Candidates will have a recognised
    qualification in painting conservation and two or more years
    experience in the treatment of modern paintings.

    Deadline for Applications: March 24, 2003

For more information about any of the above please contact

    Joanna Baden
    RCA/V&A Conservation Department Administrator
    joanna.baden [at] rca__ac__uk
    +44 20 7590 4532
    Fax: +44 20 7590 4490

The RCA/V&A Conservation Programme
<URL:http://www.conservation.rca.ac.uk/> is a unique approach to
postgraduate learning in conservation at MA, MPhil and PhD level. It
is our philosophy that postgraduate educational experience combined
with experience of the professional working environment of a museum
brings added value to our students' development, generating
effective conservation professionals. This is reflected in the award
of the Queen's Anniversary Prize for excellence in education in
2000, and the shortlisting and award of the UK's Student Conservator
of the Year to a succession of our students.

The Programme was established in 1989 as a partnership between the
Royal College of Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum, in
association with Imperial College of Science, Technology and
Medicine. The aim of the Programme was to offer training and
research opportunities in areas not adequately covered by other
training institutions, and particularly in the decorative and
applied arts. This was a response to the needs of the profession and
the market for specialist conservators in areas, which fall between
or across traditional conservation disciplines. The V&A continues as
a partner in the Programme, providing a supporting infrastructure
for our operation, as well as studio places for some of our
students. However, the Programme's MA course has developed over the
years through fruitful and rewarding collaborations with other
London museums and heritage institutions, including The British
Museum, Tate, the Museum of London, and the Horniman Museum.

The Programme is delivered by the RCA/V&A Conservation Department of
the Royal College of Art, a small team of staff from the RCA and the
V&A. In addition to the MA course, research students study at MPhil
and PhD level. The Programme has currently 25 students and since
1989 has had a total intake of 92. More than 90% of our students
have completed their chosen course of study successfully and some
90% of those are employed as professional conservators. The Royal
College of Art is the only wholly postgraduate college of art and
design and was granted university status in 1967 and is funded
largely by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Joanna Baden
Department Administrator
Conservation Department
School of Humanities
Royal College of Art
Kensington Gore
London SW7 2EU
+44 20 7590 4532
Fax: +44 20 7590 4490


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 16:52
                 Distributed: Wednesday, March 12, 2003
                       Message Id: cdl-16-52-028
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