I was really lucky to be able to go to the Winterthur/University of Delaware Portfolio day this past week, along with a small side trip to New York City. Turns out, it was a lot of fun and very educational in the sense that is showed me what EXACTLY is expected of my application to grad programs.
The Winterthur Program at the University of Delaware is on its own small estate, formerly owned by the Du Pont family. Its a wonderful museum, and a really beautifully landscaped estate. The grounds of the Winterthur are very historical, and you get a sense that this is is exactly what a program called the Witherthur should look like. What I'm trying to say is its SOOO FANCY! haha.
I was able to tour the various labs, and speak with some first year fellows in the conservation program, including meeting Heather from Repair The Tear, who was super helpful in telling me all about her pre-program experience.
Moral of the story: its a lot. You have to be prepared to answer in depth questions. You have to really want it. You have to be a chemist, an artist, an art historian. You have to be prepared to devote yourself to conservation. I am ready, emotionally. Now it all comes down to compiling/creating a really compelling portfolio, with lots of reporting and research, along with actually applying.
:0)
I will be assisting a paper conservation class at the Campbell Center next week, so I'll hopefully post again about my experiences there. Photos from my trip still to come.
The fact that you flew all the way to DE for Portfolio Day proves that you're committed to conservation. You can do it!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to hear about the Campbell Center class...