*degree in progress

As a conservator, I often think that so much of human life can be imbued in, or reflected by, an object. These valuable stories serve as both informants and reminders of who people were and are, how they lived and live, the activities they engaged and engage in, and the ways their values manifested and manifest.

 

These concepts were first introduced to me by my father: a car mechanic who repairs, maintains, restores, and preserves cars and their intangible stories. From a young age, he showed me the important balance between the preservation of the physical material of an object and the values and stories held within them, through a lifetime and career of car repair and restoration. As my first teacher in conservation, he taught me that behind every object is someone's vision and ingenuity; traces of their care, compassion, skill, and life.

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As an archaeology student at Lycoming College and Cornell University, I was drawn to unassuming objects of daily use, which would undoubtedly have had an intimate relationship with their users, of whom I had grown so interested. As a conservation student at UCL, I have become increasingly interested in emotionally-charged objects, especially those which can be considered ‘sacred’ or ‘religious’ in nature, often linked to living people groups.

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I feel that conservation is uniquely positioned to informing, educating, revealing, exploring, and sharing perspectives of people and cultures through objects. As such, I feel that through our work we have an obligation to reach out and connect people and ideas while preserving these physical objects, which serve as receptacles for meaning, events, and lives, across time.

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The professional role of a conservator is twofold: we have an obligation to the ethical and justified preservation of the physical material of an object as well as the intangible values and stories which prompted their creation, use, and/or discard, and other various stages of their lifetime. I endeavor to treat all objects, large or small, grand or humble, with respect and care. It is my professional call to always do what is best for an object while acting in line with the needs and sensitivities of the people and cultures from which they come. 

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