Art history major brushes up on art conservation skills during APEX Fellowship

Katie Love ’24, an art history major at The College of Wooster, landed an APEX Fellowship with the Intermuseum Conservation Association (ICA) in Cleveland, Ohio. Through this opportunity, Love was able to perform treatments on art pieces in the collection, such as gilded frames. Erzsebet Regan, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, guided Love as her fellowship mentor. After completing her fellowship, Love says that she feels more prepared than ever to achieve her goal of pursuing art conservation. 

“I have begun to learn some of the major skills needed for pursuing a career in art conservation. This internship has really solidified that art conservation is the career path I want to follow.”

—Katie Love ’24

How did you learn about the internship opportunity for your APEX Fellowship?  

“My grandma was the executive director of ICA and she suggested that I look into getting an internship here. This position is a good fit because it relates directly to my intended career path and will help me move towards getting into a graduate program in art conservation.” 

What interests you most about the work you did? 

“What interests me the most about what I did was the treatments I performed on actual art pieces. I’ve worked on multiple gilded frames, and it’s been so great to learn this skillset hands-on.” 

Who was your fellowship mentor and how did they help you to succeed in this position? 

“My mentor was Dr. Erzsebet Regan and she provided great support and encouragement throughout my experience and was always available to answer questions.” 

What are some skills you’ve learned that you see yourself carrying forward in your career? 

“I have begun to learn some of the major skills needed for pursuing a career in art conservation. I have learned how to analyze artwork in a more technical manner, technical writing skills such as how to write examination reports and how to write about artwork in way that is meaningful to both art historians and art conservators, and treatment skills such as cleaning and repairing artwork.” 

How has the internship helped you to see what’s next for you?  

“This internship has really solidified that art conservation is the career path I want to follow. I now have more knowledge on what I need to do to reach my goal of becoming an art conservator.” 

Posted in Experiential Learning on August 11, 2023.