Izzy Finlay and Catherine Eloise S Campos, who both received fifty per cent funding from the Gabo Trust in their final year, have now successfully completed the MSc Conservation of Contemporary Art and Media course.
Alesia Vereneva and Christine Pungong, whom we have half funded for their entire course, are now undertaking their second and final year of studies. We have now awarded grants, on the same basis, to two further postgraduate students.
Harper Ladd, a double major in Art History and Urban Studies from McGill University, took undergraduate conservation studies in contemporary art and media, with gallery experience. As a conservator, they have a special interest in the relationship between sculpture, communities and public space.
Jen Black, who studied chemistry at the University of Edinburgh, specialising in analytical and materials chemistry, was introduced to conservation science and the overlap between chemistry and art conservation through lab work. This was further enhanced through their involvement in art practices and processes in the youth contemporary programme at Camden Arts Centre.
Nick Pedimonti, from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), attended Movers and Shakers: Strategies for the Conservation of Kinetic Art at UCL East. There were lectures, case studies and practical sessions. These covered key conservation topics including condition assessment, failure analysis, electrical safety and maintenance of moving systems. Nick expanded his knowledge of the practical, technical and ethical challenges for caring for kinetic art; and the workshop training directly supported his work, as MFAH has uniquely sizable holdings of kinetic and time based media art, particularly from Latin America. He has informed us that professional connections made were beneficial for creating networks and on returning to Houston, he has disseminated his findings.
Brenda Keneghan attended FutureTalks025, organised by Die Neue Sammlung (Design Museum), Munich, and entitled ‘From Failure to Success. Innovative Case Studies in the Conservation of the Modern’. Subjects included in this biennial conference were: new ways to clean plastics, nitro cellulose challenges, fiber reinforced plastics, polyurethines, modern textiles and fibers, preserving contemporary art and 3D printing.
The speakers came from Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, the USA, Singapore, Hong Kong and the UK. The first presentation made the case for taking a step back when faced with a problem, as first thoughts on the cause of what appears to be a common problem may not always be correct
.’Preserving Contemporary Art’ was the topic with most papers – an indication of the growing problems that conservators encounter when faced with modern and non-traditional materials.
Brenda’s paper introduced laser cleaning of plastics using an unfamiliar type of laser – an Er:YAG, normally used in the medical or beauty industries – as the results of a trial have been encouraging.
At ICOM Metal 2025 in Cardiff, Marie Grima and Lauro Horing from Moderna Museet, Stockholm, gave a poster presentation on the conservation of the installation Le Paradis Fantastique by Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely. They found the exchange of knowledge with fellow participants on an international and interdisciplinary level to be very valuable. Conference topics included: corrosion, coatings, case studies and methodologies. Discussions around different methods of metal conservation generated further insights for their work on Le Paradis Fantastique.
The Gabo Trust is funding a second round of four interviewees for this project. Three further outstanding professionals in the conservation of modern and contemporary sculpture, and associated work, were appointed in 2025: Rupert Harris, Tessa Jackson and Jim Moyes. The most recent interviewee selected is Mikei Hall, a long time art handler at Tate, who offers new perspectives on the handling, storage, transportation, care and installation of sculpture for a national collection.
The British Library Artists’ Lives recordings demonstrate the qualities needed in a sculpture conservator. These include patience, precision and versatility, as tasks may range from working on massive to miniscule objects. Conservators may also be involved in ethical questions, interaction with artists, and as couriers for valuable items.
As Rupert Harris has explained, sculpture conversation is a very young profession and these interviews show what a long way it has come in the last 50 years.