Internships and Placements

The experiences students have whilst on placement to museums, galleries and private studios

2018 Summer Placement Send Off

Posted on 23 May 2018 by Stephanie Whitehead

Students doing conservation degrees are expected to complete a summer placement where they work on site or in a museum. Masters students are expected to do a minimum of eight weeks and bachelors students are expected to complete a minimum of four weeks. This provides them with practical hands on experience in a setting outside
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A Little Love for Llandaff

Posted on 3 May 2018 by Ekaterina Madrid

This winter, I had the privilege of working with a team of stonemasons and conservators. Coe Stone Ltd. Masonry:  Carving & Conservation  (http://olivercoe-com.stackstaging.com/) were hired on to perform conservation work on Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, and I joined their team for just over one month, over the winter break of my MSc in Conservation Practice at
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Preserving and displaying layers of history: The stock certificate nearly destroyed on September 11

Posted on 31 October 2017 by Devin Mattlin

 This post was originally written for the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institute. You can find the original post on their blog here. They have kindly given us permission to share the post on our blog as well.   The history behind a single object can often tell many stories. In 2004
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Life as a Private Conservator vs. Working in the Public Sector

Posted on 26 August 2017 by Stephanie Whitehead

This summer has seen many of the Cardiff University students on summer placements and internships. As I headed into my internship at Bolton Museum I expected and prepared myself for a lot of practical desk work within the lab. While I absolutely love doing work in the lab, I was thrilled to discover that my
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Remembering the Love of the People

Posted on 5 July 2017 by Stephanie Whitehead

Every exhibit is built with a story to tell. If, by the end of its observation, the viewer has not grasped the message of the exhibit, then it has failed to do its job. Thus, everyone involved in the exhibit’s creation must keep one question at the forefront of their mind: does what I am
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Summer Placement Round-up

Posted on 16 June 2017 by Aliza Taft

Conservation students, MSc and BSc, at Cardiff are required to do 8 weeks of summer placement between years, supported by a stipend from the University. Luckily, the department has cultivated some amazing connections with museums around the UK,  and even some in the US and Greece. Many of these connections come from far-flung alumni/ae of the
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A Greek Tale: Sun, Sand, and Professional Development

Posted on 11 January 2017 by Sarah James

Plane, Bus, Taxi, and Coach… And that’s just what got me to the station in Volos, Greece for my summer placement within the conservation department of the Archaeological Ephotate of Larisa. As I was getting off the 4-hour coach ride from Athens to Volos, eagerly looking for someone I had never met in a country
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Treasures in a broom closet: the challenges of public sector preservation

Posted on 10 January 2017 by Elizabete Kozlovska

Preventive conservation is a complex science that can branch out in different ways. Archival work is one of them. Many public service companies or government funded organisations have more historically significant documents than people assume. I had the opportunity to work with such an organisation: South Riverside Community Development Centre. My job was to look
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The Mutual Benefits of Volunteering with Susan Sandford

Posted on 2 February 2014 by Nerys Rudder

During my time at Cardiff University I have been keen to add to my practical skills by volunteering. There are always opportunities for students to donate their time to local heritage projects and between 2013/2014 my colleagues, Sara Brown and Johanna Thunberg and I, have been working with the National Trust at Aberdulais Tinworks and
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Stabilisation of the Matcham Collection at the V&A with Nerys Rudder

Posted on 15 January 2014 by Nerys Rudder

During the summer of 2013 I was very fortunate to have a placement in the Conservation Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. I was involved with many activities, like cleaning tapestries and upholstery in the British Galleries, repairing and mounting memorabilia for the Afro Supa Hero Exhibition and training in Integrated Pest
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