Conservation of Fine Art (Works of Art on Paper) MA
2 Years Full-Time | September Start

This pathway offers the opportunity for you to specialise in conservation of works of art on paper. The programme consists of four intensive modules that explore a range of key areas of study, including conservation theory and practice, conservation science, conservation ethics, art history and preventive conservation.

The programme covers training in a range of conservation approaches and practical treatment techniques, all of which are  informed by current research and ethical practice in the field. You will gain a plethora of valuable technical and academic skills including conservation documentation, technical examination and photography, microscopy, in addition to the structural repair, stabilisation, consolidation and cleaning of works of art.

Most importantly, you will develop sound decision-making skills and ultimately the confidence and knowledge to critically evaluate your approach to conservation treatment to become a competent, confident and reflective practitioner. You will also develop a sophisticated understanding of the history, identification and deterioration of artist’s materials that are associated with works on paper. Significant emphasis is also placed on research ethics, advocacy, and developing your communication skills.

The programme offers a combination of conservation theory and practice. Through a series of focused practical workshops, you will develop a broad range of skills in preparing and using conservation materials and equipment. Workshop activities are performed on a range of materials, from original works of art to historically accurate recreations that allow students to explore the limits of treatment that would not otherwise be possible with original works of art.

Assessment focuses on your theoretical understanding of the condition and treatment of works on paper, conservation science and preventive conservation. Evaluation and reflection on your decision making also assists in the development of key research and communication skills that are required by employers in the sector.

You will begin to develop ideas for your dissertation research in the first year and will write a substantial dissertation at the end of the second year demonstrating your knowledge and understanding of a focused area of conservation theory or practice.

This course is taught by a team of specialist academics who have extensive practical experience in the conservation heritage science sectors.

In additional to being practicing conservators and conservation scientists, academic staff are research-active and regularly carry out research and consultancy in the conservation and heritage science fields, enhancing research-rich learning and teaching on the programme.

The content of the course also aligns with the standards of professional bodies in the sector.

Throughout the duration of this course, you will receive ongoing support from teaching staff to ensure you leave equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to successfully pursue a career within the Conservation sector or a related discipline.

The MA Conservation of Fine Art programme is based at Burt Hall, a Grade II listed building, at the centre of Northumbria’s City Campus in the heart of Newcastle’s city centre. 

Burt Hall boasts two state of the art, professionally-equipped conservation studios, together with a technical examination and photography unit, a microscopy suite and a materials analysis laboratory. Conservation studios are equipped with local fume extraction, tracked daylight balanced lighting, hot and cold low-pressure tables, heated sinks with reverse osmosis and deionised water purification systems. Each studio also contains large video screens to which macro and micro imaging systems are attached. Students also have access to an important archive collection of historic artists’ materials.

The Arts department at Northumbria university also boasts a fully functional historic papermaking studio with a Hollander beater, historic moulds and a collection of historic papers. As a Works on Paper Conservation student, you will have the opportunity to access the studio in order to develop a practical  understanding of the manufacture of western and eastern Asian paper during your studies. Practical sessions with the printmaking studio in the Arts department also offer opportunities for students to study historic printmaking techniques.

Analytical study of artists’ and conservation materials and the technical examination of prints and drawings can be performed in-house. Materials analysis, subject to availability, may be carried out for dissertation research in the second year. In Burt Hall, students have access to:

• Xenon-Arc fadeometer (accelerated ageing)

• Thermal and relative humidity chamber (accelerated ageing)

• X-Radiography

• Visible and Infrared Reflectance, and UV Fluorescence

• Vis, UVf and Green Light Optical Microscopy (OM)

• Polarised Light Microscopy (PLM)

• Colourimetry

• Glossimetry

• X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy

• Imaging Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) Spectroscopy

One of the most important aspects of the programme is the the development of your independent and self-directed study skills via our online learning platform, Blackboard Ultra. On this platform, you will access bespoke learning materials via online lectures, dynamic reading lists, video demonstrations, live online seminars and videos of guest lecturers from the professional conservation field.

Research-rich learning is embedded throughout all aspects of this programme. Our staff are continuously informed by developments in conservation research and global debates on conservation theory and practice.

Our staff possess individual specialisms within their field in areas such as the development and evaluation of conservation treatments for paintings, the materials and techniques of modern drawings, research on the conservation and safeguarding of cultural heritage collections at risk in world conflict zones, studies in material deterioration, the treatment of iron gall ink and oil paintings on paper,  and the use of gels and lasers for conservation treatments.  

The programme takes an enquiry and research-based learning approach, which is strongly student-centered, and provides students with the opportunity to develop and enhance marketable skills in self-directed study, independent research, interpersonal learning and communication.

You will be encouraged to develop your own individual research  skills and knowledge in  a specialist area of the conservation of works on paper. Under the guidance of your assigned tutor you will design and implement a significant piece of research for your dissertation in the second year.

This programme has been developed to provide all the skills and knowledge required to begin a career in Fine Art Conservation. At Northumbria there are also many additional opportunities available to further enhance your career prospects. 

Throughout the duration of the programme, you will develop employability skills, not only as a conservation practitioner in your chosen specialism, but through participation in seminars and class discussions where you will develop important ‘soft skills’, that will enable you to take the first step in your career as a conservator. Northumbria University is committed to enhancing employability of its students by supporting students in their career journey while on the programme and beyond. In addition to completing a professional placement to further enhance your development, students have the opportunity to present their own research at the annual Gerry Hedley Student Symposium organised by the conservation departments at Northumbria University, the Courtauld Institute, London and the Hamilton Kerr Institute, University of Cambridge. 

Staff have a strong professional network which, together with a worldwide cohort of alumni, assists in providing students and graduates with placement and job opportunities. Students are actively encouraged to organize and participate in placements during the summer recess between year one and year two in order to gain valuable experience that can be taken forward into the second year.

We actively encourage students to join professional conservation bodies, such as the Institute of Conservation (ICON), the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic works (IIC) and the International Council of Museums Committee for Conservation (ICOM-CC), all of which have vibrant student and emerging conservator networks. Students are also encouraged to attend and speak at professional conferences, particularly those that are student-led. This helps you to network with professionals and peers working within the profession.

You will also benefit from our formal partnerships with the Northumbria University collections and archives and with several local and national museums (for example: Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums, the Bowes Museum, the National Museum of Scotland, V&A, and Tate). We also have a long-standing relationship with the National Trust in the UK, who have provided students with opportunities for study and project work in the past.

On completion of the programme, students typically find employment in galleries, libraries, archives, museums and other heritage institutions, or continue their research to PhD level. 

Northumbria University Conservation of Fine Art alumni influence conservation and heritage policy throughout the world. Some notable alumni include; Virginia Lladó-Buisán, Head of Conservation & Heritage Science, Bodleian Libraries; Britta New, Senior Painting Restorer, National Gallery, London; Anne Slettemoen, Head of Conservation at the National Museum of Sweden; Alan Derbyshire, former Head of Paper, Book and Paintings at the V&A; Dr Bronwyn Ormsby, Principle Conservation Scientist Tate, and Nick Dorman,  Chief Conservator Seattle Art Museum.