Hi! I am a rising senior in high school and I am looking into occupations that combine my love for science with my love for art/culture. I found that art conservation checks those bases, but I know very little about it. If someone could help answer some questions I have about it (or suggest other career paths) I would really appreciate it:)))
Is the salary good?
How much training/school is needed (to be the most successful)?
Are there any specific schools I should look into?
Is it a competitive field?
What exactly does an art conservator do?
Because of the aspect of physically preserving works of art, chemistry is a big piece of a serious art conservation program. At Scripps College, which has a very well-regarded program in this field, there are three tracks:
The least scienc-y track, focusing on Historic Preservation or Conservation Policy, still requires four semesters of Chemistry - a year of physical chem and a year of organic chem.
The Conservation Science or Practice track requires and additional two semesters of chem plus a thesis based in the chem department (vs. and Art History based thesis in the less scienc-y track)
And for those who are most serious about Conservation Science, the catalog states, “For those interested in conservation science, the art conservation minor with a major in chemistry is strongly recommended.” And it isn’t an ordinary minor; it’s practically a double major: “The minor consists of all the courses required for the major, except the independent study and the Senior Thesis.”
I know you’re more asking about career prospects, and I’m not the right person to comment on that, but just thought I’d toss this in about the knowledge-base you’d need to cover. You did say you love science, so hopefully the chem aspect is part of what’s attracting you to the field in the first place. (And Scripps actually is a good school to consider if this major interests you and if you’re female. I believe that students from the other Claremont Colleges can access the program as an off-campus major or combine the off-campus minor with a chem major through their own school, but I’m not 100% sure.)
Thank you for your help! I really liked chemistry when I took it as a sophomore, so I will be taking AP Chem this upcoming year as a senior. I’m hoping that I have a good experience and want to continue chemistry because from what you are saying I really need to be dedicated to it