We are delighted to welcome three new people to the Conservation and Collections Management Team this month. Abigail Miskin, Ella Joyce and Isabela Tapia Hernandez will be joining us as our first ever Student Collections Care Assistants.
Ella, Abigail and Isabela will be working with us until the end of July on a range of different projects and activities. Let’s hear them introduce themselves in their own words:
Isabela Tapia Hernandez
“My name is Isabela, I’m 30 years old and I am originally from Chile. I first came to Scotland on a solo trip in the year 2014, and I instantly fell in love with Scottish culture and its environment. Fast forward to 2024 (wow, 10 years later!), and I am currently completing a master’s programme in Collections and Curating Practices at the University of Edinburgh. I love all things ‘early modern’ and I am passionate about material culture, specifically when it’s related to early modern knowledge and science. I’m looking forward to engaging with the objects from the University Collections and hopefully unfolding some of their hidden stories! When not studying, outdoor exploring, or part-time working, I play field hockey under a sunny or rainy bonnie Scotland.”
Isabela will be working with Senior Conservator, Jonathan Santa Maria Bouquet on a project to barcode labels and improve storage systems for musical instrument collections.
Ella Joyce
“Hello! My name is Ella, and I am a second-year history student. My area of interest is early modern history, specifically the European witch trials.
I’m excited to get started as a Collections Care Assistant, and to develop my understanding of preservation and conservation. I also hope to learn more about different careers in the heritage sector.”
Ella will be supporting the Collections Management team over the coming months to deliver various activities including housekeeping storerooms, rehousing collections and audits of disaster response materials.
Abigail Miskin
“My name is Abigail, and I am a fourth-year Fine Art student. For many years now, I’ve had a strong interest in conservation due to my passion for art history (primarily medieval) as well as practical art. I am very excited to join the department as conservation is something I hope to pursue following my degree, and I am eager to figure out my areas of interest and learn more!”
Abigail will be based in the CRC Conservation Studio with Works on Paper Conservator, Amanda Dodd, and Books Conservator, Amy Baldwin. She will be supporting them to deliver interventive treatment to collections as well as working on projects to rehouse collections.
It goes without saying that we are absolutely thrilled to have these three on board. Watch this space to find out what they get up to during their placements!