Education & Training

Student placements & internships | Professional workshops | Study days

Over the years Zenzie Tinker Conservation has given many one-off talks and lectures as well as designed and led training sessions and workshops. These have been aimed at a wide variety of interested groups including small museum and heritage organisation staff and volunteers, the Arts Society and National Trust as well as makers, hobbyists and historical societies. We have also shared our work with students from all levels of study from school to post-graduates.

Zenzie was an Accreditation Assessor for the Institute of Conservation for many years and sat on the Heritage Volunteer Committee for NADFAS (now the Arts Society), advising on conservation and providing training for volunteer groups.

Some examples of previous talks (ranging from general textile conservation to more specific areas of interest) are available to download in pdf format below; we can easily repeat these talks and lectures or create one to precisely suit your needs, just contact us for more information.

Student placements and internships

We’re delighted to host student conservator placements and internships on a regular basis including opportunities for those from overseas. We regularly take students on placement from the University of Brighton and the University of Glasgow. Recent interns have been generously supported by the Erasmus Programme and the Institute of Conservation/Heritage Lottery Fund.

Past interns and student placements have included:

– Jess Hay – University of Glasgow, 2024
– Glenda Harris – University of Brighton, 2024
– Rhianne Deaves – University of Lincoln, 2022 (current ZTC staff)
– Tabitha Gibbs – University of Glasgow, 2022 (current ZTC staff)
– Mirjam Ruutma – Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki, 2022
– Anna Robinson – University of Glasgow, 2021
– Camille Lefrance – University of Glasgow, 2021
– Catherine Harris – University of Glasgow, 2020 (virtual internship)
– Bathilde Grenier – Institut National du Patrimoine, Paris, 2019
– Caterina Celada Prior- University of Glasgow, 2019
– Emma Hartikka – Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki, 2018
– Mira Karttila – ICON intern, 2014/2015 (current ZTC staff)
– Eveliina Holopainen – Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki, 2014
– Emily Austin – University of Glasgow, 2013
– Anna Golebiowska – Academy of Fine Arts, Warsaw, 2012 (current ZTC staff)
– Lucy Fletcher – University of the Arts Camberwell, 2012

One of our training initiatives has been a project run in conjunction with the Collections Care Manager of the Parliamentary Art Collection. Here Zenzie helped devise and run an annual summer project for conservation students working at the Palace of Westminster on the modern textile collection at Portcullis House. Under our supervision the students were employed for a month over a four year period to work on the collection. Read about one of our placements at Portcullis House, written by current team member Jamie Robinson. If you think this sounds like a good option for your students or your collection please do get in touch and we can tailor something similar.

Professional workshops

We’re always willing to devise workshops for institutions or professional groups interested in the theory and practice of current textile conservation techniques. Recent specialist workshops include a six day training programme devised for students of the Abegg-Stifftung Foundation in Switzerland focusing on all aspects of adhesive treatments. Other adhesives workshops created for professional textile conservators have included those in France held at Institut National du Patrimoine, Paris and in Australia held at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. These have proved to be a wonderful learning opportunity for all, enabling us to share our expertise and to collaborate with colleagues in conservation practice overseas.

“It was a whirlwind wasn’t it but it was fantastic! Thank you for coming and giving us the tools to feel confident when using adhesives!”

Suzanne Chee, Lead Textile Conservator, The Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.

Study Days

We’ve also recently started to run object based study days from our Brighton studio. In 2019 we held a wonderful study day on the conservation of elytra (beetle wings) combining forces with Lauren Osmond, when she was a Samuel H Kress Conservation Fellow at the V&A researching beetle elytra. Lauren presented her research work as part of a fascinating day of talks and practical sessions, a delicious lunch and lots of cake! These days have been designed to be relaxed but highly informative events with historic objects at their core.

“I enjoyed the power-point presentation which explained some of the history, biology and science, before we addressed any objects. This was very useful. Moreover, the inclusion of original items of dress requiring work was invaluable. It was an excellent introduction to the subject and has removed my fear of handling these delicate artefacts’.

Anne Roberts, History of Dress student.

“Excellent, as someone at the beginning of their conservation journey I really valued the relaxed and unintimidating environment and the encouragement to ask questions and just get stuck in”

Katy Crawford, Student and NT volunteer.