Conservation Fellowships

• Ten $30,000 Kress Conservation Fellowships for one-year post-graduate internships in advanced conservation in European art at a museum or conservation research facility.
• Allocation of funds: typically $25,000 as a fellowship stipend, and $5,000 toward host institution administrative costs, benefits for the Fellow, and other direct costs of hosting the Fellowship.
• Restrictions: Intended as an opportunity for individuals who have completed an M.A. degree in art conservation.
• Application procedures: Application must be made by the museum or conservation research facility at which the internship will be based.  Fellowship candidate may be identified in advance of application by the host institution or recruited subsequent to receiving the award.
  
• Deadline: March 1
• Fellowship Partners: Kress also supports Conservation Fellowships administered by other institutions. For a complete list, see Fellowship Partners.

At the crossroads of science and art, the fields of conservation and technical art history demand a complex knowledge of chemistry and materials and an extraordinary sensitivity to artistic intent, as well as physical dexterity, patience, and powers of concentration. Initial training, typically at one of a handful of institutions in North America, provides basic qualifications that must be supplemented with an extended period of specialized concentration on paintings, objects, textiles, antiquities, ethnic materials, photographs, prints and drawings, books and manuscripts, furniture, etc. Within a supervised environment, the young conservator develops the specific skills, the hands-on experience, and the confidence on which to base a future career.

The Foundation awards competitive grants to museums which sponsor supervised internships in the conservation of specific objects and onsite training.