Conservation and Digitization Field Book Interns

The Field Book Project is grateful to have five interns from the fields of conservation and digitization working with us this summer: Blair Bailey, Janelle Batkin, Catherine Cox, Cherie Edmonds, and Alison Pinches.  Four of the interns were funded through a generous grant from the Smithsonian Women's Committee (SWC) that the Smithsonian Institution Archives recieved earlier this year.  Learn more about these talented individuals below.  Also, be sure to visit this link for information about our cataloging interns.  Check back later this summer to learn about these interns' conservation and digitization projects.

 

	Blair Bailey is originally from Cincinnati, OH and received a BA in Art History and a BA in History from American University in Washington, D.C. in 2011. The Smithsonian Field Book Project is a great opportunity for Blair to gain additional practical experience prior to applying to a formal Master’s program in Art Conservation. Her previous conservation experience includes painting and paper conservation at the National Portrait Gallery, a paint mixture conservation research assistantship at the Museum Conservation Institute, glass object experience at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and archaeological objects conservation for Historic St. Mary’s City in Maryland.  Blair's internship was made possible through funding from SWC.
Blair Bailey, 2012. Credit: Sarah Stauderman.
	Janelle Batkin is originally from Ithaca, NY and received an AAS in Photography and a BFA in Art Restoration from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, NY. In 2011, She earned an AA in Art from Montgomery College, Takoma Park/Silver Spring, MD. The Smithsonian Field Book Project is a great opportunity for Janelle to gain additional practical experience prior to applying to a formal Master’s program in Art Conservation. Her previous conservation experiences include the treatment of mural paintings, gilded stone surfaces, and archaeological objects. Janelle's internship was made possible through funding from SWC.
Janelle Batkin, 2012.  Credit: Sara Stauderman.
	Catherine Cox is currently a graduate student at George Mason University. The internship at the Smithsonian Institution Archives is part of the curriculum for earning her M.A. in Applied History. Catherine feels working with the Field Book Project has provided her with valuable experience to begin her career in archives and the preservation of historical information and cultural heritage. She looks forward to pursuing future opportunities to work with audiovisual materials, such as sound recordings and oral histories.  Catherine's internship was made possible with funding from SWC.
Catherine Cox, 2012  Credit: Kira Cherrix.
	Cherie Edmonds is a 2nd year Master's student at the University of Michigan - School of Information, where she is also Treasurer for the student chapter of the Special Library Association, and Recruiting Chair for the Multi-Ethnic Information Exchange. Her specializations are Archives and Records Management, and Preservation of Information. She is centering her studies around digital preservation, and is particularly interested in image, sound, and motion preservation. She started working on the Field Book Project this past Winter during her school's Alternative Spring Break program, in which students spend their Spring breaks volunteering their time with various organizations around the country in order to gain practical experience. She returned this summer on an internship in order to continue her work digitizing and recording metadata for the Field Book Project.  Cherie's internship was made possible with funding from SWC.
Cherie Edmonds, 2012.  Credit: Emily Hunter.
	Alison Pinches is a recent graduate from the University of Calgary, (Alberta, Canada) with a bachelor's degree in Arts, majoring in History. Alison is interested in pursuing a Master's degree in Library Sciences and wanted to explore opportunities outside of library settings. Her eight week internship is funded by the government of Alberta.
Alison Pinches, 2012. Credit: Kira Cherrix.