I am incredibly grateful for my time in San Gemini, especially for the guidance of my teachers and the many guest lecturers who generously shared their expertise. This experience deepened my understanding of conservation from multiple perspectives, including theoretical approaches, chemistry, the history and materiality of paper, and various cultural conservation philosophies. The immersive nature of SGPS programs provided an invaluable opportunity to fully dedicate myself to honing my technical skills and deepening my understanding of conservation. Even outside of the classroom, the stimulating conversations with my peers and other conservators impressed upon me the significance of collaboration and open dialogue within this field. It truly was the perfect recipe for an unforgettable summer and I could not recommend it enough!

Alumna 2024: Paper Restoration in Artworks and Archival Documents

The San Gemini Preservation Society’s summer Book Binding program was an incredible experience! It was academically rigorous with both hands-on experience and classroom lectures, supplemented by amazing opportunities to work with real archival materials and get a behind-the-scenes look at processes of book construction and conservation within the San Gemini community and beyond. The instructors were brilliant and supportive, the town charming and hospitable, and the other program participants came from a huge array of backgrounds, which made for a great interdisciplinary classroom experience. I learned so much from the program and continue to use those skills and knowledge in my life months later. Fantastic people, wonderful learning experience, an overall perfect way to spend your summer.

Alumna 2024: Historical Book Binding, Structure and Preservation of Books

I’m so grateful for the experiences I had with San Gemini Preservation Studies! During the Session II of Summer 2024, I participated in the Intersession Tour and the Traditional Painting Techniques course. During the Intersession Tour, I spent a week exploring rich centers of Italian history under the guidance of a scholar of art history. We toured prestigious Italian art restoration labs in Florence and got to speak with leading professionals while they worked on site to restore famous paintings, buildings, and statues in Rome. Getting to see locals celebrating the Palio during our tour of Siena will be one of my favorite memories forever! In our Traditional Painting Methods class, we were taught step by step how to use traditional mediums to create our own frescos, wood panel paintings, and oil canvas paintings, all while working in a historic convent that looked over the beautiful Umbrian countryside. I’m proud of what I was able to accomplish with the guidance of our instructors, who were extremely knowledgeable professionals and eager to help! The hands-on experience I gained from this program was invaluable- getting to study in San Gemini was an amazing experience, and I hope to continue my studies with the program soon!

Alumna 2024: Traditional Painting Materials, Methods and Restoration Issues & Presrvation Tour.