5 Minutes With... Gianna Puzzo

What is your current role at ICS and what does that entail?

I am the preventive conservator at ICS. I am based at the Sydney office but work on many jobs with the other offices at well. As a preventive conservator I specialize in a more holistic approach to heritage preservation, thinking about systems of deterioration (i.e. inherent or external risks to objects) and creating procedures and methods to monitor and manage change over time. A lot of work is looking at collection-wide issues like environmental conditions, storage approaches, and policies like collections management plans or disaster preparedness.

How did you get into conservation and what are your specialties?

I learned about conservation as a career when I was studying Art History as an undergraduate. I was living in Baltimore and would go to the Conservation Window at The Walters Art Museum to pester the conservators with a million questions: How was that artwork made? Why are you using those tools? How did you get this job? I had always been interested in both art and science but the prospect of taking an organic chemistry course really intimidated me. It wasn’t until after I graduated and started looking for jobs in New York City that I landed a position in the conservation department at The Frick Collection that I gained the confidence and certainty to go for conservation as a career!

From there, I was accepted to do my Masters at the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation (WUDPAC). The first year of the program you are exposed to all the different materials specialties which I loved all of them and couldn’t imagine choosing, and I was continually drawn to preventive conservation because it deals with the big picture issues present across every type of heritage institution and has a real sustainability lean.

It was during my Masters at WUDPAC that I did an internship at ICS, especially because of Julian Bickersteth’s work in preventive conservation and sustainability initiatives in the international conservation community. The rest is history! I’d say I’m a bit of a generalist but I’ve carved out a special interest in sustainable environmental management, light level assessment, preservation surveys, and integrated pest management (IPM) just to name a few.

Everyone has a part of the job they are passionate about– their first love, what is yours?

I’m especially drawn to unconventional collections and institutions: the more niche, the better! I’ve always loved contemporary art and materials and their specific issues. There is something liberating about working with transient and ephemeral objects whether from a physical or conceptual standpoint. These artworks challenge status quo ways of thinking about conservation. It may be controversial to say as a conservator but as a nature lover who is interested in sustainability, I really don’t think all materials are meant to last forever, that at best we simply delay their inevitable decay. So I think as a conservator much of my job is helping institutions make smart choices about how do we enjoy collections for a long time while also being realistic about expectations and setting priorities.

Also because conservation is such a multidisciplinary field it’s really special to being able to collaborate with other specialists and learn from their depth in a completely different area from mine. This means I’ve worked alongside botanists, material scientists, geologists, agricultural pathologists, architects, and artists.  

Top 3 projects, what were they and why are they your favourites?

1.     Condition Survey, White Rabbit Gallery

When I was an intern at ICS I spent several weeks in the arts torage facility of White Rabbit Gallery to condition assess over 300 artworks in the collection. Not only was it a privilege to work intimately with such an amazing collection of contemporary Chinese artwork, but also the storage facilities are top notch and the staff were such a pleasure to have as colleagues.

2.     Environmental Assessments, National Trust of Australia(NSW)

ICS has had a long standing partnership providing conservation services to the National Trust of Australia. I’ve really enjoyed providing climate and light assessments and guidance for their heritage sites because I enjoy thinking creatively about safely organizing displays and exhibitions in historic buildings that don’t have HVAC or rely on natural lighting. I also feel very rewarded working on solutions to activate these historically significant sites.  

3.     Public Art Conservation Internship Program(PACIP), Balboa Art Conservation Center, San Diego

Before becoming Preventive Conservator at ICS, I competed a 6-month internship at Balboa Art Conservation Center (BACC) in San Diego. As a non-for-profit, BACC built a 10-cohort collaborative internship model around the care of San Diego’s public art collections with the goal of teaching early career professionals principles of preservation, conservation, and collections care. I was part of a team that developed the curriculum and taught the interns over 12 weeks on a variety of subjects, and it was so rewarding to share my conservation knowledge with the next generation. We also felt like we learned so much from the interns as well as they brought fresh perspectives to every conversation or activity.

Interests outside of work?

I’m still somewhat new to living in Sydney and so I try to take advantage of all the city has to offer. There is an amazing music scene to explore whether that be live concerts or supporting my friend who is a vinyl DJ. My partner and I have a shared interest in the arts and are looking to venture out to art exhibitions, galleries, or experimental theatre. I enjoy being in nature whether that’s sitting on the beach, hiking, roller skating or biking and use apps like Merlin or iNaturalist to learn more about native Australian flora and fauna.

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