Sandhya S. Jain
69 West 107th Street, #5B New York, NY 10025 212.300.5965
art.conservation@gmail.com

EXPERIENCE
Private Work
1. Ship Lithographs, South Street Seaport Museum (March 2005).
2. Gracie Mansion Museum, Historic House Trust, New York City (February 2005)
3. Bat, Kiki Smith etching, private collection (January 2005)
4. Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site, National Park Service Architectural Preservation Division, New York City (September 2003)

Judith Eisenberg Conservation, New York City (August, November 2004-Current)
Assistant conservator for special painted textiles projects. Treatments include cleaning, flattening, and lining of a painted sukkah panel and embroidered thangkas. Upcoming projects include thangkas, gypsy robes, and other artworks of composite materials.

Fulbright Grantee to India (Oct 2003-June 2004, Sept-Nov 2004)
To research and document the techniques and materials used by artists in India. This includes papermaking, pigments, inks, and dyes used in painting, and the tools used by papermakers and artists. Documentation includes photographs and procuring raw materials as well as refined samples for further analysis, back in the United States.

Rieger Art Conservation, New York City (January 2002 – September 2004)
Examine, photograph, and treat works on paper in a private conservation studio. Works of art include maps, architectural drawings, books, posters, ketubahs, woodblock prints, watercolor paintings, handcolored prints and drawings of all sizes. Treatments including backing removals, surface cleaning, tear repair, fills, stain reduction, tape/adhesive removal, linings and encapsulation.

Sherman Fairchild Center for Works on Paper and Photograph Conservation
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City (Oct 2002-July 2003)
Advanced Internship in paper conservation under the guidance of Marjorie Shelley, conservator-in-charge, and her staff. Tasks included technical examination, documentation, and treatment of works on paper. Collaborated with expert paper conservators, scientists, and curators to continue research on Islamic miniature borders. Also learned how to handle exhibition planning, manage collections, and resolve other museum-related issues.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California (May-August 2002, March 2003)
Special project concerning research and treatment of a large 15th Century Nepalese thangka. Treatment included consolidation of the paint layer, fills of losses, and color compensation of the fills. This project was funded in part by a Professional Development Award from AIC. Results were presented at professional conferences and published in peer-reviewed literature..

Luca Bonetti Conservation, New York City (August – September 2001)
Treated WPA wall murals located in a public high school in New York City as part of a project sponsored by Public Art for Public Schools Foundation. Treatment included removal of graffiti and dirt and restoration of missing sections.

Villa La Pietra, Florence, Italy (June 2001)
Treated flaking wall paintings in the Villa using a combination of American and Italian techniques. Also assisted Susan Mathisen in carpet survey. Experience included visiting various types of conservation labs throughout Italy. Supported by the Solow Art and Architecture Foundation.

Sanctuary of the Great Gods, Samothrace, Greece (June–July, 2001; June–August 1, 2000)
Responsible for conservation of objects found at this archaeological site and in the site museum. Objects were of various materials, including ceramic, glass, metal, and stone. Learned methods of desalination, assembly, plaster fills, inpainting, and cleaning of various substrates.

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia (January – September 1999)
Edited an international database of infrared (IR) and Raman spectroscopy standards under supervision of conservation chemists Beth Price and Janice Carlson. Participated in IRUG Editor’s Meeting of 1999, funded by Samuel H. Kress Foundation.

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia (July 20 – August 21, 1998)
Worked with head conservator Meghan Thumm Mackey to treat 15 pieces of armor from the Kienbusch Collection of Arms and Armor for removal of recent corrosion. Techniques utilized were abrasives, electrolytic reduction, and poultice treatment. Also learned methods of proper archival documentation, including photographic and database records.

EDUCATION
MA in Art History
Certification in Fine Arts Conservation
Conservation Center, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, New York City, May 2004.

MS in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
University of Medicine and Dentistry, NJ (UMDNJ) and Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, May 1999.

BA in Biology, May 1996
BA in Art History, May 1996
Urbino, Italy, Summer Study Abroad 1996 (post-graduate coursework)
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey

AWARDS
• J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship, India (2003-04)
• Stout Scholarship, FAIC (Spring 2003)
• Professional Development Scholarship, FAIC (Spring 2003)
• Camilla Chandler Frost Summer Intern Program, LACMA (Fall 2002)
• Leo and Karen Gutmann Foundation (Fall 2001, Spring 2002)
• Lila Acheson Wallace Foundation Fellowship (Fall 2000, Spring 2001, Fall 2001)
• Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (Fall 2001)
• Solow Art and Architecture Foundation (Summer 2001)
• Shelby and Leon Levy Fellowship (Summer 2000)
• Samuel H. Kress Foundation (Summer 1999)

PAPERS AND PUBLICATIONS
“Microbial Degradation of Human Health and Artworks.”
This thesis examined degradation of cultural heritage through microbial agents, specifically Stachybotrys chartarum. It was written in fulfillment for an M.S. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics.

“Replication in the Seicento.”
This paper examined the role of mechanical replicative techniques in 17th-century Italian painting, focusing on the oeuvre of Orazio Gentileschi. It was written in partial fulfillment of requirements for an M.A. in Art History.

“Materials and Construction of Islamic Borders.”
This paper examined twenty Islamic manuscript borders that had been cut from their paintings. Visual and scientific methods of examination were used to describe and identify the paper, pigments, gold, methods of decoration, and assembly of each border.

“Innovations to a Timeless Technique: Materials and Techniques of the Karkhana artists.”
This article discusses the traditional materials and techniques of Indian Miniature Painting, and how they were advanced through the work of six contemporary painters from the National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan. The article will be published in a forthcoming catalogue written by John Seyller to accompany the Karkhana group show. This article is co-authored with Qamar Adamjee.

“Research and Treatment of a 15th-Century Nepalese Thangka.”
Materials analysis and treatment were done on this thangka in preparation for an exhibition on Buddhist devotion. During treatment, I developed novel colored compensation technique, which was given as a poster at the 31st Annual Meeting of the American Institute of Conservation, June 2003. The complete treatment will be published soon, co-authored by Victoria Blyth-Hill, direction of the Conservation Department at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

“Crossing the line: the interplay between scientific examination and conservation approaches in the treatment of a 15th century Nepalese thangka.”
This talk was presented at The Second Forbes Symposium on Scientific Research in the Field of Asian Art, September 2003. I gave the talk in conjunction with Marco Leona, Scientist-in-Charge of the Department of Conservation Research at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Practical Course on the Use of Enzymes in Conservation of Works of Art on Paper. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 2003.
Workshop taught by Yana van Dyke. Learned to make enzymatic gels and solutions for used on works of art on paper, and specifically water-soluble media, such as Indian Miniature Paintings.

Conservation of Indian Miniatures. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, March 2003.
Workshop conducted by Mike Wheeler (V&A Museum, London), including a session with artist Talha Rathore.

Tibetan Paper-Decorating Workshop. New York Academy of Medicine, Feb 2003.
Workshop taught by Jim Canary, who has a papermaking school in Lhasa.

Modeling thermal-conductive tips for hot spatulas using kneadable, “thermal-conductive” RTV-2 silicone rubber - Elastosil ® M1470/T40. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, December 2002.
Workshop conducted by Carolyn Tomkiewicz (Brooklyn Museum of Art).

Richard Ettinghausen Memorial Symposium: Reading the Text, Performing the Image. Institute of Fine Arts, NYU, November 2002
Three-day art history symposium bringing together eminent international scholars of Islamic studies to discuss current research and exhibitions of Islamic art in New York City.

Medieval Pigments Workshop. New York Academy of Medicine, May 2002.
Five-day workshop conducted by Cheryl Porter. Production, use, and degradation characteristics of medieval pigments discussed.

IRUG Editor’s Meeting
May 24-28, 1999, Instituto di Recerca Sulle onde Electromagnetiche – Center for National Research, Florence, Italy
This meeting brought together the Editors for the international database of infrared (IR) and Raman spectroscopy to meet and exchange information in person. We worked on the database all week, in preparation for its distribution to the rest of the IRUG organization. (See “Experience,” above).

SKILLS
• Computers: Proficient in PC- and Macintosh-based platforms. Competency in Microsoft Office Package, Adobe PhotoShop, and Filemaker Pro.
• Proficient in making dispersed pigment slides, paint cross-sections, and identifying pigments and fibers using polarized light microscopy.
• Experienced in use of infrared reflectography camera, and using and interpreting results from FTIR, IRR, UV-visible light.
• Adept in using 35mm and medium-format cameras. Capable of processing and printing black-and-white film, making and developing beta-plate radiographs, and making and developing x-ray radiographs.
• Fluent in Hindi; familiar with Italian; reading knowledge of French and German.
• Extensive travel throughout India, Malaysia, Japan, and Thailand; also have traveled in Europe and America.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
American Institute of Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC)
International Institute of Conservation (IIC)
Institute of Paper Conservation (IPC)

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