Featured Speakers

Kate Helwig completed her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at the University of Toronto and Master’s in Physical Chemistry at Stanford University. To combine her interests in art and science, she then studied art conservation at Queen’s University and received a Master of Art Conservation (M.A.C.). She works at the Canadian Conservation Institute in Ottawa, Ontario, as a senior conservation scientist, specializing in the analysis of cultural heritage materials. Kate has ledmany scientific examination projects related to attribution and authentication of paintings. These projects included the interpretation of scientific imaging, close visual examination of artist’s technique, multi-instrumental chemical analysis, and the correlation of scientific results with historical information. She has presented her research at numerous national and international conferences, and she has authored over 50 peer-reviewed articles and several book chapters.

Alison Douglas completed her Bachelor of Fine Art and Master of Art Conservation (M.A.C.), specializing in paintings, at Queen’s University. She has worked for 20 years at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, Ontario. For the past 18 years, she has been their only conservator. As the McMichael collects exclusively Canadian art, Alison has gained extensive knowledge of the methods and materials of the Group of Seven and their contemporaries as well as many other Canadian and Indigenous artists. Her research interests include the use of jute and its inherent conservation issues as a painting support used by early twentieth-century Canadian artists, as well as the varied uses of artist materials in contemporary painting, and preventive conservation. Alison has also continued to work as an artist in oil paint, ceramics, and various other media.