How does one preserve a centuries-old Roman helmet or a set of 900-year-old cathedral doors?
That’s where it is helpful to know Indiana Ravenhill ’16. As a freelance Objects Conservator outside of London, Indy preserves, repairs, and restores historical objects for institutions and private clients.
“I get to touch all of the stuff they say, ‘Do not touch,’ in museums,” explains Indy, who has indeed worked on 900-year-old doors to a cathedral in York, along with swords and regimental leather, even a plastic fencing helmet. Her work can include pretty much any type of 3-D object, from archeological finds to contemporary art, and the materials she works with can vary: metal, stone, fabric, steel, silver, plastics, paper, textiles. She has worked on weaponry from a castle in Scotland, a piece of the Berlin Wall, and Queen Elizabeth II’s memorial plaque. She was also recently in the United Arab Emirates to work on Sitara, which are pieces of intricately sewn textiles that hang outside the Ka’ba in Mecca. “I like the variety of the work, and it is always something different.”
How does one find themselves in such a role? A double major in Classical Civilizations and History at Agnes Scott College, Indy also spent six months studying in Florence, where she took an archeology workshop and discovered conservation and restoration. Because four of the top 10 programs in the world for such work are in England, she enrolled in 2020 at University College London, earning an M.A. in Principles of Conservation and an M.S. in Conservation for Archaeology and Museums.
While at UCL, Indy volunteered with the UCL Institute of Archaeology and interned for both Richard Rogers Conservation, Ltd. and for the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, where work centered on objects such as ship models, naval guns, swords, and Lord Nelson memorabilia. She joined Richard Rogers full-time in September of 2023 and recently embarked on her freelance role.
Some of the more challenging aspects of Indy’s work include — unsurprisingly — not breaking anything (!), as well as knowing how far to go when preserving an item. “There is always a chance of overdoing it,” she explains. “Ideally, our work prioritizes the conservation — an object lasting into the future.”
Reflecting on her MHS experience, it is the individual moments with teachers, coaches, and classmates that stand out most to Indy. Long interested in the Classics and History, she particularly enjoyed History and Latin classes, and she credits Miss Hall’s with providing transferable skills applicable to many situations.
Her experience as a Proctor at MHS served her well as a Resident Advisor at Agnes Scott, and developing conflict-management skills is beneficial for any environment. Critical-thinking and time-management skills are important in her role, as are interpersonal skills. “I work with many different clients, and you need to be able to communicate with them about the options for their project,” she explains.
“What I enjoy most about my work is that it changes every day,” she adds. “It’s never the same thing. The clients are all very different. It is all sorts of objects, and the types of treatments change all the time, so there is nothing stagnant about it. There is always something new to learn.”