Author: Angela Paola, QAR Lab Intern
My name is Angela Paola, and I am a third-year graduate student at Texas A&M University. I am currently pursuing a Master of Science in maritime archaeology with a focus in conservation. As a native Floridian, I have always been fascinated by seascapes and marine exploitation throughout history. I discovered the field of archaeology during my undergraduate career at Florida State University and quickly became interested in the process of artifact conservation. Working with artifacts allows you to better humanize the people you study and furthers the research of archaeological sites past their excavation. Conservation allows one to see the best of both worlds: the rigid science of preservation along with the art of flexibility. Each artifact has specific preservation needs, and sometimes the methods employed do not work according to plan. Artifact conservation takes patience and a LOT of observation! After I finished my Bachelor of Science at Florida State, I knew I wanted to pursue an education in conservation science.
My first conservation internship was in Spring 2019 at the Florida Bureau of Archaeology Research Conservation Lab, under head conservator Jessica Burns. There I learned the difference between the conservation processes of organic, inorganic, dry, and waterlogged materials. After my internship I continued to volunteer at the laboratory for a year, working primarily with wood, cupreous, and iron artifacts. When I enrolled at Texas A&M in Fall 2021, I began taking classes focused on wooden shipwreck construction and the conservation of waterlogged artifacts. These go hand in hand, as submerged materials are very sensitive and require years of conservation and careful curation. I began volunteering at the Texas A&M University's Conservation Research Laboratory in Spring 2023, where I assisted with the mechanical and chemical cleaning of revolutionary war era cannons, ammunition, and paper cartridges. I was able to lead my own conservation project in Fall 2023, where I created and implemented conservation plans for nine metal materials recovered from the San Jacinto Battle site. It was an amazing experience that challenged my understanding of working with different historic material types.
This summer, I was fortunate enough to secure a 4-week internship at the Queen Anne’s Revenge Conservation Laboratory in Greenville, NC. I was able to gain hands-on experience with artifacts under the guidance of experienced conservators. The QAR staff allowed me to focus on the preservation of organic materials, as I felt this is where my experience was lacking. I feel my time at the lab was well spent focused on the preservation of various wood, rope, and composite artifacts. I especially enjoyed the particular nature of ultrasonic cleaning, which involves using a dental tool to remove concretions from wood under magnification. As interns, we had specific duties we worked on daily and weekly. My tasks included testing levels of polyethylene glycol, or PEG, in artifact tanks to track the process of solution absorption into wooden artifacts. Once the artifacts were removed from the solution, I carefully removed excess PEG on the surface with wooden toothpicks, ethanol, and a heat gun. I had the pleasure of experiencing QAR’s cannon boring process and got to catch a cannon ball as it fell out of the gun! I really appreciated helping out in each different stage of the conservation process and am so thankful to the QAR staff for their guidance and patience. This experience will definitely make me a better conservator as I begin my career in artifact preservation.
Images:
-Angela removing excess PEG from a musket following treatment. Image by NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
-Angela teaching children about archaeology and conservation at Farmville Library. Image by NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
-Angela (left) and head conservator Kim (right) unloading a cannon at the QAR lab. Image by NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.