People walk below the colourful banners of Tepkik, an installation by Mi'kmaq artist Jordan Bennett, part of an exhibit of contemporary Indigenous art at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, on its first day reopen to the public after closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on Saturday, July 18, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
September 28, 2021 - 9:58 AM
OTTAWA - The National Gallery of Canada is launching an internship program for Indigenous and Black students, as well as students from other cultural communities across Canada.
The gallery's NGC Conservation Internship Program for Diversity was created in collaboration with the art conservation program at Queen's University and the Canadian Conservation Institute.
The initiative offers four interns real-world experience in conservation and restoration work, as well as a $25,000 bursary to formally study the field in a master's program at the Kingston, Ont. university.
The gallery says interns will become familiar with some of the complexities of research, technical examination, and historic and ethical concerns when working with art and artifacts.
The internships last from three to five months and pair students with experts at the National Gallery. They will also be introduced to conservation science and broader heritage preservation issues at the Canadian Conservation Institute, also in Ottawa.
The program began last June with its first intern, Caribbean-Canadian Tirza Harris from Kingston, Ont.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2021.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2021