Joelle D.J. Wickens, Ph.D.
Textile Conservator, Adjunct Assistant Professor
Out of a natural love of history and a fondness for knitting as a child, it is no surprise that Dr. Joelle Wickens became an art conservator. Before discovering art conservation, Wickens’ interest in history led her to the University of Pennsylvania from 1985 to 1989, where she received her B.A. in American Civilization. For the next ten years, Wickens taught 12-18 year-olds various skills, such as backpacking, building houses for Habitat for Humanity, and going to museums. From this experience, she developed a sense of how much more people learn from physical objects than from merely words. Thus, her love of history and her desire to preserve such objects led Wickens to study art conservation, specifically textile conservation.
In 2001, Wickens went to the MA Textile Conservation program at the Textile Conservation Centre, University Southampton, Winchester, England to pursue an MA. While pursuing her MA, Wickens worked as a textile conservation intern at the National Trust’s Textile Conservation Studio, Norfolk, England and with Conservation Services, Textile Conservation Centre, Winchester, England. After receiving her MA (Distinction) in 2003, she began pursuing her PhD. For her doctorate, Wickens “looked into unanswered needs” in the field, one of which is 20th century foam upholstered furniture. Her thesis “Eero Aarnio’s Globe: A Platform for an Investigation of Challenges and Possibilities Related to the Conservation of Twentieth Century Foam Upholstered Furniture,” addressed not only the conservation aspect, but also ethical issues in art conservation. Wickens concluded that with the short lifespan of upholstered furniture and plastics of the 20th century, it is essential to get this type of art out into the museum galleries for people to see, to leave an impression on the viewer, rather than having it stored away for preservation. During her PhD studies, Dr. Wickens continued to work with Conservation Services but this time as a contract conservator. In 2008, she received her PhD degree in textile conservation which was the first awarded by the University of Southhampton in the field of conservation practice.
After finishing her PhD, Dr. Joelle Wickens returned to the United States. Wanting to both teach and conserve, Dr. Wickens joined the Winterthur Art Conservation Program in the Summer 2008, where she is both assistant textile conservator and an adjunct assistant professor in the Winterthur University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. As a textile conservator, Dr. Wickens prepares objects for exhibits, cares for objects in storage, and undertakes a wide variety of other museum related tasks.
Research continues to be a strong interest for Dr. Wickens with her primary research interest in furniture upholstered with synthetic materials, particularly foam upholstered pieces from the modern era. She has presented papers on her PhD research at conservation conferences in Sweden, Poland and the United Kingdom. Dr. Wickens has published articles on both her PhD research and her MA thesis, “Contract for Eternity: Preserving a Hearse Cloth made in 1505 for King Henry VII.”
In her spare time, Dr. Wickens loves outdoor activities such as kayaking and camping. Most of all, she loves to be with her family, especially playing with her daughter.
by Amanda Chau ‘11
November 24, 2008
