PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT

2009-2023 Conservator/Lecturer, Kate Gill Textile and Upholstery Conservation Services, UK

1998-2009 Senior Conservator/Lecturer, The Textile Conservation Centre (TCC)

University of Southampton, UK.

Primary PhD supervisor for first PhD in Upholstery Conservation (2005 to 2007).

1997-1998 Final Year Tutor of 3 Year Diploma Course in Textile Conservation and Senior Conservator/Lecturer

TCC, Surrey, UK

1995-1997 Senior Conservator/Lecturer

TCC, Surrey, UK

1992-1995 Conservator/Lecturer

TCC, Surrey, UK

1984-1991 Senior Upholstery Conservator, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

New York, USA

1982-1984 Assistant Conservator

TCC, Surrey, UK

EXPERTISE

Conservation practice; conservation teaching - career entry & CPD; conservation research

RECENT PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

University of Glasgow, UK

Visiting Lecturer, MPhil Textile Conservation (2011 to 2022).

West Dean College, UK

External Advisor and Visiting Lecturer, Conservation of Furniture and Related Objects (2008 to 2019).

Co-organiser and Course Leader, working in collaboration with West Dean College, on a short course entitled Issues and approaches in upholstery conservation aimed at practising professional conservators and curators (1999).

Forum Planner and Leader, working in collaboration with West Dean College, on a one day forum entitled The conservation and restoration of upholstered furniture: reviewing the issues (1998).

Heritage Conservation Centre, National Heritage Board, Singapore

Organiser and Course Leader of a one week course introducing upholstery conservation to conservation staff (2016).

Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Vantaa, Finland

Organiser and Course Leader of a one week course introducing upholstery conservation to students on the Textile Conservation Programme (2011).

Universität Für Angewandte Kunst, Vienna, Austria

Organiser and Course Leader of a one week course introducing upholstery conservation to students on the Textile Conservation Programme and staff members (2011).

Abegg-Stiftung, Berne, Switzerland

Organiser and Course Leader of a one week course introducing upholstery conservation to students on the Textile Conservation Programme and staff members (2010 & 2000).

Royal College of Art/Victoria and Albert Museum, UK

External examiner (1993).

Peer reviewer

Peer reviewer of papers, books, exhibitions and grant applications for professional conservation organizations, e.g. IIC Studies in Conservation; AHRC RCTCTS Conference Post prints; Getty Conservation Institute; ICON The Conservator & Journal of Conservation. Textile History.

QUALIFICATIONS AND AWARDS

Fellow Higher Education Academy (FHEA) (2003).

Elected Fellow (FIIC), International Inst. for Cons. of Historic and Artistic Works (2002).

Accredited Conservator (ACR), awarded by the Institute of Conservation (Icon) (2000).

UK National Award for Conservation (runner up); award sponsored by Jerwood Foundation,
administered by The Conservation Unit of the Museums and Galleries Commission (1995).

UK National Award for Conservation (short listed) (1994).

Museums Association Certificate in Textiles (1984).

Selected Publications since 1997

Books – Edited

Gill, K. & Eastop, D. (eds) 2001. Upholstery Conservation: Principles and Practice. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 209pp. Principal contributor: pp. 13-32; 33-43, 133-143.

Contributions to Edited Works and Journals

Published

Gill, K. 2018. ‘Learning by doing: “Working out” in craft research.’ Craft Research, Volume 9.1, 75-91.

Gill, K. 2016. ‘Making sense of a fragmentary coat found concealed within a building.’ In: M.M. Brooks and D.D. Eastop (eds) Refashioning and Redress: Conserving and Displaying Dress. Los Angeles, Ca.: Getty Conservation Institute, 121-132.

Gill, K. 2015. ‘Sharing Evidence: Documentation, Conservation and Replication of a Man’s Wool Coat with Thread-wrapped Buttons.’ Textile: The Journal of Cloth and Culture, Volume 13, Issue 1, 4-29.

Gill, K. 2012. 'Images can speak louder than words. Communicating conservation effectively.' Congress proceedings The Decorative: Conservation and the Applied Arts, 24th International Congress of IIC, Vienna, Austria, September, 2012, S114-S121.

Gill, K. 2011. 'An evaluation of a portable X-radiographic unit for the examination of fragile upholstered furniture inside historic houses.' In: K. Lohm (ed). The Forgotten History: Upholstery Conservation. Proceedings of the Forgotten History: Upholstery Conservation. Vadstena, Sweden, Linköping University, May 2005. Sweden: Linköping University, 276 - 286.

Gill, K. 2010. 'The conservation of four 1760s chairs: revealing and reinstating original upholstery features during insitu treatment.' In: F. Lennard and P. Ewer, (eds). Textile conservation: advances in practice. Oxford: Elsevier, 171-180.

Gill, K. 2009. 'When minimal intervention is not enough: deconstructing and reconstructing a sprung upholstered chair.' In: Conservation of three-dimensional textiles. Preprints of the 7th North American Textile Conservation Conference, Quebec, Canada, October 2009. (CD-Rom format)

Gill, K. 2007. 'Evaluating X-radiography as a tool for examining upholstered furniture.' In: S. O’Connor and M. M. Brooks (eds). X-radiography of textile, dress and related objects. Oxford: Elsevier, 175–184.

Gill, K. 2006. 'Upholstery conservation: the challenge of accessing concealed inner structures for purposes of investigation and preservation.' In: C. T. de Paula (ed). Textile Conservation in Brazil: museums and collections. Preprints of the international seminar arranged by the Museu Paulista of USP, 8-13 May 2006. Sao Paulo: Museu Paulista do USP, 245- 250.

Gill, K. 2006. 'Tapestry as upholstery: the challenges of conserving tapestry-covered seat furniture.' In: F. Lennard and M. Hayward (eds). Tapestry Conservation: Principles and Practice. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 113- 122.

Gill, K. 2004. 'The development of upholstery conservation as a practice of investigation, interpretation and preservation.' IIC Reviews in Conservation, 5, 3 – 22.

Gill, K. and Doyal, S. 2003. 'Upholstery conservation sections.' In: S. Rivers and N. Umney (eds). Conservation of Furniture. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann,
pp. 97-101; 102-105; 105-123; 348-350; 358-360; 360-363; 412-413; 721-730.

Matsumura, M., Eastop, D. and Gill, K. 2002. 'Monitoring emissions from cellulose nitrate and cellulose acetate costume accessories: an evaluation of pH indicator dyes on paper, cotton tape and cotton threads.' The Conservator, 26, 32-42.

Gill, K. 2000. 'A 1950s Upholstered Chair: Combining the Conventional and the Innovative in both Manufacture and Conservation.' In: Conference preprints poster summary booklet Tradition & Innovation – Advances in Conservation. For the IIC 18th International Congress, 2000, Melbourne, Australia. London: IIC, 11.

Gill, K. and Eastop, D. 1997. 'Two contrasting minimally interventive upholstery treatments: Different roles, different treatments.' In: K. Marko (ed). Textiles in Trust. Proceedings of the 1995 Symposium, National Trust, UK and Archetype, 67-77. 

Gill, K. and Boersma, F. 1997. 'Solvent reactivation of hydroxypropyl-cellulose (Klucel G) in textile conservation: recent developments.' The Conservator, 21, 12-20. 

For a more comprehensive list of publications please refer to the ‘Publications’ section of this website