Kate Seymour's professional journey intricately intertwines art, science, and conservation. Graduating with an Art History degree from the University of Aberdeen in 1994, she shifted gears to train as a painting conservator, achieving a Masters from the University of Northumbria at Newcastle in 1999. Her path led her to the Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg (SRAL) in the Netherlands, where she currently holds the position of Head of Education.
In 2024, Kate founded Art Conservation Education, a new platform offering workshops for emerging conservators and advanced courses catering to seasoned professionals seeking Continuing Professional Development. Her expertise spans the entire spectrum of painting conservation, encompassing investigation techniques, structural treatments, cleaning methodologies, retouching, filling, and varnishing practices, as well as aspects of collection care and preventive conservation. Her impact reverberates globally, demonstrated by her decade-long stewardship of initiatives such as the Indian Conservation Fellowship Program and conducting workshops in Russia.
Kate's engagement extends to projects like the Getty Foundation's Conserving Canvas initiative, where she coordinated and lectured at three international workshops focusing on Mist-Lining. Furthermore, her commitment to the field is evidenced through her current role as Chair on the ICOM-CC Directory Board, an organisation she has volunteered for over the past two decades, cherishing the profound personal connections cultivated during this time.
Throughout her career, Kate Seymour remains unwavering in her dedication to safeguarding cultural heritage. Her leadership and expertise not only preserve the past but also inspire the future of conservation, ensuring the timeless legacy of artistic expression endures.