Elizabeth Provost

Master of Art Conservation, Queen’s University, Conservation ScienceHonours Bachelor's of Science, University of Toronto, Chemistry, Art History

Liz is a Russian-Canadian writer, editor, and early modern scholar born and raised in Montréal and now based in Toronto. She completed her Honours Bachelor’s of Science with High Distinction at the University of Toronto studying Chemistry and Art History. For the final two years of her undergrad, she served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Medium, and was invited to give a TEDxUofT talk on the power of student journalism. She was also a Research Assistant on the Bernini's Bronzes technical studies project at UofT and is now a Research Fellow for the Renaissance Polychrome Sculpture in Lazio database project at Queen's University.Liz is now completing her Master of Art Conservation, Research, at Queen’s University. Under the supervision of Aaron Shugar, she is developing a non-destructive analytical protocol for the study of organic coatings made from oils and resins applied to bronze Renaissance sculpture.She hosts the podcast Matter of Art.

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About

I was born in Montréal, Quebec. I spent my childhood immersed in the arts and travelling the world with my mother. At a young age I learned four languages: Russian, French, Italian and English, which I speak to this day.My mother, an artist, and my grandfather, a distinguished musician of Russia, exposed me to an environment steeped with music, art, love, and creativity.In the Spring of 2023 I graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Science at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) with a double major in Chemistry and Art History. During my undergrad I worked as a Teaching Assistant for JCP221: Thermodynamics, completed a for-credit research placement at the Rauscher Lab, and wrote an undergraduate thesis dissertation on oleoresinous patinas on Renaissance bronzes.At UTM I also served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Medium, the University of Toronto Mississauga's independent student newspaper since 1974, for the 48th and 49th volumes. I was invited to give a TEDxUofT talk on my experience as a student journalist, now available on YouTube.My passion for art conservation began after an invitation to be a Research Assistant for the Bernini Bronzes project under the supervision of U of T professor Evonne Levy due to my proficiency in four languages. In a series of serendipitous moments and opportunities in my last two years of undergrad, I’ve now found myself at Queen’s University completing a two-year Master of Art Conservation, Research Stream under the supervision of Bernini Bronze’s material scientist Aaron Shugar beginning in the Fall of 2023. With Dr. Shugar I will develop a non-destructive analytical protocol for the study of organic coatings made from oils and resins applied to bronze Renaissance sculpture. After graduation I am hoping to forge my own trail in the field through involvement in technical studies of art, in writing, and in art history. With a passion in teaching I TAed ARTH391: Art Forgeries in Winter 2024, and will be a TA for three courses in Art Conservation and one in Art History (ARTH122: Curating Art Worlds) in the 2024-25 academic year. Since January 2024 I have been writing entries for the open-access database Renaissance Polychrome Sculpture in Lazio to accompany high-resolution photos taken of sculpture in the region. In August of 2024 I travelled to Rome to undertake my own primary research. This project is unfolding under the supervision of Queen's Professor Una Roman D'Elia.When I'm not studying, reading, writing, or falling in love with art, you can find me taking my friends on tours of my local art galleries, singing Motown tunes, going on long walks by the lake, or listening to folk and soul music.

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