Fiona Rutka

Fiona Rutka holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Biology from McMaster University and has a postgraduate diploma in the conservation of easel paintings from the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London. She completed her training in the United Kingdom with internships at the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Museums Liverpool. She then undertook two Andrew W. Mellon fellowships, first at the Balboa Art Conservation Center in San Diego, California, and then at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA), where she specialized in the conservation of modern and contemporary paintings. She worked as a contract conservator at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the PMA before joining the Canadian Conservation Institute in 2022. During her diploma studies, fellowships and contract work, she led technical studies on 20th and 21st century British and American painters. Prior to beginning her training in art conservation, Fiona worked in medical research and wildlife conservation.

Fiona’s ongoing research interests include novel aqueous cleaning methods for unvarnished paint surfaces, structural treatments for unconventional canvas paintings, modern and contemporary painters’ materials and techniques, and interviews with artists.