Bellie is preparing a custom mannequin for a costume designed by Jane Petrie and worn by Claire Foy in Season 2 of The Crown for the Winterthur exhibition “Costuming the Crown.”  Photo credit Melissa King.

Annabelle (Bellie) Camp (née Fichtner) '15 is a Conservation Fellow in the Winterthur/University of Delaware (UD) Program in Art Conservation, a three-year program jointly sponsored by the two institutions.
Bellie will graduate in 2022 with an M.S. in textile conservation. She also received her B.A. from UD in anthropology and art conservation with a minor in art history. She is married to fellow Gunston alum Andy Camp '15, who recently graduated from the Naval Academy. They were married on June 8, 2019 in a small ceremony at the Fichtner’s home in Easton, Md.

Q&A with Bellie 

What was your journey after you graduated from Gunston?

BELLIE: My journey after graduation was not linear. I started college at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where I intended to study apparel design. I was incredibly prepared for the fine arts courses at RISD, thanks to Mr. Dize. However, I missed having a diverse course load. That eventually led me to studying art conservation at University of Delaware, one of only two undergraduate programs in art conservation in the United States. The subject is inherently interdisciplinary. It is fundamentally a third chemistry, a third fine art, and a third material culture studies (art history or anthropology). As soon as I started the major, I knew it was something I wanted to pursue as a career. It is necessary to have a master’s to be a practicing conservator, and you must have hundreds (if not thousands) of hours of experience working in a conservation lab before applying to a program. During my undergraduate career, I gained experience at the Peabody Museum at Harvard, the Arizona State Museum, and the paintings, textile, and photograph conservation labs at the Winterthur Museum. I had amazing opportunities to work on collections from all over the world, and was accepted to the Winterthur/UD program right after my senior year. I had just enough time in the summer for a wedding and honeymoon!

What are your ultimate career goals?

I intend to work as a conservator in a museum immediately after graduation, but hope to eventually open a private conservation practice.

Any particular experiences at Gunston that helped to facilitate this journey?

I took part in a lot of extracurricular activities at Gunston, which—when combined with a long commute and challenging classes—really helped me hone my skills in time management. Working as Ms. Gruss’s intern and as the yearbook editor also helped me develop valuable communication skills.