Dana Norris PhD ACR
About Me
I've had a lifelong interest in art and trained formally as a ceramic artist at Kent State University. After graduating, I worked briefly as a studio potter before studying the conservation of ceramics and glass. During the first five years of my career, I worked on a sequence of projects related to the redevelopment of the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology.
I teamed up with Kenneth Watt in 2011 to establish Watt and Norris Conservation, a small business based in Oxford, where we work commercially with museums, collectors, and art dealers. My interest in the technology of art and archaeological objects has grown throughout my career, and I've recently completed a research degree at Cranfield University. My PhD focused on the technology and conservation of Chinese painted enamels and related materials including other enamelled metals, porcelain, and glass using XRF and ESEM-EDX analytical techniques. A list of publications on conservation topics can be found on ResearchGate. I am a Visiting Fellow at Cranfield University where my research continues at the Cranfield Forensic Institute. For queries regarding scientific analysis get in touch at d.norris@cranfield.ac.uk, queries about conservation work including restoration should be directed to danaenorris@yahoo.com.
Training
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Cum Laude, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA. Major in Ceramic Art, minor in Jewellery & Metals.
Post Graduate Diploma (PGD), Distinction, Conservation and Restoration of Ceramics and Related Materials: West Dean College, West Sussex UK.
Doctorate (PhD), Cranfield Forensic Institute, Cranfield University, Shrivenham Oxfordshire UK. Thesis: The Technology and Conservation of Chinese Painted Enamels.
Work History
Work Placement, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York NY, USA. The Sherman Fairchild Center for Objects Conservation. Six weeks focusing on the conservation and restoration of Greek and Roman objects.
Objects Conservator, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Ohio, USA. Fixed term position working on the museum wide redevelopment project.
Conservator, Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, Oxford, UK. A series of fixed term contracts working on the museum wide redevelopment project, collection care, and loans.
Conservator and Business Partner, Watt and Norris Conservation, Oxford, UK. Lead conservator on a range of projects, business administration, and overall management.
Visiting Fellow, Cranfield Forensic Institute, Cranfield University, Shrivenham Oxfordshire UK. Scientific analysis of art and archaeological objects.
