Colleen Wilson

Textiles Conservator
Email
cwilson@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

Colleen Wilson has been a textile conservator at the Royal BC Museum since 1981, sharing the position with Kjerstin Mackie since 1991. Colleen holds a BA (First Class) in History in Art, with a specialty in medieval architecture, from the University of Victoria. She has also completed postgraduate studies at the Textile Conservation Centre, Hampton Court Palace (at the time an annex of the University of London, England), specializing in dyeing for conservation.

Colleen was a co-editor of the Textile Conservation Newsletter for a number of years and wrote “Conservator’s Corner” for the Royal BC Museum’s Discovery magazine for many years. Many of those articles have been published in the book Tales From the Attic: Practical Advice on Preserving Heirlooms and Collectibles.

Colleen hopes, before she retires, to conserve the Pemberton dress, a vision in green, purple and pink plaid taffeta worn in Barkerville during the heady days of the Gold Rush.

Areas of Expertise/Special Interest

  • 19th and 20th century clothing and domestic textiles
  • Textile display and mannequin construction
  • General collections care