Help Christine finish her Master's Degree!

Hi everyone,

My name is Christine, a student based in London. I’m fundraising for the additional funds to cover the cost of my second year in the MSC in Conservation of Contemporary Art and Media at University College London. As the only black student on the new course, the recipient of the Garbo Trust Scholarship which paid just over half of my fees and someone in part time work, I have realised I will be unable to complete my studies without financial assistance, despite also taking out a postgraduate loan.

Alongside financial strain, I was recently diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a rare and very serious genetic heart disorder that required major cardiac surgery. This ongoing health condition will have lasting effects for my entire life. Navigating Higher Education as a black, working-class, disabled woman is a stressful and alienating process. Higher Education in the United Kingdom is increasingly becoming an actively hostile space for working class students and I have often had my medical access needs ignored. I am asking for support because as an accomplished arts professional skilled in creative visualisation, artistic programming and community outreach, my experiences have imparted in me the desire to build conservation practices that address the needs of the working class. Finishing this degree would enable me a chance at financial stability, something I have never had.

Less than 1% of Black British people make up the workforce of the heritage sector. This is partly due to exorbitant fee and training hikes by universities, racism in the university/heritage sector and increasing precarity across workforce sectors. I want to use my place on this course and my eventual qualification as a Contemporary Art and Media conservator to address legacies of colonialism, slavery and exploitation in artists’ materials and in contemporary art. I am committed to advancing accessibility and critical knowledge practices in the art heritage sector for people of colour.

The money being raised on my behalf will go directly towards paying my £15,000 tuition fees for my second year as well as the associated living costs. Immediate costs needed by the beginning of September are £7,600, this will keep me enrolled on the course and enable me to complete my pending assignments.

Pictures include me in the lab at UCL and me working on a collaborative art piece for Migros Museum in Zurich.

I would appreciate any donations towards my fundraiser, the bulk of which need to be collected before September.