Author: Amelia Quinlen | Major: Art History | Semester: Summer 2024

Bungee jumping in Switzerland

I spent eight weeks in Paris, France this summer doing a project-based internship as part of the Notre Dame Restoration Project Team. Organized by Academic Programs International (API), the internship was an opportunity to study the preservation and restoration of historic architecture in and around Paris.

I am an art history major, and I also previously spent several semesters as a landscape architecture major, and this historic preservation program in Paris sounded like the perfect opportunity to intersect my interests in art, history, design, and preservation. And it was also a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get to study one of the oldest Gothic cathedrals in Paris before the completion of a historic restoration, and as the city was preparing for the Olympics.

While working with art historians, including Dr. Iliana Kasarska, who was appointed to a team of specialists by the Établissement public of the Ministry of Culture in Paris conducting research on the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris for its restoration after the 2019 fire, and Dr. Lindsey Hansen, a specialist in French Gothic cathedrals, I was immersed in the history and development of architectural restoration in Paris.

Along with expanding my knowledge of historic preservation and restoration, I also aimed to grow my professional network, to focus my career development through experiencing actual restoration and preservation projects, and to further develop my collaborative skills through our group projects.

I worked towards these goals by being a present, active, and respectful contributor to all our various experiences of site visits, lectures, working sessions for the final projects, and presentations. I believe some of the most valuable experiences came from engaging with my peers and professors both during and outside of our scheduled interactions. Asking questions and pursuing discussion propelled me towards achieving all my goals, and this experience has affirmed my belief that relationships are a most valuable and fruitful asset. Some of my favorite experiences were just getting to know my peers, especially the ones who were from a different country (such as Spain, Scotland, and Taiwan) and culture than me because I learned so much from them. I also tried to make the most of my time in Paris and other cities by embracing the life and culture outside of work and academia, and this was fun to experience with new friends from various backgrounds.

In more practical terms, my efforts throughout the summer culminated in two final projects. One, an expressive and more abstract installation regarding the meaning of the Notre Dame’s restoration to the city of Paris, engaged the more social and subjective nature of restoration. The other, a proposal for an alternate reconstruction of the Notre Dame’s spire, engaged the more historical, scientific, and objective nature of restoration. This second project involved drawing the alternative reconstruction, curating the text for didactic panels that would educate people visiting the restored cathedral, and detailing the reasoning for the design and materials used in the proposed reconstruction of the spire. Both projects were collaborative group efforts that required thoughtful brainstorming, time-management, and the diplomatic collaboration required to take several people’s ideas and combine them into a cohesive final product that can be effectively presented and communicated.

Also, I spent many weekends visiting some family friends in Switzerland (mostly in St. Gallen and Samedan), and I also got to travel to Cannes and Marseilles on the French coast and had a couple weekends reserved for more time to explore Paris. I got to see old friends in the mountains (and bungee jump above them, too) and traveled with new friends to the beach and had a wonderful array of experiences. It was a confidence-boosting and self-assuring experience to navigate Europe mostly by myself. There was a learning curve, but now I am so accustomed to it that I am really going to miss the convenience of traveling by train and metro.

After my internship concluded, I got to spend a couple more weeks in Europe. I was mostly in Switzerland with my parents and our family friends – we even got to be there for one of the sons’ wedding, which was a sweet and beautiful experience. I also traveled a little bit with my parents to Germany and back to France.

All these experiences, in conjunction with living in Paris during the work week and exploring other cities and countries on the weekends, have made for an invaluable step forward in both my personal and professional life, and I am incredibly grateful for my time in Paris.