Gretchen Allen
Gretchen is a Senior Book and Paper Conservator at the National Archives of Ireland. She has previously held conservation roles with Maynooth University and Cambridge University Library. Throughout her career she has been responsible for interventive conservation treatments, preventive collection care work on environmental monitoring and pest management, bespoke enclosure making, exhibitions, outreach, and disaster management.
Gretchen undertook her BA in Art Conservation at Scripps College, graduating in 2014. Following that, she completed her MA in Book Conservation at Camberwell College of Arts (University of Arts, London) in 2016. Her supplemental training includes a Postgraduate Certification (PGCert) in Antiquities Trafficking and Art Crime obtained through the University of Glasgow in 2019. Her academic work focuses on the role of the conservator in mitigating the damage done by the criminal elements of the art market.
Gretchen is a member of the Archives and Records Association (ARA) and the Institute for Conservator/Restorers in Ireland (ICRI). She has been a member of the Irish National Committee of the Blue Shield since 2023.