Interdisciplinary Art Conservation Minor

FAIN: AKA-291074-23

St. Mary's College of California (Moraga, CA 94575-2715)
Costanza Gislon Dopfel (Project Director: September 2022 to June 2023)
Costanza Gislon Dopfel (Project Director: June 2023 to present)
Valerie A. Burke (Co Project Director: December 2022 to present)
Wan-Yi Chu (Co Project Director: December 2022 to present)

A one-year project to establish a minor in art conservation

Our project seeks to establish a Minor in Art Conservation by creating a set of interdisciplinary courses integrating the study of Chemistry and Art History. We plan to recruit conservation practitioners as lecturers and instructors to support our faculty in introducing full hands-on, experiential engagement in our new courses.  We will also involve professionals working at museums and other venues both as consultants for curriculum development and as potential providers of internships for our students. The program will intertwine the study of material science with artistic understanding issues, which involve cultural, historic, and ethical questions. The Minor will serve a student population that includes a relevant percentage of underrepresented groups, hoping to encourage diversity in conservation studies. At the same time, it will foster active collaboration between the School of Science and the School of Liberal Arts, bringing together faculty from multiple disciplines.