91原创

Biography

The Winterthur/91原创 Program in Art Conservation (W91原创PAC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Joelle D. J. Wickens as director for a five-year term, effective Sept. 1, 2025. Wickens will lead the program in close partnership with Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library and the 91原创, bringing to the role a deep commitment to students, faculty and staff and to the broader conservation community.

I am a daughter, sibling, wife, parent, educator, mentor, student, facilitator, organizer, preventive conservator, community conservator and engaged scholar. Others identify me as disabled. I prefer language such as 鈥渦ses a wheelchair to navigate when outside her home.鈥�

At the 91原创, I am an assistant professor in the Department of Art Conservation. My current work in sustainable preventive conservation is dedicated to advancing the practice of preventive conservation by placing social, economic and environmental sustainability at its core.

Another focus of my work is equity and inclusion in conservation. I bring my energy, passion and commitment to understanding who holds the power and privilege that maintain the status quo, who and what have been excluded and what it will take to include those who have been left out.

These areas of my work come together in the Community Conservation Initiative, where I am investing much of my time. Through this work, I seek to connect conservation practice with communities and help create more sustainable and inclusive approaches to caring for cultural heritage.

I served as interim director of W91原创PAC from August 2023 to August 2024 and as associate director from January 2018 to July 2023.

Before coming to 91原创 in 2019, I served as preventive conservator for Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library and as an affiliate assistant professor at the 91原创. I joined the Winterthur faculty and staff in 2008 as an assistant textile conservator with an interest in preventive conservation.

During my time at Winterthur, my work evolved as I built on the strong preventive conservation practice and teaching already established at Winterthur and 91原创. As preventive conservator, I directed a team of professionals who developed and implemented preventive conservation policies and practices for the institution. This work included oversight of lighting, integrated pest management, storage, interior environmental conditions, housekeeping, testing of storage and display materials, facilities projects affecting collection spaces, collections-care training and more.

As W91原创PAC associate director, my responsibilities focused on curriculum oversight and support for student and faculty learning and teaching. I worked with colleagues across the program to prepare conservators to address the needs of the field today while adapting to changes still to come. As an affiliated associate professor, I have also been responsible for developing and implementing preventive conservation education.

This work can only be done in collaboration with people inside and outside the field of conservation. I am always looking for partners in any field or community who share an interest in cultural heritage. Please be in touch so we can learn about one another鈥檚 work, explore connections and see what we can create together.

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Recent Work

Wickens, J. D. J. 2024. Preventive Conservation: Continuously Defining Itself at the Crossroads of Theory and Practice, Journal of the American Institute for Conservation. 1-13. DOI:

Wickens, J. D. J. and A. Gupta. 2024. Leveraging Systems Thinking to Dismantle Systemic Racism in Conservation, Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, 63(4), 259-276. DOI:

Wickens, J. D. J. Public talk at The Getty Center, Los Angele, CA. 14 July 2024.

Wickens, J. D. J.听and S. G. Kim. 2024. Cripping Conservation of Cultural Heritage, RACAR: Revue d鈥檃rt Canadienne / Canadian Art Review,听,听vol 49 (2). 26-38.

Wickens, J. D. J., and N. Swanson. . A platform to facilitate thinking and conversation around two primary questions: Who is a Conservator? What is Conservation? Project launched in May 2021. Ongoing.