91Ô­´´

Regional and National Public Service

The Department of Art Conservation has a long history of publicÌýoutreach. Most recently, our ten, first-year fellows and some second-year fellows, pre-program interns and faculty members worked with Professor Debra Hess Norris to examine, stabilize, clean,Ìýflatten, and rehouseÌýÌýmiraculously recovered from a tragic Christmas Day fire in Ohio. This project was transformative, exemplifying our genuine commitment to the preservation of cultural heritage and to using our skills and knowledge to help others. The project engendered strong community support for 91Ô­´´ and Winterthur and pride in the field of artÌýconservation worldwide; one leader in our profession coined this "conservation'sÌýfinest hour;" the local fire chief wrote a note of heartfelt thanks on behalf ofÌýthose who responded and their devastated community.ÌýOur students and faculty are committed to meaningful work that advances our profession and contributes to the growth of conservation research and practice at Winterthur and the 91Ô­´´Ìýas well as nationally and internationally. Our work is focused on engaging members of the public and scholarly audiences alike.

The work of our dedicated students and faculty has been featuredÌýonÌýsocial media platforms from Columbia to the Congo, on localÌýtelevision and radio stations, and in Associated Press outlets nationwide.Ìý

Faculty members give regular interviews for journalists nationallyÌýand locally and have appeared on public radio and television, from WHYYÌýin Philadelphia to BBC, to promote awareness about conservation. TheyÌýhave advised on the development of the Lunder Conservation Center at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, have been featured in 91Ô­´´'s alumni, global, and research magazines, and are invited speakers to public audiences across the state of Delaware and beyond. They have assisted with communityÌýconservation projects in Newark, Smyrna, and Wilmington Delaware, developedÌýeducational summer camps at Winterthur and with the Salvation ArmyÌýthat connect art and science, and offered hands-on activities for at-riskÌýyouth across Wilmington. We have treated WPA murals for the Claymont Community Center, a large Battle of the Brandywine painting owned by the Chadds Ford Elementary School, and a John Biggers mural from the Eliza Johnston Home for Aged Negroes in Houston. They have led and advised major fundraising and marketing campaigns for the AIC, College Art Association, Arab Image Foundation, National GalleryÌýof Denmark, and Heritage Preservation, and guided collaborative preservation initiatives with the FederalÌýEmergency Management Agency, Association of Architects, Institute of Museum and Library Services, andÌýregional conservation centers. Our faculty members have served as elected/appointed officials on nationalÌýand international boards, advisory councils, and committees, including, most recently, the American InstituteÌýfor Conservation (multiple specialty groups and committees), Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts, Art and Archaeology Technical Abstracts, Strawbery Banke Museum, Infrared and Raman Users Group (IRUG), Gordon Research Conference, National Archives Preservation Advisory Council, NorthÌýAmerican Textile Conservation Conference, International Council of Museums Committee on Conservation,ÌýUS Senate, National Endowment for the Humanities, Getty and Mellon Foundations, Institute of MuseumÌýand Library Sciences, the U.S./ Senate Art Advisory Council, the Biggs Museum of American Art, and the Wyeth Foundation.Ìý

We will continue our efforts in increasing community, regional, and national support and awarenessÌýabout the field of conservation, the training of future conservation professionals and conservation scientists,Ìýand the need to invest in their education.