Spring/Summer 1999
"The interplay between the two groups will create a new breed of practitioners and will professionalize a growing trend among archaeologists to preserve archaeological sites and objects for the future," he said. "It acknowledges that we are part of both the local and the world communities."	UCLA Chancellor Albert Carnesale with UCLA Rock Art Archive staff-Director Jo Anne Van Tilburg and Collections Editor Sonia Gottesman-at the open house held at the Getty Conservation Institute to announce the new Master's program. GETTY CONSERVATION INSTITUTE Master's Program in Conservation Created Unique in its focus among existing conservation training programs in this country, it will provide students with not only a orientation to conservation but also a strong base in materials science, anthropology, and fieldwork THE J. PAUL GETTY TRUST AND UCLA ARE COMBINING RESOURCES TO CREATE A master's degree in the conservation of archaeological and ethnographic materials. Unique in its focus among existing conservation training programs in this country, it will provide students with not only a cultural orientation to conservation but also a strong base in materials science, anthropology, and fieldwork. The formation of the new degree program was officially announced by Getty Trust President and CEO Barry Munitz and UCLA Chancellor Albert Carnesale at an open house at the Getty Center on January 12th. Brief remarks about the program were followed by tours of laboratories and exhibitions. "Preserving both ancient and modern artifacts, and understanding the contexts from which they come, is critically important," said Richard M. Leventhal, Director of the UCLA Institute of Archaeology. "An emphasis on context is part of what will distinguish this program from others and is what makes it such a valuable addition to the UCLA Institute of Archaeology." "Traditionally, conservators are trained to work on fine arts objects in museums or studio contexts," said Marion True, Assistant Director for Villa Planning and Curator of Antiquities for the J. Paul Getty Museum,"but in providing fieldwork and a deeper understanding of the materials from which objects are made, this program will raise the standard of professional conservation practice to a higher level, ensuring that the evidence of the past survives well into the future." In the three-year graduate program set to begin in 2002, the first year's curriculum will be built around general courses in anthropology, archaeology, and conservation. The second will offer more technical training, in specially designed laboratories at the Getty Villa in Malibu, and the third will be devoted to internships on archaeological digs or in museums. The M.A. degree will be conferred by UCLA. Similar programs are currently offered at the University of London's Institute of Archaeology and at the National Center for Cultural Heritage Science Studies at the University of Canberra in Australia. Getty Antiquities Conservator Jerry Podany gives a tour of "Beyond Beauty: Antiquities as Evidence" exhibition. Three new faculty members, funded by UCLA, will be added to direct and teach in the program; and professional conservators, conservation scientists, archaeologists, and site preservationists on the Getty staff, as well as consultants, will serve as instructors and guest lecturers. The program's scientific faculty will work with resident scientists at the Getty Conservation Institute and will have access to the Institute's state-of-the-art analytical laboratories. "Education and training are at the core of the Getty Conservation Institute's activities," commented Timothy P. Whalen, the newly appointed director of the Getty Conservation Institute. "The UCLA/Getty partnership perfectly complements both our mission and the skills of the Getty's experienced and internationally trained conservation professionals." Leventhal noted that the new program will prompt archaeologists to think more about the future and conservators to consider how objects were used and why they are important culturally. "The interplay between the two groups will create a new breed of practitioners and will professionalize a growing trend among archaeologists to preserve archaeological sites and objects for the future," he said. "It acknowledges that we are part of both the local and the world communities." The J. Paul Getty Museum and the Getty Conservation Institute are part of the J. Paul Getty Trust, an international cultural and philanthropic institution. The UCLA Institute of Archaeology, one of the preeminent archaeological research centers in the U.S., coordinates research labs and academic facilities for faculty, graduate students, research associates, and volunteers in ten academic departments. Archaeologists from the Institute conduct fieldwork throughout the world. From left to right: Getty Conservation Institute Director Timothy P. Phalen, UCLA Provost Brian P. Copenhaver, UCLA Chancellor Carnesale, UCLA Dean Pauline Yu, and UCLA Institute of Archaeology Director Richard M. Leventhal
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