The Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation (WUDPAC) is a graduate-level program jointly sponsored by the University of Delaware and Winterthur Museum. It is a three-year course leading to a Master of Science in Art Conservation. The curriculum is designed to educate and train conservation professionals to carry out the examination, analysis, stabilization and treatment of art and artifacts, speak to general principles of collection care, and have a broad academic background in science and the humanities. Our Value Statement reflects our commitment to educating professionals skilled in the analysis, treatment, and preservation of cultural artifacts by connecting disciplines in the arts, humanities, and sciences.
Faculty and students use fifteen well-equipped conservation laboratories, studios, examination rooms, and workshops in the Louise du Pont Crowninshield Research Building at Winterthur. This building houses one of the country's largest and best-equipped museum analytical laboratories. Winterthur's comprehensive collection of early American art, architecture, furniture, textiles, silver, pewter, ceramics, glass, paintings, prints, and its independent research library are world-renowned. The University of Delaware houses art studios for reconstructing historic techniques, science laboratories, a conservation laboratory, and administrative offices.
Tours of the conservation laboratories at Winterthur Museum will be offered to potential applicants on designated Monday afternoons. Dates during the Spring 2023 semester include April 17th and May 8th, from 1:30-2:30pm. To sign up for a tour spot or if you have questions about pre-program conservation tours, please contact WUDPAC Fellows Adriana Benavides (she/hers) and Katarina Stiller (she/hers) at wudpactours@gmail.com. PLEASE NOTE: Given the global pandemic and concern for health and safety, tour group size will be limited. Masks will be required during the duration of the​ tour and in all indoor spaces.​
Helpful documents when preparing a graduate school application include WUDPAC’s Frequently and Not So Frequently Asked Questions sheet​,​ the Quick-Start Guide: A Career in Conservation prepared by the Emerging Conservation Professionals Network of the American Institute for Conservation, and an Art Conservation: Career 101 informational handout prepared by WUDPAC Class of 2019 alumna Madison Brockman.
For more information about a particular specialty, please reach out to the specific faculty member listed on the Winterthur Faculty page. For more general inquiries, please email art-conservation@udel.edu.​
