The Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation (WUDPAC) is pleased to highlight the accomplishments of our incoming first-year students, the Class of 2025. The WUDPAC Class of 2025 brings to the program a passion for equity, accessibility, and sustainability in the field of art conservation. Their wide-ranging knowledge and skill sets have prepared them well for the preservation, examination, and treatment of cultural heritage.
The ten Fellows in the Class of 2025 have lived and worked across the contiguous United States, from San Francisco to Boston and many places in between. Among them, they share 43 years of conservation experience at 34 institutions, museums, archives, regional centers, and private practices. Their education, experience, and expertise are wide-ranging and diverse, in locations in both the United States and Europe. During their pre-program conservation training, class members have treated paintings, frames, stained glass, paper, furniture, outdoor sculpture, historic interiors, ceramics, decorative arts, and archeological objects. They also have had the opportunity to treat unusual media — including soot remediation on a contemporary painting made from fly excrement and preventive treatment of an artwork made with over 180 neon lights, food, and 30 bottles of alcohol.
They bring to the program in-depth research experience in the identification of condition issues, measuring degradation, data visualization, and topics in technical art history. Many have experience working with analytical techniques such as chromatography, polarized light microscopy (PLM), laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), micro-Raman spectroscopy, and portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF), as well as various active and passive environmental monitoring equipment. They also have used imaging techniques such as cross-section microscopy (CSM), x-radiography, ultraviolet fluorescence (UVF), visible-induced infrared luminescence (VIL), and photogrammetry.
Members of the class have attended lectures, workshops, webinars, and conferences to further enrich their understanding of the field of art conservation and crucial contemporary issues. They are also members of various organizations for conservation professionals such as the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), the Emerging Conservation Professionals Network (ECPN), the Washington Conservation Guild (WCG), the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM), the New England Conservation Association (NECA), and the Philadelphia Area Conservation Association (PACA).
They share their passion for the field through public outreach, education, and collaboration with underrepresented and Indigenous communities. They are dedicated to engaging in the ongoing discussions of ethics and accessibility in the field, putting sustainability, DEAI, emergency planning, and disaster response at the core of their education and practices. This is exemplified by their prior DEAI committee work or individual and unique ethical concerns — one Fellow is particularly interested in policies regarding human remains.
The Fellows have built strong understandings of craft and materials by developing studio art skills in a wide range of media; these include printmaking, basket weaving, rug hooking and tapestry weaving, metal working, book and paper making, as well as various reproduction works in painting, ceramics, and wood carving. Beyond studio skills, the Fellows have a vast range of hobbies, from baking and gaming to crafts and hiking. Many have musical hobbies, including playing violin and guitar; others do Lindy Hop and Irish country dancing. Several furry friends and one not-so-furry friend (a leopard gecko!) will travel with class members to Delaware.
The Class of 2025 looks forward to the eight first-year specialty blocks and to learning new conservation techniques within different concentrations. They are excited to develop the skills and expertise necessary to assess and treat a variety of objects and to learn thorough documentation and imaging techniques. The new Fellows eagerly anticipate collaboration with conservation scientists, source communities, living artists, and the wider art conservation community in the coming years as they grow as professionals. ​​
As WUDPAC fellows, the Class of 2025 will continue to bridge the gaps between art history, art, and science by expanding their knowledge of practical conservation and ethical considerations. They look forward to learning from the diverse experiences of the faculty and broader network of professionals in order to conserve and promote the importance of cultural heritage. Over the next three years and beyond, the fellows will contribute to the evolution of the field through their commitment to making conservation more accessible, inclusive, and sustainable. Please join us in welcoming the incoming WUDPAC Class of 2025: Sarah Beach (Salve Regina University), Nicole Chausse (University of Virginia), Ka Yee Christy Ching (University of Pennsylvania), Kacey Green (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Emily Landry (Mills College), Brittany Murray (New College of Florida), Katherine Peters (Yale University), Gianna G. Puzzo (Johns Hopkins University), Lila Reid (Hamilton College), and Riley Thomas (University of Delaware). The class of 2025 looks forward to learning from the WUDPAC faculty and visiting professors, and to collaborating with fellow students in order to preserve cultural heritage for years to come!​
Class of 2023 Download PDF (in Spanish)
Class of 2024 Download PDF (in Spanish​)
Class of 2025 Download PDF​ (in Spanish​)
