Welcome WUDPAC Class of 2023!

​The Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation (WUDPAC) is pleased to highlight the accomplishments of our first-year students, the Class of 2023. We value the skill and expertise they will bring to the Program and our profession. The students of the Class of 2023 recognize that their paths to admission at WUDPAC relied heavily on volunteer-based internships, minimally paid jobs, and relocations without financial support. WUDPAC is reviewing many internal practices, including the admissions process, and is committed to creating a more inclusive and equitable conservation education and training program. We encourage our cultural heritage sector to continue and strengthen their efforts to move away from unpaid labor and under-paid labor as prerequisites to work in the field. These barriers discourage diversity in the cultural heritage sector, the kind of diversity that our communities and cultural collections deserve. 

The WUDPAC Class of 2023 is a diverse group of students with varied geographical backgrounds and cultural interests. These ten incoming students have extensive pre-program experience that spans from work in private conservation practices to large national museums. 

Conservation training in libraries and archives, archaeological collections, cultural heritage institutions, and fine art museums has made the Class of 2023 well rounded with varied interests. The students' treatment experiences include work on organic and inorganic materials, historic costumes, rare books, and much more. Many of their treatments have involved specialized technical equipment, intensive research, and collaboration with allied professionals and cultural knowledge bearers. 

Engagement within and outside of the field has clearly been important to the Class of 2023. During their pre-program experiences, they attended numerous workshops and conferences and served as members and leaders in many professional organizations, including the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), AIC's Emerging Conservation Professionals Network, and regional conservation associations.  

The fellows of the WUDPAC Class of 2023 are always exploring new hand skills in textiles, sculpture, book binding, mold-making, drawing and painting. This is, of course, when they are not enjoying their array of hobbies from fly-fishing to listening to podcasts. 

The members of the Class of 2023 will devote the next three years to developing their conservation skill sets and exploring the ways in which the field of art conservation can bring people together in this rapidly changing world. They are looking forward to working together and continuing their journeys into the world of conservation through the Winterthur/ University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. 

For more information about this remarkable group of students, visit our Current Students page, here.