The UCLA/Getty Conservation Program

The Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA and the J. Paul Getty Trust have formed a partnership to create a new program awarding a Master's degree in Archaeological and Ethnographic Conservation. The first class of students began in Fall, 2005. This web site provides information and updates about the program The conservation of archaeological and ethnographic materials and sites is an important part of our efforts to preserve the cultural remains of the past.

In this program, students will study for a 3 year Masters Degree in Conservation, dealing specifically with archaeological and ethnographic material. The program will emphasize the multiple values and meanings that archaeological and ethnographic artifacts may hold for society, and how they impact decisions on the conservation and use of those materials.

The role of the archaeological or ethnographic conservator is increasingly involved in wider cultural or museum-based decisions. Likewise, the conservator may work as part of an interdisciplinary team, with ethnographers, indigenous communities, cultural resource managers or curators. Part of the appeal of conservation is this lack of closely defined boundaries; conservators may work in the field, laboratory, or in the private of public sector, under contract, or in more conventional employment. This is one reason why conservation is an exciting career choice and why graduates from a wide variety of backgrounds are attracted to conservation.

The aim of the UCLA/Getty Conservation Program will be to provide students with a solid educational base and practical training in both archaeological and ethnographic materials; as well as an appreciation of the often complex issues relating to significance, access and use of these materials which can be very different from the criteria for conservation of fine art or historical materials. In the case of ethnographic materials especially, the program will facilitate an understanding of the multiple values that artifacts hold for indigenous populations, and will foster a sense of partnership with indigenous communities in relevant aspects of the conservation process.

The partnership between UCLA and the Getty in creating this program ensures that both a major research university and an institution with a major mandate for conservation of the artistic heritage of the world are working to create a rich and vibrant conservation training opportunity. The program will help the student develop working relationships with a wide array of colleagues in the Getty Conservation Institute, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and UCLA departments of Archaeology, Anthropology, Art History, Chemistry, and Geology to name only a few.