Cotsen Reception Celebrates Return to Campus

Students, faculty, and staff of the Cotsen Institute celebrated the reopening of campus with a welcome back party on Wednesday, September 22nd. The festivities were held outdoors on the roof terrace of the Fowler Museum. Most people had not seen each other in person for almost 18 months. Our long-time volunteers were especially joyous at the reunion. Amr Shahat, who recently received his PhD, good-naturedly donned his cap and gown so all could symbolically congratulate the Class of 2021. The director of the institute, Willeke Wendrich, introduced the incoming students from 2020 and 2021, as well as new faculty and staff , many of whom were meeting face-to-face (but masked) for the first time. Glenn Wharton, chair of the UCLA/Getty Interdepartmental Program in Conservation of Cultural Heritage Materials, also introduced Justine Wuebold, the research associate for the NEH funded research project Embedding Sustainability in Cultural Heritage Conservation. Everyone agreed: it is good to be back!