NEH Awards Conservation Program $310,000 for Training in Preservation of Indigenous Collections

The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded the UCLA/Getty Program in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage a grant of $310,362 for a project titled “Preservation of Indigenous Collections: Training for Tribal Materials and Museums” to be directed by Prof. Ellen Pearlstein, professor at the Department of Information Studies and the UCLA/Getty Program in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage, and affiliate of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology.

The award will fund a continuing education program for collections stewards that would include six online courses, two in-person regional workshops, and follow-up mentoring to support sustained application of lessons learned, targeted to Native Americans working with tribal materials at museums and cultural centers across the country. Critical to the preparation of the winning proposal were two staff members of the Mellon Opportunity for Diversity in Conservation program: Bianca Garcia, program manager, and Nicole Passerotti, program associate. Pearlstein is the project director for the Mellon program.

The NEH Preservation and Access Education and Training program awards are made to organizations that offer national, regional, or statewide education and training programs across the pedagogical landscape and at all stages of development, from early curriculum development to advanced implementation. Awards help the staff of cultural institutions, large and small, obtain the knowledge and skills needed to serve as effective stewards of humanities collections. Awards support projects that prepare the next generation of preservation professionals, as well as projects that introduce heritage practitioners to new information and advances in preservation and access practices. 

For more information, or to find out how to support our research and education in archaeology and conservation, please contact Michelle Jacobson at mjacobson@ioa.ucla.edu.