At a Glance
I’m interested in this field of study. Can you tell me more about it?
This major introduces students to the field of art conservation and heritage science, which addresses artistic, ethical, and technical questions about our material culture and combines the liberal arts and sciences to solve preservation problems. At Scripps, you’ll be prepared for rigorous graduate programs in art conservation, heritage science, and historic preservation to protect vital parts of culture for the future.
Your exploration of this major will also empower you to help answer questions, such as: What physical legacies of our culture do we want to pass on to the future? How can we prolong the lifespan of a cherished object? How do we provide access to cultural heritage and ensure its ongoing conservation, interpretation, investigation, maintenance, and management? What tangible and intangible elements of culture should we work to sustain and why? How do we authenticate an animation cell, tell ancient artifacts from modern artifice, and unmask art forgers?
The preservation of artifacts encompasses a wide range of issues and ideas, requiring critical thinking and decision-making skills. Art conservators apply science, history, policy, and practice to improve the preservation and care of cultural heritage, including artworks, archives, architecture, and archaeology.
Our global cultural heritage, including UNESCO World Heritage, faces multiple challenges, including climate disruption; rapid changes in our economies, technologies, and cultures; increasing inequality and homogenization; inherent vice; environmental pollution; over-tourism; vandalism arising from alienation and extremism; deferred maintenance; fires, floods, and natural geologic hazards; and economic crises.
All of this results in complex impacts to our sense of place, our environment, our most valued material culture, and our identity. Already, we are having to triage elements of our heritage in the face of severe storms and fires. In the next 50 years, we may witness the abandonment of vulnerable historic cities, such as New Orleans, Saigon, or Venice. Art conservation explores how we can capture and transplant elements of culture from one city to another.
While at risk, the utility and importance of cultural heritage and preservation continues to grow. Art conservation informs community building, sustainable development goals, education, cultural tourism, the promotion of justice, peace, and reconciliation, and the resistance of cultural genocide.
What are some courses appropriate for first-year students interested in exploring this field of study?
Useful introductory courses include chemistry, studio art, photography, history, art history, archaeology, classics, and anthropology.
If I decide to major or minor in this field, are there certain courses that need to be taken in a specific sequence?
The major works best if you take a year-long chemistry course in your first or second year. A full year of general chemistry is a prerequisite for organic chemistry. One art conservation course is offered per semester, with rotating themes and slots reserved for incoming first-year students.
Can students who major or minor in this field complete a second major or minor (as a double major or a major/minor combination)? If so, what are some common pairings?
Yes, you can minor in other topics. Examples include classics/ancient studies, economics, art history, and computer science. If you’re interested in STEM, we offer a dual major option in art conservation and chemistry.
What other useful information should I know about this field of study?
A variety of science, art history, art, and other courses prepare students to engage in internships at the Williamson Gallery, enroll in conservation courses in Study Abroad and Global Education programs, and to build a portfolio and gain the practical experience necessary for graduate school admission and employment. The major introduces you to careers in art conservation, which can encompass three roles—conservator, researcher, and manager. These roles correspond to application, science, and policy areas of study in the conservation of architecture, archaeology, archives, and art.
The field of art conservation is intimate, important, inherently interdisciplinary, and growing. Scripps is one of the only small liberal arts colleges that offers an art conservation major!