The $500,000 challenge, which requires the University to raise $1 million by January 2000, is part of an overall Mellon Foundation grant of $990,000 to support the department's master's-level fellowships.
The intent of the challenge from the New York-based foundation is to fill the gap in support for art conservation training that has been lost through cuts in the National Endowment for the Arts budget. Fund raising to meet the challenge currently is at approximately 60 percent of the $1 million goal.
According to Joyce Hill Stoner, director of the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, the need for professional conservators is keen. Many museums have poor storage conditions, lack climate control and have no professional conservators on their staffs or in their region.
For information about contributing to the challenge grant, please contact June Cason, Office of University Development, at (302) 831-2104 or via e-mail at June.Cason@mvs.udel.edu