Our Alumni
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Historic Compass Rose Mural Getting A Facelift This Week
June 24, 2025 | Written by Jason Graziadei of Nantucket CurrentCindy Schwarz, a painting conservator subcontracted by the historic preservation and restoration company John Canning, Co., of Cheshire, CT, was working on and below scaffolding at the mural on Tuesday. The restoration process will last for approximately 10 days, she said. -
UD Day in D.C. celebrates the power of research
June 13, 2025 | Written by Beth MillerCAS faculty, students, alumni explore the value of federally funded research at ‘Innovation for the Nation’ event -
Out of the ashes
June 12, 2025 | Written by Beth MillerUD art conservation alumni offer help to those affected by L.A. fires -
‘There are secrets to unlock’
May 20, 2025 | Written by Veasey Conway of The Harvard GazetteClass of 1997 WUDPAC alumna Brenda Bernier compares the scale of Harvard’s preservation efforts to the Library of Congress. “Harvard has been collecting library materials since the 1600s,” she said. “It’s our responsibility to maintain it into the future.” -
Saving Art from Climate Disasters
April 14, 2025 | Written by Alex V. CipolleNicole Grabow is one of the few trained conservators in the field of art and cultural heritage emergency response. Her tools can range from a Nilfisk vacuum, which can cost thousands of dollars, to a $100 model bought off Amazon
Alumni of the Art Conservation Program
The Art Conservation program at the University of Delaware has produced over 300 graduates since its inception in 1974. These alumni have made significant contributions to the field, pioneering innovative examination and treatment techniques, developing national standards for cultural heritage preservation, and conserving iconic artworks and artifacts.
Alumni from our graduate programs
For over thirty years, our graduates have been instrumental in the preservation of the United States’ cultural heritage.
We have analyzed and conserved:
- Thomas Jefferson’s Bible,
- Declaration of Independence,
- The Constitution,
- Emancipation Proclamation,
- Star-Spangled Banner,
- Treaty of Paris,
- Dead Sea Scrolls,
- and works by artists ranging from Rembrandt to Van Gogh to Wyeth—from the Old Masters to contemporary craftspeople to innovators in time-base media.
We have worked with underserved communities to preserve their family treasures and have preserved the world’s first photograph, WWII photographs collected by W.E.B. DuBois, Babe Ruth’s baseball contract, the original R2D2 from the movie Star Wars, Elvis Presley’s 81 gold records, the 1905 Wright Flyer III, the original sealskin mittens Matthew Henson wore during the discovery of the North Pole, George Washington’s dentures, Franklin Roosevelt’s braces, original manuscripts by James Joyce and Henry David Thoreau, and early animation cells from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
We have helped to preserve the photographic heritage from Cuba to the Arab World. We have led in the preservation of the architectural interiors of Mount Vernon, Colonial Williamsburg, the Capitol, and the White House. We have also worked at archeological sites from Delaware to Turkey, Mayan murals in the jungles of Guatemala, and Navaho sites in Arizona, as well as studying and preserving the decorative interiors of the Forbidden City.
Alumni have assisted FEMA with emergency response efforts following presidentially declared disasters such as hurricanes and floods, and graduates also have been called upon to assist in international preservation efforts in Kobe, Japan, and most recently, in Baghdad.
