The Carlos Museum was awarded a five-year $500,000 grant through the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to link art conservation with the teaching of science at Emory University. Carlos Museum conservator, Renée A. Stein, in collaboration with Emory’s science faculty, developed the project’s teaching and research scope connecting science disciplines with art conservation—an innovative academic initiative geared towards student enrichment and faculty distinction.

Award Components
The five-year initiative includes four components. Through collaborative courses, case studies from the Museum’s collection will be integrated into the teaching of science in various Emory departments, including chemistry and physics.  The project will provide opportunities for student involvement in science-based research on Museum art objects. The grant will also support an annual colloquium of scientists, educators, and students involved in art object-related teaching and research. The fourth component is the creation of a two-year fellowship, which will allow a conservator who has recently completed his or her graduate degree to gain practical and research experience in the Parsons Conservation Laboratory at the Carlos Museum. “This project will provide a new model for undergraduate science education by creating a unique collaboration between art and science that will take the student learning experience beyond the classroom,” notes Stein.

Mellon Foundation Supports University Museums
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation provides grants in six core areas including the Museums and Conservation Program’s College and University Art Museum initiative which focuses on strengthening the links between original works of art and the academic programs and faculty of the university. The current grant will help to realize long-term goals established by the Carlos Museum and Emory’s College of Arts and Sciences 2006-2015 strategic plan entitled “Where Courageous Inquiry Leads.”  “We are indeed grateful to the Mellon Foundation for this incredible opportunity to develop a ground-breaking program linking art conservation and the teaching of science. This project highlights Emory’s innovative thinking and commitment to creative ways of enhancing the learning experience,” says Bonnie Speed, Director of the Carlos Museum.