J. Paul Getty Trust

We recently hosted the Mechanical Insights Symposium at the Getty Center, bringing together experts in the mechanical characterization and preservation of museum collections. Held from Nov. 12 to 14, the symposium featured talks by Getty Conservation Institute scientists and specialists from various institutions. Presentations covered laboratory testing of historical samples, risk analysis of objects under stress, and validation of predictive models. We also highlighted new technologies for testing cultural heritage materials, tools for predicting changes in art objects, and strategies for environmental management. The event included tours of GCI’s labs, panel discussions, and flash poster presentations. Congratulations to all who participated! Learn more about our mechanical research here: https://gty.art/3ACRpyL

In November 1942, the Johnson Publishing Company (JPC) was founded by John H. Johnson in Chicago, IL. With a dream and a $500 loan, “Negro Digest” was the JPC’s first publication. Modeled after “Reader’s Digest,” Johnson had a deep commitment to highlighting Black history, literature, culture, and art that many mainstream publications omitted from their reporting. The launch of Ebony in 1945 and JET in 1951 solidified the JPC’s cultural impact and legacy, which has inspired generations of readers and admirers. The JPC produced over a dozen titles that emphasized positive visual representation of Black communities and people. They also hired Black writers, photographers, and designers when other contemporary publications refused to do so. The JPC revolutionized Black storytelling and media production nationwide and around the world. These photos come from the JPC Archive, one of the most comprehensive records of Black culture in the 20th century, which is currently being digitized and archived by Getty and Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Calling college undergraduates! Thinking ahead about your summer work plans? Apply now for a paid 10-week Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship. You can gain arts experience at the Getty Center or Villa in areas including curatorial, conservation, education, and publications. Applications due Feb. 4, 2025. https://lnkd.in/gDgmJPyM

What happens when a vintage technology-based artwork becomes too unstable to exhibit? You rebuild it! Learn how fabricator Joe Stewart worked to reconstruct a 50-year-old interactive artwork so it can safely be displayed—and used—in a new exhibition. https://lnkd.in/gFc-5Zus

Earlier this month, we welcomed a group of Sudanese and Egyptian archaeologists at the Getty Villa as part of Nilotic Cultures, a Connecting Art Histories project organized by the UCLA Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. Their activities included a tour of the Villa grounds, galleries, and the Sculpted Portraits from Ancient Egypt exhibit. Our Connecting Art Histories grant initiative aims to globally strengthen art history by fostering intellectual exchange among scholars and emphasizing the importance of bringing people together to enhance the vitality of the discipline. Initially focused on the Mediterranean Basin and Latin America, it has expanded to include the Global South and East Central Europe, targeting regions where economic or political challenges have hindered collaboration. Core activities have included training younger scholars and building their networks through seminars, workshops, and courses. These grants usually take place in other parts of the world, so we were especially delighted to have the chance to meet this group in person. Caption for all photos: Sudanese and Egyptian archaeologists visit the Getty Villa as part of Nilotic Cultures, a Connecting Art Histories project funded by the Foundation through a grant to UCLA.

Join us Sunday, December 15 from 4-5pm PT for Getty’s annual Thomas and Barbara Gaehtgens Lecture with Heghnar Watenpaugh, a professor of art history at the University of California, Davis who researches visual cultures of the Middle East, including issues of architectural preservation, museums, and cultural heritage. During the Armenian Genocide and its aftermath, sites associated with Armenian culture were destroyed, repurposed, appropriated, sold, or transferred. These sites and objects eventually acquire a "second life as heritage" and as works of art. This lecture considers the implications of genocide with the processes of making sites into patrimony and objects into museum pieces. This program will take place both in-person and online. Learn more and RSVP: https://lnkd.in/g8vdPVyZ

🎙️ Who was the real Spartacus? Join classicist Monica Cyrino to learn the true story of the Thracian gladiator who shook Rome to its core. 📍Join us for this free talk on December 7th at the Getty Villa or online

Getty Library staff were excited to participate in USC's 19th Annual Los Angeles Archives Bazaar last month. Joining over 60 archival institutions and organizations, Getty staff engaged visitors, shared resources, and answered questions for the 300+ people who stopped by the table. Pictured here are Manager of Reference Deborah Cooper and Reference Librarian Tanya Wilson. Learn more about the Getty Library here: https://lnkd.in/gTjcK5KB

We’re excited to welcome Lori Wong as our new Senior Program Officer! With over two decades of experience in cultural heritage conservation, Lori brings a wealth of knowledge from her roles at The Courtauld Institute of Art and the Getty Conservation Institute. She holds degrees in Art History and Studio Art from Wellesley College, a Postgraduate Diploma in Wall Paintings Conservation from the Courtauld, and an MBA from Wharton. Lori’s extensive fieldwork and leadership has extended to global conservation efforts with significant projects worldwide, including Tutankhamen’s tomb and the Mogao Grottoes. Her work integrates practical and theoretical aspects of conservation, and she’s been dedicated to enhancing professional skills in the Global South through collaboration, training, research, and dissemination. We look forward to the valuable insights she will bring to our conservation initiatives.

We recently hosted Risk Management and HERIe Tools, a two-day workshop for conservation professionals involved in managing art collections. Twenty colleagues from the Getty Museum, GRI, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), UCLA, The Huntington, MoCA, and Hammer Museum were in attendance. The workshop was led by Lukasz Bratasz, professor at the Polish Academy of Sciences and head of the Cultural Heritage Research Group, Jerzy Haber Institute. HERIe is a tool that offers remote access to quantitative risk assessments for heritage assets. It helps manage risks from environmental factors like air pollutants, light, incorrect temperature, relative humidity, and fire risk. By using data uploaded by users, HERIe can evaluate these risks and even assess the impact of moving objects between different environments, useful for loaning items for exhibitions. HERIe is freely available for collection preservation professionals at herie.pl. This tool was developed through a collaboration between the Canadian Conservation Institute and Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, with support from the European Commission and the Getty Conservation Institute.