Art Conservation Program Receives College's Largest Gift
Buffalo State College's prestigious Art Conservation program - one of only three such accredited degree-granting graduate programs in the nation - has received the largest gift the college has ever received.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant, totaling $2.4 million, will go toward increasing art conservation graduate fellowship support for Buffalo State College students. The two-to-one challenge grant requires the college to raise $1 million over the next four years to receive $2 million from the Mellon Foundation for a total endowment of $3.4 million. A grant of $400,000, earmarked for student fellowships and program development, has already been made outright to the college from the Mellon Foundation, renown for its support of the arts.
Dr. F. Christopher Tahk, distinguished service professor and director of the program, said, "Without fellowship support, students would have to bear the estimated $60,000 expense of their department education and training. They have to meet a lot of specific requirements and they go into a field that traditionally does not pay high salaries. People never go into the field for the money. They love the work and know that it's important."
Tahk said the college has already raised $685,000 in cash and pledges to meet its $1 million obligation for the Mellon grant, which was awarded last July, including $250,000 from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation and $200,00 from the Stockman Family Foundation over four years.
Buffalo State College's graduate Art Conservation program trains students for careers as museum or private conservators to care for artistic, historic or culturally significant material artifacts. The highly competitive program includes a 12-month internship and its graduates are sought and hired by museums throughout the world.
The announcement of the college's largest gift was made during the annual Art Conservation Open House, an event that showcases the conservation and restoration work done by the department and its students. Their results of their work can also be seen throughout the area, most notably in Forest Lawn Cemetery, City Hall, Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society and the Buffalo Museum of Science.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant, totaling $2.4 million, will go toward increasing art conservation graduate fellowship support for Buffalo State College students. The two-to-one challenge grant requires the college to raise $1 million over the next four years to receive $2 million from the Mellon Foundation for a total endowment of $3.4 million. A grant of $400,000, earmarked for student fellowships and program development, has already been made outright to the college from the Mellon Foundation, renown for its support of the arts.
Dr. F. Christopher Tahk, distinguished service professor and director of the program, said, "Without fellowship support, students would have to bear the estimated $60,000 expense of their department education and training. They have to meet a lot of specific requirements and they go into a field that traditionally does not pay high salaries. People never go into the field for the money. They love the work and know that it's important."
Tahk said the college has already raised $685,000 in cash and pledges to meet its $1 million obligation for the Mellon grant, which was awarded last July, including $250,000 from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation and $200,00 from the Stockman Family Foundation over four years.
Buffalo State College's graduate Art Conservation program trains students for careers as museum or private conservators to care for artistic, historic or culturally significant material artifacts. The highly competitive program includes a 12-month internship and its graduates are sought and hired by museums throughout the world.
The announcement of the college's largest gift was made during the annual Art Conservation Open House, an event that showcases the conservation and restoration work done by the department and its students. Their results of their work can also be seen throughout the area, most notably in Forest Lawn Cemetery, City Hall, Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society and the Buffalo Museum of Science.
Media Contact:
Nanette Tramont, Director of News Services | 7168784325 | newsservices@bscmail.buffalostate.edu