Becker and Kondoleon Honored with Scholarship and Conservation Award
The College Art Association/Heritage Preservation Award for Distinction in Scholarship and Conservation recognizes an outstanding contribution by one or more persons who have enhanced the understanding of art through the application of knowledge and experience in conservation, art history, and art. This year, Lawrence Becker and Christine Kondoleon have been selected to receive this award for their meticulous, illuminating research and the 2005 publication of The Arts of Antioch: Art Historical and Scientific Approaches to Roman Mosaics and a Catalog of the Worcester Art Museum Antioch Collection.
Occasioned by the Worcester Art Museum’s 2000 exhibition Antioch: The Lost Ancient City, The Arts of Antioch complements and expands upon the exhibition catalog and presents findings from over a decade of innovative collaborative research and study, bringing together expertise from the art historical, scientific, and conservation communities. Combining a thorough review of the archeological record with analysis, art historical research, and an exploration of ancient glass making technology and tesserae production, this volume reconstructs the unique historical context of this important site and explores relationships that have remained obscure due to fragments of the mosaic residing in many different collections.
According to the award citation, "Opportunities to bring classical art and archaeology to a wider audience are rare, and this intelligently conceived and beautifully designed and produced volume sets a new standard for collaborative scholarly work that conveys a wealth of information in a clear and accessible manner."
Lawrence Becker is the Sherman Fairchild Conservator in charge of Objects Conservation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Becker has previously worked at the Worcester Art Museum, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the British Museum. He has been a visiting lecturer and adjunct associate professor of conservation at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, and an adjunct lecturer at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. He also has extensive experience at various archaeological excavations in Egypt and Ireland and has been the recipient of several research and travel grants. He has lectured and published widely on various technical aspects of ancient materials.
Christine Kondoleon is the George and Marie Behrakis Senior Curator of Greek and Roman Art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Kondoleon has held teaching positions at Tufts University, Williams College, and Harvard University, served as an adjunct curator of Greek and Roman Art at the Worcester Art Museum, and was a co-director for an NEH seminar at the American Academy in Rome. Kondoleon has an extensive list of publications to her credit, including books, articles, and exhibition catalogs, and has lectured at universities and major museums throughout the United States. She served on the board of directors of CAA from 1996-2000.
Heritage Preservation and the College Art Association invite nominations for the 2008 Award for Distinction in Scholarship and Conservation. The deadline for nominations is August 31. Guidelines for nominations can be found at www.collegeart.org/awards/info-heritage.html or by contacting Susan DeSeyn of CAA at sdeseyn@collegeart.org.