TUESDAY, JULY 10, 2018

I NTE R VI E W
USEK to train art conservators
Lebanon’s first degree
in restoration set up
to fill a ‘dire need’
in Middle East
By Maghie Ghali
The Daily Star
B
EIRUT: Come September,
the Universite Saint-Esprit
de Kaslik will launch its
School of Restoration and
Conservation of Cultural Property
and Sacred Art, the country’s first
university degree in art restoration.
Initiated in partnership with
Italy’s University of Urbino and sup-
ported by the Italian Embassy in
Lebanon and the Italian Cultural
Institute, the three-year bachelor’s
degree aims to train the new gener-
ation of Lebanese conservation pro-
fessionals specializing in sacred art.
“This program was devised to fill
a dire need in the Middle East – a
region which is rich in heritage col-
lections and sacred sites,” Italian
Cultural Institute Director Edoardo
Crisafulli told The Daily Star.
“With conservation and restora-
tion projects being carried out in a
haphazard and unprofessional
manner by unspecialized individu-
als in the region, this program [will]
equip qualified experts with the
necessary foundations, skills and
expertise to preserve and conserve
the different forms of physical or
tangible cultural heritage for the
Crisafulli said students will be able to work on paintings, mosaics, frescoes, archives, manuscripts, visuals and cloth.
benefit of future generations.”
USEK decided to partner with the
University of Urbino because it is one
of the oldest schools of conservation
and restoration in Europe, Crisafulli
said. In addition, it has successfully
established five programs around the
world, in Tunisia for instance.
The degree will offer three field of
specialization – “stone and material
derivatives,” “painted artworks”
and “printed and digital documents,
and photographs.” Each field spe-
cialization will accept students in
batches of 10 only in order to ensure
they have ample one-on-one access
to instruction, which will mostly be
practical experience-based.
“Students will have the chance to
work on … paintings, mosaics, fres-
cos, archives, manuscripts, visuals
and cloth,” Crisafulli said. “The
program deals with heritage items,
not whole sites. For example, we
Photos courtesy of U
would only target sculptures and
frescos on a site, but not deal with
the architecture of the site.”
Despite the wealth of heritage in
the region, schools of conservation
and restoration are uncommon,
leaving many conservation projects
to be completed by foreign profes-
sionals. USEK’s program seeks to fill
the niche. “There [is currently] a lack
of specialists in the field in the Arab
world who would be able to teach,”
Crisafulli noted. “The return on
investment to the institution is very
low and the cost of establishing the
required laboratories is too high.
“The program offers a variety of
options for experimental learning,
in-class projects and internship,” he
added. “Additional facilities
[include] chemistry and physics lab-
oratories available on campus, in
addition to a specialized laboratory.”
In their final year, the students will
present a final project – the restora-
tion of a work of art, chosen accord-
ing to their field of specialization.
With the degree in hand, the grad-
uates would be able to start a mas-
ter’s at the University of Urbino or
join a master’s program USEK is
planning to launch in three years.
“Students, in both universities,
will also have the possibility to
exchange experiences and enrich
their training,” Crisafulli said, “not
only on a technical scientific level
but also a sociocultural dialogue
between different cultures.
“As for job opportunities, gradu-
ates with an MA could become train-
ers or establish a private specialized
studio in the field,” Crisafulli added.
“They can also benefit from the
possibility of collaboration with the
Directorate General of Antiquities,
as well as with museum curators,
archive centers, private collectors.”
Students are being accepted for
the academic year 2018-2019 and
entrance examinations will be held
on Aug. 13.
For more information, visit usek.edu.lb.