Alison Gilchrest named Director of Applied Research and Outreach at the Yale Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Alison Gilchrest, a recognized authority in developing capacity for heritage communities worldwide, has been appointed inaugural Director of Applied Research and Outreach at the Institute for the Preservation for Cultural Heritage (IPCH.) Her appointment begins January 2020.

Gilchrest joins Yale from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, where since 2014 she has overseen programs and research aimed at developing field capacity for vulnerable and underdeveloped bodies of cultural heritage, diversifying career pathways in the art conservation profession, and promoting the arts sector through programs addressing financial literacy, emergency preparedness, and demonstrating the public value of the arts. 

“We are absolutely delighted that Alison will be joining us to forge collaborations among Yale scholars and international partners to promote the preservation, interpretation, and value of cultural heritage. Many of us have worked with Alison in the past and have benefited greatly from her advice and guidance ,” said Ian McClure, Director of the IPCH and the Susan Morse Hilles Chief Conservator at Yale University Art Gallery.

The new position will develop programs that link IPCH and Yale expertise with heritage communities worldwide, as well as the creation of innovative educational and professional development programming in countries outside of North America and Europe.

Yale’s Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage is a research collaborative dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of material culture. Through interconnected labs at the university’s West Campus, the Institute provides a unique space for students, scholars and collections, and for wide-ranging partnerships that bridge science and art.

Following her appointment as Vice Provost for Collections and Scholarly Communication in June this year, Susan Gibbons welcomed the new appointment.

“Alison brings deep experience of building structural partnerships and cultural heritage support worldwide through training and exchange programs with India, South Africa, China, and the Caribbean,” she said. “We are excited to develop and strengthen meaningful exchange between conservation research and global practice.”

In addition to positions at the Mellon Foundation, Gilchrest previously held positions in conservation and curatorial departments of the National Gallery of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where her research and technical studies have been featured in numerous books, catalogues, and journal articles.

She holds a MSIS degree with a concentration in museum information systems from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and received a bachelor’s degree in the history of art from Bryn Mawr College. 

Contact: jon.atherton@yale.edu