New GCI director

The J. Paul Getty Trust announced today the appointment of Timothy
P. Whalen as Director of the Getty Conservation Institute. Whalen, a
native of Southern California, has been in charge of conservation
grant-making activities for the Getty Grant Program since 1991, and
has been with the Getty since 1981.

Prior to managing conservation grants, Whalen served for five years
as Assistant Director of the Getty's building program office, where
he supervised and coordinated early planning and programming for the
Getty Center project. Before that appointment, he was Assistant
Director for Administration with the Getty Research Institute for
the History of Art and the Humanities, and earlier, worked at the J.
Paul Getty Museum in Malibu. He holds a B.A. in art history and an
M.A. in art history and museum studies from the University of
Southern California. During the academic year 1994-95 he was a Loeb
Fellow in Advance Environmental Design at the Harvard University
Graduate School of Design, where he examined the current role
preservation issues play in urban planning and public policy
debates.

During his tenure with the Getty Grant Program, Whalen has been
responsible for the funding and oversight of a number of notable
projects in architectural conservation and museum conservation, as
well as the expansion of the Getty's funding activities in Los
Angeles. Among the international preservation projects was the
planning and execution of the conservation of the Early Christian
and late Medieval mosaic cycles at the Basilica of Santa Maria
Maggiore in Rome. He was also instrumental in helping the Bay Area
Video Coalition in San Francisco organize an international
conference on the conservation challenges presented by video works
of art. Nationally, a number of notable historic American
residential buildings, including Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water
and Henry Hobson Richardson's Glessner House, received conservation
planning support during Whalen's administration. He was also
involved in advancing the National Trust for Historic Preservation's
efforts to diversify the field of historic preservation, through a
series of grants enabling preservationists from diverse communities
to attend the National Trust's annual meetings.

   "I am delighted that we could appoint a longstanding and trusted
    Getty colleague who is as well suited to this job as Tim
    Whalen," said Barry Munitz, President and CEO of the Getty
    Trust. "Tim brings extensive experience and a broad perspective
    on the entire field of art, architectural, and archaeological
    conservation. His deep knowledge of the Getty's activities and
    his understanding of the issues in both conservation and funding
    perfectly position him to lead the Getty Conservation
    Institute."

The Getty Conservation Institute has worked collaboratively with
other cultural organizations to develop new methods and innovative
strategies for conserving the world's artistic and cultural
heritage. The Institute continues to build on its track record
researching new techniques and technologies in conservation science,
disseminating important information to professionals in the field,
and training the next generation of conservators internationally.

   "I am energized by the Getty Trust's commitment to conservation
    and delighted to be given this chance to shepherd the
    Conservation Institute into the next century," said Whalen.
    "Given the demands of the field, there could not be a more
    critical time to uphold and advance the Institute's fine work in
    service to the conservation profession and the preservation of
    our collective heritage. My time in this field has consistently
    demonstrated that need always exceeds the resources available to
    save those things and places which reflect the values and
    aspirations of a culture or community. Still I am convinced of
    the potential for the Getty to contribute significantly to this
    effort and I look forward to working with such a talented group
    of dedicated colleagues."

Whalen is a member of the International Council on Monuments and
Sites (ICOMOS); the Society for the Preservation of Ancient
Buildings; the National Trust for Historic Preservation; the
Nonprofit Management Association; the Los Angeles Conservancy; and
the Southern California Association for Philanthropy. He also served
as an advisory committee member to the Foundation Center and Council
on Foundations' joint study of international grant making, published
in 1997.

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 12:55
                Distributed: Tuesday, December 22, 1998
                       Message Id: cdl-12-55-006
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