Students, Faculty Go Behind the Scenes: Museum Partners With HBCUs

Bart Devolder, above left, conservator at the Princeton University Art Museum, speaks about approaches to conservation during a weeklong program on campus for students and faculty members from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The program — designed to help increase diversity in art leadership — offered mentorship opportunities, writing and research assignments, and an inside look at how the museum works. “The art museum field simply doesn’t look like the people of this country,” said museum director James Steward. He said Princeton feels a responsibility to introduce students “to career paths they might not have considered, and thus to help ensure that museums and the humanities remain relevant.”