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This fall, Odegaard will teach a seminar on the conservation of indigenous remains, belongings, sacred objects, and their related documents in museums. In the spring, Trupin will teach a seminar introducing fundamental skills and issues of textile conservation to students pursuing non-textile specialties, particularly objects conservation. Both will deliver public lectures during their tenures.

“We are thrilled that Nancy and Deborah will be joining us at the Institute for the coming academic year. We look forward to enriching the course offerings for our students through the mastery of their technical expertise and hands-on practical experiences. It is an honor to have Praska visiting scholars who contribute significantly to our world-class training in fine art conservation,” notes Professor Joan Kee, Judy and Michael Steinhardt Director of the Institute of Fine Arts.

“It is an enormous opportunity and privilege to be able to welcome these two hugely distinguished colleagues to the Conservation Center, who bring decades of experience in their respective and important areas,” says Matt Hayes, Assistant Professor and Co-Chair of the Conservation Center, adding, “I suspect their courses will be very popular.”

Dr. Nancy Odegaard is a faculty Conservator-Professor emerita at the Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona. For 38 years, she was also a faculty member and taught courses through the Departments of Anthropology, Material Science & Engineering, Historic Preservation, and Chemistry. Her work in conservation has included major projects involving survey, examination, analysis, new treatment methodologies, on-site excavation, museum renovation, the supervision and mentoring of students, and stakeholder collaborations particularly for moveable objects of ethnology and archaeology.

Odegaard holds degrees in Art History, Museum Studies/Anthropology and an Advanced Certificate in Conservation from the Smithsonian Institution; she completed post-graduate coursework at Harvard University and a PhD in Resource and Heritage Science from the University of Canberra. Among her honors, she has been a Fulbright Senior Specialist, Winterthur Research Fellow, Getty GCI Scholar, University College London Visiting Professor, and ICCROM Fellow. She has been honored with a commendation from the US Department of Justice, and awards from the American Institute for Conservation (Keck, Conservation Advocacy, and Honorary Membership), the College Art Association (Scholarship Distinction), the Association of Tribal Archives Libraries & Museums (Honored One), the University of Canberra (Chancellors Award), as well as Kress and the American Alliance of Museums (publication awards). In 2016, she was presented an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Göteborg, Sweden for her contributions to the education of conservators. She is a Fellow and former president of the American Institute for Conservation.

In addition to numerous articles, chapters, and project reports, her books include: A Guide to Handling Anthropological Museum Objects (WAAC); Material Characterization Test for Objects of Art & Archaeology (Archetype); Old Poisons New Problems: Information and Resource Guide for Contaminated Cultural Materials in Museum Collections (AltaMira); Human Remains: A Guide for Museums and Academic Institution (AltaMira); and A Visual Dictionary of Decorative and Domestic Arts (Rowman & Littlefield).

Deborah Lee Trupin, a textile and upholstery conservator and the Principal of Trupin Conservation Services, LLC, received an MA in art history and an Advanced Certificate in Conservation from NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts, Conservation Center. From 1986 to 2015, she was Textile and Upholstery Conservator for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s Bureau of Historic Sites, responsible for the conservation of textile and upholstery collections of the 35 state-run historic sites; from 2000–2015, she supervised the New York State Battle Flag Preservation Project. Since 2015, Trupin has been an adjunct professor in the Fashion Institute of Technology MA program, Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory and Museum Practice, teaching Collections Management Skills, Advanced Conservation 1 and 2, and Decorative Arts for Historic Interiors. She has been the consulting textile conservator for NYU’s Villa La Pietra since 2004 and enjoys working with Conservation Center students on projects there. She has also taught modules on flag and upholstery conservation for Metropolia University’s (Finland) Conservation Program. Trupin has lectured and published widely, particularly on two of her main interests, textiles and upholstery in historic houses and the history of flag conservation. She is a Fellow of the American Institute for Conservation.

"We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Caruso to our faculty," said Lisa Conte and Matthew Hayes, Co-Chairs of the Conservation Center. "His exceptional background in conservation science and dedication to interdisciplinary collaboration will greatly enhance our graduate teaching and research initiatives. His expertise will be an invaluable addition to our faculty as we educate and train the next generation of conservation professionals."

Prior to joining the Institute of Fine Arts, Caruso served as María Zambrano Fellow in the Department of Analytical Chemistry at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), where he conducted groundbreaking research on new sustainable methods for the analysis of organic residues in archaeological and historical objects. He was previously Associate Professor in the Conservation section of the Department of Archaeology, Conservation, and History, at the University of Oslo. His work has been published in leading conservation and materials science journals, and he has presented his findings at international conferences worldwide.

Dr. Caruso earned his Ph.D. in chemical sciences from the University of Palermo. His research has been supported by grants from the European Union and the University of Oslo, and he has collaborated with cultural institutions on significant conservation projects.

In his new role, Caruso will teach graduate-level courses in conservation science, supervise student research projects, and continue his research program. He will also contribute to the Conservation Center's collaborations across NYU and with museums, libraries, and archives in the New York area and beyond. Caruso's appointment is part of the Institute's ongoing efforts to enhance its research and teaching capabilities in conservation science and technology.

Salane works with what she calls “dynamic sets”—objects once held by individuals and institutions alike— to reflect on the intricacies of value and exchange, personal attachments, and sentiments around loss. These have included lost rings found on the subway, invalid currency used for bus fare, and returned artifacts stolen from Pompeii. Periphery in Red, Yellow, Blue will bridge Salane’s ongoing investigation into urban environments with Institute research in key areas of art history and conservation. Here, the artists’ dynamic sets will include a structural reimagining of traffic light lenses, former Institute study materials, and select elements from the Forbes Pigment Collection housed at the Institute’s Conservation Center.

This fall Lowinger will teach a seminar on the conservation of outdoor public art and will examine a broad range of artwork types in New York City and the Hudson Valley with the students, including freestanding sculpture, tile murals, and mosaics. Thomas has co-authored the retouching chapter of the textbook, Conservation of Easel Paintings: Principles and Practice, a standard reference work for the field. It is this topic that will serve as the focus for her spring course on retouching techniques for conservators. Both will deliver public lectures during their tenure.

“We are thrilled that Rosa and Karen will be joining us at the Institute for the coming academic year. We look forward to enriching the course offerings for our students through the mastery of their technical expertise and hands-on practical experiences. It is an honor to have Praska visiting scholars who contribute significantly to our world-class training in fine art conservation,” notes Professor Joan Kee, Judy and Michael Steinhardt Director of the Institute of Fine Arts.

“Rosa’s welcoming personality and depth of knowledge will provide invaluable training for our students who do not often have the opportunity to focus on public works of art,” says Professor Michele D. Marincola, Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of Conservation and Co-Chair of the Conservation Center. “Karen’s vast experience in retouching techniques will be greatly appreciated by our talented students who relish learning new essential skills. We look forward to welcoming these gifted conservators into our community and stand to gain a great deal from their time with us.”

Rosa Lowinger is a Cuban-American art conservator specializing in sculpture, monuments, integral architectural artworks and contemporary art. She is a 1982 conservation graduate of the IFA, and the founder of RLA Conservation, LLC, a practice with offices in Los Angeles and Miami. Lowinger is a Fellow of the American Institute for Conservation, the Association for Preservation Technology, and the American Academy in Rome (FAAR 2009). As a conservator who writes regularly for general audiences, her books: Tropicana Nights: The Life and Times of the Legendary Cuban Nightclub (Harcourt: 2006), Dwell Time: A Memoir of Art, Exile, and Repair (Row House: 2023) and Promising Paradise: Cuban Allure, American Seduction (Wolfsonian, 2016) also delve into the history of vandalism, Cuban culture and history, and how conservation serves as a metaphor for personal and societal healing. Lowinger publishes regularly on conservation of outdoor painted sculpture, graffiti murals, modern concrete, and strategies for disaster mitigation and recovery.

Karen Thomas is a paintings conservator working in private practice in New York City, specializing in the care of Old Master and 19th Century paintings, and a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation. After graduating from the School of Visual Arts with a BFA in Fine Arts, Thomas worked for a decade as a graphic designer, but discovered her true passion in conservation, pursuing her graduate degree at NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts Conservation Center. Hired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art upon graduation, she restored and studied numerous paintings in the European Paintings and American Wing collections, as well as for the Frick Collection, and contributed the technical notes to the MMA’s Early German Paintings catalog. In addition to publishing various technical essays on Old Master paintings, she is the co-author of the retouching chapter of the textbook, Conservation of Easel Paintings: Principles and Practice. Thomas is honored and delighted to be returning to the IFA to share her knowledge about retouching with the students of the Conservation Center.

Director Poggi is also pleased to announce that the first incumbent of this newly established faculty position will be Catherine Quan Damman. At the Institute, Quan Damman currently offers courses and advises graduate students on topics in feminist and queer theoretical approaches to global modern and contemporary art. Her first book, Performance: A Deceptive History, is under advance contract with Princeton University Press. Her research has been supported by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), the Terra Foundation for American Art, the Getty Research Institute, and the Center for Advanced Studies in the Visual Arts (CASVA) at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Previously, she taught at Wesleyan University and Columbia University. An active critic, her writing can be found in Artforum, Bookforum, BOMB, 4Columns, Frieze, and other publications. Quan Damman will begin her tenure-track position as the Valeria Napoleone Linda Nochlin Professor; Assistant Professor in Modern and Contemporary Art at the Institute of Fine Arts on September 1, 2025.

“We are honored to endow a professorship and fellowship in Linda Nochlin’s name celebrating her vast contributions to the field of art history. Linda’s pathbreaking work remains relevant today as the history of modern art continues to be rewritten with a focus on the achievements of women artists and issues of gender, sexuality, and race,” said Valeria and Gregorio Napoleone.

Christine Poggi commented, “In creating this faculty position and fellowship, the Napoleones have ensured the Institute’s ability to attract students of the highest caliber who will contribute the expansion and vitality of feminist art history in the U.S. and across the globe guided by Catherine Quan Damman.”

For more than eight decades, the Institute of Fine Arts at NYU has carefully selected and trained students to succeed as specialists in their fields. The influence of the faculty on their development as scholars is integral to the realization of their goals. We are delighted that the Napoleones have made this extraordinary commitment in recognition of Nochlin’s legacy and lifetime passion for the arts and the work of women artists by establishing a professorship and fellowship at the Institute.

About Valeria Napoleone

Valeria Napoleone has been an art collector and patron since the mid-1990s, focusing her collection exclusively on female artists. For almost thirty years, she has actively supported projects and initiatives directed at increasing recognition and validation of art practices by women artists through collaborations and partnerships with individuals and institutions in the contemporary art world.