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In the Spotlight: William Mastandrea ’14
William “Bill” Mastandrea ’14 studied archaeology and culture of the Ancient Near East and Mediterranean with minors in classical studies and photography at Lycoming College. Today, he is combining all of these passions as an assistant objects conservator at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “I love what I do, and I love sharing the amazing work that I and all of my colleagues do in the museum.” Bill had the chance to do just that recently when he led a tour for current Lycoming students at The Met, something he experienced ten years earlier as a student.
You studied Near Eastern and Mediterranean archaeology at Lycoming College and earned a master’s degree in in the same field at Cornell University, as well as joint MA/MSc in conservation for archaeology and museums from University College London. How did Lycoming prepare you for continuing your education?
My time at Lycoming set me up with the background knowledge for my conservation specialism, as well as with what would become skills which are integral to my job. Studying the archaeology, social and religious practices, and languages of the Ancient Near East and Mediterranean provided me with critical contextual information for my eventual conservation work. Understanding the context from which objects come — the culture which produced and used them, how they entered the archaeological record, the conditions and manner in which they were recovered, and how they were treated after excavation — helps me to contemplate and discern which features of an object may be original or added later, a consequence of use or burial, the conditions under which certain damages may have occurred, and to identify and understand how objects were treated/restored in more modern times. My archaeological background was especially relevant for my fieldwork in the Peruvian Andes as the lead project conservator for the PARAMa archaeological fieldwork project.
Additionally, all of the photography training I received at Lycoming provided me with the camera skills needed every day for my job. For documentation purposes, we are required to take accurate and comparable before-, during-, and after-treatment photographs of the objects we treat. This also provided me with the base skills needed to learn multi-band imaging.
You are an assistant objects conservator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Tell us about your work there.
In my role, I am a member of a three-person team who has been tasked with the conservation treatment of hundreds of objects from the Ancient Near East and Cypriot collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of their new gallery renovations. The types of materials we encounter in the collection range from stone, ceramic (including fired and unfired clay), plaster, various metals and metal alloys, to wood, ivory, and fugitive painted surfaces.
Further, we have been tasked with object investigations using multi-band imaging — a non-destructive suite of photographic imaging techniques which utilize a modified digital camera and various light sources which can aid us in understanding and distinguishing an object’s constituent materials (such as pigments and colorants, binding media, adhesives, coatings, etc.) by recording their appearance under different wavelengths of light, such as ultraviolet, visible, and infrared.
You recently hosted a group of students from Lycoming College for a private behind-the-scenes tour of the conservation labs. Please share more about that and what it meant to you to give back to current students by sharing your expertise.
When I was a teenager, my mother took me and some friends to NYC to visit The Met for the first time. That was the first time I saw the Ancient Near East and Cypriot Galleries. Once I got to Lycoming, I participated in the annual Met Trip — a joint trip composed of archaeology, religion, and art students. There, our professors toured us through the galleries showing us remnant objects from the Levant and Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Now, ten years after graduating from Lycoming, I find myself helping to care for the collection in those very same galleries.
As a Lycoming student, I had not yet discovered conservation as a profession, and thus I had not fully grasped the importance of how objects were conserved and stored after their recovery from excavation. Giving the tour to the students this past fall, I remembered being in their shoes. I would have loved to learn about this job at that stage of my life. I love what I do, and I love sharing the amazing work that I and all of my colleagues do in the museum. So, for me, I was really happy to find a way to help enrich the experience of the students by showing them that there are so many ways to engage with cultural heritage — and at The Met of all places!
Working in conservation, has there been one project that has meant more to you than any of the others? If so, please explain why.
To be honest, this current project at The Met is quite significant for me, given how it ties into a treasured memory with my mother (who has since passed), and a formative professional experience while a student at Lycoming. I love archaeology and history, and to be able to care for and conserve the exact collections that helped to inspire this professional journey is a one-in-a-million privilege that I think not many people are afforded. It combines, in equal amounts, conservation treatment work to ensure that the objects in the collection are stable and exhibitable, but also investigative research that lets us collaborate with curators and conservation scientists to uncover and learn more about these collections.
What was your best moment at Lycoming College?
I think the ‘best moment’ at Lycoming is a hard question. Academics aside, I was a member of the Concert Choir and the Tour Choir under the direction of both Fred Thayer and Christopher Jackson. Music has always been an important part of my life and having been a part of that longstanding and beloved tradition of music at Lycoming is very special to me. I also was a member of the fencing club under the direction of Maestro Michael Gaylor, and alongside a huge portion of my friend group. These countless friendships I made while there have persisted, the relationships with my professors have grown with time and persist as well — something that I feel is very special and unique to small liberal arts institutions.
Finally, at the end of every Lycoming College Choir or Tour Choir performance, past choir members are invited to sing the Peter Lutkin Benediction with the choir. It is a tradition that connects all choir members, through one song, across time, one that I cherished as a student and has grown in significance for me with time. So, in short, my ‘best moment’ at Lycoming College are the moments that have continued to persist over all this time, those that keep us connected, no matter how far we get from each other and the campus we once called home.
In the Spotlight recognizes members of our alumni community who are doing great things that have been influenced by their time at Lycoming College. Alumni Spotlight submissions are used at the discretion of the College and may be included in the monthly eNews as space and time permit. To participate, submit an Alumni Spotlight questionnaire.