Distinguished alum Roger Griffith returns to JMU March 9-12
Notices
JMU School of Art, Design, and Art History presents the Spring 2026
Dorothy Liskey Wampler Distinguished Art Professorship
From James Madison University to the Museum of Modern Art: A Creative Life Across Art, Craft, and Conservation.
In this public lecture, Roger Griffith, James Madison University alumnus and internationally respected conservator of modern and contemporary art, reflects on how a creative education can lead to a wide and unexpected professional life beyond the traditional studio.
Drawing on his international experience, including twenty-four years as Sculpture and Objects Conservator at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, where he worked across Painting and Sculpture, Architecture and Design, and Media and Performance, Grifith offers a behind-the-scenes look at how conservation functions within the global art world. Through stories of real objects, artists, and institutional projects, he explores how art, craft knowledge, scientific inquiry, and ethical decision-making come together in the preservation of modern and contemporary art.
Additional public events include:
More about Roger Griffith, Sculpture & Objects Conservator, Founder/Director, Two Sticks, Inc., New York, NY:
Two Sticks Inc. is a New York-based conservation studio specializing in modern and contemporary art conservation and was founded in 2005. Two Sticks Inc. collaborates with and provides art conservation services of a broad range of materials for institutions, corporations, private collectors, and major galleries. The studio adheres to the AIC code of Ethics and is affiliated with international professional organizations such as AIC, ICOM-CC and IIC.
Roger Griffith worked as a Sculpture and Objects Conservator at The Museum of Modern Art for 24 years until he recently moved his career into the private sector full-time. He received his MA from the Royal College of Art/ Victoria & Albert Museum in 1997. He has worked at various institutions including: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and the University of East Anglia: Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich England. Roger has published and lectured internationally on various topics of conservation and his recent research examines the nature of the collaborative process of art professionals regarding the exhibition, installation, preservation, maintenance, and storage of ephemeral contemporary art.
