Alert ! French conservators-restorers are in danger !

In 1978 the Simon Rodia Towers in Watts (The Watts Towers) was threatened by an wrongly planned "restoration" by a crony set-builder of an LA CITY employee charged with the "repair." The Committee To Save The Watts Towers and local professionals in the art and art conservation community such as myself, Stravko Barov of the Getty Museum's Antiquity Conservation Department, and Bill Ginell of the Getty Conservation Institute rallied to stop this travesty from happening. Today, it remains, and is now under the expert guidance of ART CONSERVATION PROFESSIONALS from The Los Angeles County Museum and UCLA's vast academic resources.
Funding for and recognition of the specialized skills and dedication of art conservation professionals is always an easy target for the mis- or under informed. Virtually no one in this profession makes an equivalent living to the learning, experience and dedication it takes to do this to the fullest. But, with just enough support we want to keep this going and pass along to the next generation as much of the knowledge that we can in an ever better environment. This action goes completely against the progress we all have struggled for to give to our current and future global cultural heritage.