Luce Scholar will pursue Asian art conservation

March 24, 2008
Luce Scholar will pursue Asian art conservation

By Beverly Clark

Senior Anne Marie Gan is one of 18 Americans selected as a 2008–2009 Luce Scholar for a year of hands-on experience and work in Asia, and the fourth Emory student selected for the highly competitive scholarship since 2000. The Luce Scholars program provides stipends and internships for scholars to live and work in Asia for one year, and immerse themselves in Asian culture.

Gan is an art history and Italian major from Dallas, and an active member of the Emory Scholars program as the recipient of the full tuition Charles and Anne Duncan Scholarship. She is a volunteer docent for the Carlos Museum and founder of the Art History Club at Emory. She has served as a freshman adviser and a participant in the Transforming Community Project.

Gan has completed two art conservation internships. In Asia, Gan plans to work in an art conservation setting, such as a lab or field site, in which conservators of different nationalities work together.

“I expect that my work in Asia will draw heavily upon my past experience in the American method of objects conservation but I hope to also acquaint myself with other approaches while in this international setting,” says Gan, who is awaiting her placement. “I am so grateful to the Luce Foundation for giving me this amazing opportunity. I am also thankful for all of the support I’ve received from family, friends and mentors at Emory who enabled me to win the scholarship.”

The Asian Foundation, which provides support for the Luce Scholars, arranges placements based on the scholar’s specific interests and qualifications. Founded in 1974, the purpose of the Luce Scholars is to increase awareness of Asia among future leaders in American society. Candidates are nominated by 67 colleges and universities.

“To be chosen as a Luce Scholar, you have to be the best of the best — and that really is Anne Marie. The foundation recognized, as we did, that with her substantive internships in conservancy, she’s ready to step into a job placement working to protect priceless museum pieces in Asia,” says Dee McGraw, director of Emory’s National Scholarships and Fellowships Program. “Having been born in the United States, with Thai heritage, Anne Marie literally embodies the Luce Foundation’s goals. The experience will greatly influence her future work and broaden her professional relationships, just as it is intended.”