A career to muse over

For those of you who have an interest in the preservation of ancient artifacts and who want to specialise in global art, the National Museum Institute of History of Art, Conservation and Museology (NMIHACM) is the place to be in. Set up on the recommendation of the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Department of Culture, Ministry of Human Resource Development took a decision to establish the NMIHACM and to accord it the status of a `deemed-to-be-university'' as an autonomous organisation.
Conservation of museum antiquities is a recent phenomenon and hence, one of the main objectives of the institute is to prepare museum conservators who can scientifically restore, conserve and preserve the ancient artifacts.The institute offers PhD (History of Art); PhD (Conservation and Restoration of works of Art); PhD (Museology); MA (History of Art); MA (Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art); MA (Museology); India: Art and Culture Certificate Course; Art Appreciation Certificate Course and Bhartiya Kalanidhi (in Hindi Medium) which is a certificate course as well.
The director, NMIHACM, R C Agrawal said, "In India, there are about six universities which impart teaching in museology, but most of them have no museums of their own, nor are they equipped properly with workshops, laboratories and other infrastructure. As a result, the teaching imparted so far had main thrust on theory only. The primary objective of the NMIHACM is to combine theory with practical experience in the area of museology. Students will study at the classroom in the first half of the day and in the second half, they will work in the galleries, workshops and studios."
What is special about the NMIHACM is the range of programmes pertaining to different areas of art and museology. Agrawal elaborated, "There has been no serious attempt to study non-Indian art in our country. This is the reason that we do not have scholars in the areas of Chinese, Japanese, African and South-East Asian art among others. The objective of the institute is to produce scholars who specialise in `global art'' and some of them eventually emerge as distinguished authorities in it."
A student seeking admission to MA (History of Art) or MA (Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art) or MA (Museology) should have passed a BA or B Sc or Bachelor of Fine Arts or an equivalent examination recognised by the UGC. Besides, the student should either have sufficient knowledge or practical experience in the subject in which he or she seeks admission. In addition, knowledge of one foreign language such as French, Italian or Spanish, among others is preferred. However, if a student is admitted to MA (History of Art or Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art or Museology) does not posses proficiency in a foreign language, he or she will be permitted to develop proficiency in one of the foreign languages during the course of his or her study. Candidates will have to appear for a written test and an interview.
The student seeking admission to PhD courses must have passed MA or MSc or an equivalent degree from a recognised university or institution of higher learning with first division or high second class in the subject concerned or in a related subject. Knowledge of two foreign languages such as French, Italian, Spanish, to name a few is preferred. Agrawal remarked, "However, if a candidate does not possess proficiency in foreign languages he or she may be permitted to develop proficiency in two foreign languages during the course of his or her PhD study. A student must not be below the age of 22 years before he or she is admitted to the Ph D courses."
On career opportunities available, Agrawal pointed out, "All students passing out from the NMIHACM are able to find employment in museums, colleges, universities and research organisations dealing with such subjects."
The NMIHACM has plans to start a few new courses relating to museology, conservation and history of art very soon.
Interested students can apply for the MA courses for which the deadline for submission of applications is June 15.
Contact
NMIHACM, Janpath, New Delhi-11