Winterthur Institute 2026. Photo courtesy of Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library

Winterthur Institute is a two-week immersive learning experience that includes lecture-discussion, workshops, research opportunities, and access to the specialists, gardens, and historic architecture of Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.

Participants will be part of a select learning cohort that engages in daily, hands-on examination of Winterthur’s expansive collection, with contextualization in the history of American decorative arts, object materiality, and techniques of museum stewardship. Additionally, during Winterthur Institute participants have badged access to the Library and Archives to complete a research project.

Upon completion of Winterthur Institute, participants will have gained:

  • historical knowledge of the decorative arts and techniques of cultural analysis, which define the relationship of an object to its time.
  • competency in best practices for handling objects, as demonstrated in a preventive conservation practicum with Winterthur collections.
  • an understanding of sense of place while studying at the du Pont family
    historic home and estate.
  • 70 hours of professional development in key skills and knowledge for cultural heritage study.
  • support of the Winterthur learning community and a stronger professional network.
  • a Certificate of Completion.

Winterthur Institute learners:

Photo, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library

  • seek to deepen their knowledge of the history of decorative arts in America.
  • want to develop their professional skill set through hands-on exercises in object identification and care within a museum context.
  • have academic or experiential credentials that prepare them to participate in advanced study.
  • appreciate in-person instruction supplemented by small-group seminars with a Winterthur curator or staff expert, as well as self-study via virtual resources.
  • desire to study objects beyond their traditional
    narratives, while participating in comprehensive inquiry and conversation.
  • engage in a collaborative and inquisitive learning journey with the cohort, as part of an immersive experience that is respectful of each participant’s perspective and identity.