We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Frank Matero, a leading figure in heritage conservation, to discuss his long-standing relationship with ICCROM and the evolving challenges of preserving cultural heritage. Frank’s journey spans decades of teaching — notably in the Department of Historic Preservation at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania — in addition to research and practice. The conversation offers invaluable insights into where the field has been, and where it’s headed.
Frank’s collaboration with ICCROM began in the late 1980s when he taught on the Architectural Conservation Course (ARC). Reflecting on those experiences, he emphasized the universality of conservation challenges by noting that
“heritage expressions may differ, but the problems remain the same”.
Over the years, Frank has witnessed the field’s remarkable evolution, expanding beyond architectural heritage to embrace intangible cultural dimensions. However, the profession’s unique identity remains.
“It really is our job to connect the present to the past, and we do that with ways very specific to conservation, and they're not shared by actually any other discipline.”
He goes on to describe conservation as a truly cross-disciplinary field, describing the delicate balance it demands, whereby
“at one point, we have to be humanistically as broad as possible and, on the other, scientifically as specific as possible. That’s a very difficult road to walk in an era of specialization.”
Frank Matero’s reflections are a powerful reminder of conservation’s unique ability to bridge the past, present, and future. As the field continues to evolve, his insights offer inspiration to seasoned professionals and the next generation of heritage practitioners alike.