FAQs

Do you have questions? Please reach out to us if you have others.

Will ARCA hold its PG Cert Program in Italy in 2021?

Out of an abundance of caution in connection with the worldwide novel coronavirus pandemic, ARCA has opted to cancel its 2021 onsite Postgraduate Certification in Art Crime and Cultural Heritage Protection. This decision was based on continued concerns about global health risks and COVID’s impact on the safety and well-being of our participants, faculty, and staff.

As the situation internationally continues to evolve, ARCA’s administration is taking an active role in assessing the feasibility of quality onsite academics while addressing both the immediate and long-term challenges related to the COVID outbreak and its impact on ARCA’s signature in-depth professional development program in Italy.

To that end we believe we will have strategies in place for the summer of 2022 that should comply with local and international public health recommendations which will allow us to offer ARCA’s intensive onsite professional development certification program next summer.

If you would like to be sent an application packet when we reopen admissions for ARCA’s 220-hour PG Cert Program please write to us at education@artcrimeresearch.org and we will send you an application packet when onsite admissions reopens.

Who is eligible to apply for ARCA's postgraduate certificate program in Art Crime and Cultural Heritage Protection?

ARCA’s ten-course PG Cert Program has much to offer individuals in a number of relevant fields including: art policing, security, law, insurance underwriting, curation, conservation, as well as to allied professions servicing the art market.  Additionally ARCA’s onsite program attracts early-career post-graduate level learners eager to achieve a foundation within this specialised area of study before, or while, pursuing advanced degrees at the Masters or Doctorate level.

In addition to having a wide variety of professional experiences and educational backgrounds, our participants represent a varied range of ages and nationalities and as of 2019 we have trained individuals from 38 different countries.

Who is eligible to enroll in ARCA's eLearning Courses.

Most of ARCA’s eLearning courses are open to all adult learners.  Some restrictions may apply to specific subjects and are listed in the course criteria. 

Does ARCA offer needs-based scholarships or financial aid for its programming?

Each year, ARCA awards a small number of partial scholarships to its PG Cert Program —available in the form of tuition remission—for promising individuals with financial need and superior academic credentials who might not otherwise be able to attend.  These awards in the past have generally averaged between €400 to €1100 per needs-based applicant and are generally awarded when an application is successful and at the latest after the closure of the general application period, as this helps us to understand the total needs distribution so that we may assist as many applicants as possible.

 

Is trafficking in cultural property the third most common form of trafficking after drug trafficking and arms trafficking?

We does not possess any figures which would enable us to confirm or deny that trafficking in cultural property is the third most common form of trafficking, although this statement is frequently echoed in the media.

The fact is that it is very difficult to quantify how many items of cultural property are stolen throughout the world and even harder to statistically estimate the value of the said objects in an objective manner, were estimates to be made with consistency and regularity.

Many countries that do keep statistics on thefts, frequently do so listing only the total value of a theft, not the specific type of object stolen making it impossible to tweeze out art thefts from other types of thefts.

Does ARCA offer scholarships for Military affiliated CPP Reservists and Civilians?

Recognising that culture has moved to the frontline of wars and conflicts, both as collateral damage and as a direct target, ARCA stands with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and with the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA), founded in 1879, and North America’s oldest and largest archaeological organisation, in advocating for the preservation of the world’s archaeological heritage during conflict.

To that end, ARCA offers financial aid to Military affiliated CPP Reservists and Civilians interested in attending ARCA’s PG Cert Program in Art Crime and Cultural Heritage Protection.

Who qualifies for ARCA's Minerva Scholarships?

In response to scholarly concerns of heritage destruction and looting throughout Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Egypt, the Association for Research into Crimes against Art funds a limited number of scholarships to professionals from each of these conflict and post-conflict countries for ARCA’s postgraduate certificate program in the study of art crime and cultural heritage protection.

The Minerva scholarship is set aside to equip scholars with the knowledge and tools needed to further the heritage protection capacity of their home institutions and to advance the education of future generations. Scholarships are awarded through an open, merit-based competition, subject to available funding annually.

Postgraduate candidates with a background or current position within either museums, cultural heritage institutions, or universities in these countries are strongly encouraged to apply.

What is the biggest museum heist in history?

Until 2019, the highest value museum heist was the theft at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts on March 18, 1990 in which thirteen works of art were stolen valued at $500 million.

On 25 November 2019, royal jewellery valued at an estimated €1 billion was stolen from the Historisches Grünes Gewölbe (Historic Green Vault) within Dresden Castle in Dresden, Saxony, Germany.

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