About the Centre
The Centre for Stained Glass Studies was established as a consortium of academic institutions on the basis of an agreement between the Rectors of the Jagiellonian University and the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow, signed on 9 May 2017. The Centre initiates, organises, conducts and coordinates various scholarly undertakings focusing on interdisciplinary research on stained glass; it promotes the research on and study of stained glass, acts as consultancy and provides education and training related to stained glass, including the collection of electronic data and other materials. The activities of the Consortium comply with standards and recommendations of the Corpus Vitrearum International. The Consortium, in particular:
- collaborates with the Corpus Vitrearum International and the Polish National Corpus Vitrearum Committee
- collaborates with external entities within joint grant schemes and research projects endowed with national, European and international funds
- carries out research aimed at the development of interdisciplinary studies of stained glass
- collaborates with heritage boards, and legal and natural persons, in particular art conservators and stained-glass artists or owners of historic stained glass, in order to introduce the best practices and improve methods of historic stained glass protection and preservation, conservation and research
- collaborates with the Jagiellonian University and the Academy of Fine Arts units as well as with study and research centres at home and abroad regarding stained glass studies
- promotes national and international study of stained glass, and seeks financial support for research on stained glass.
The above objectives are achieved, in particular, through: conducting scholarly research, publishing stained-glass-related publications, maintaining stained-glass-related databases, organising lectures, seminars, scholarly conferences, compiling specialist evaluations and analyses related to stained glass conservation, organising cultural events, especially stained-glass-related art exhibitions.
The Centre is based at the Art History Institute of the Jagiellonian University, and its conservation branch is affiliated with the Art Conservation and Restoration Faculty of the Academy of Fine Arts. Professor Wojciech Bałus has been appointed as the Centre’s Head.