Building Foundations – Building A New Culture For Building Craft Education and Industry

With the recent economic downturn, an increased focus on the trades and trade education has been espoused by government and societal leaders. How have educational providers responded to these calls for a greater trained workforce in traditional crafts? What can educators, institutions, government agencies and non-profits learn from their counterparts’ experiences? What are the platforms and pathways that can be and are being created today that will lead craft education in the future?

The goal of this conference is to create an environment for collaborative exchanges between educational providers, institutions/organizations, government and industry and to permit educational providers to build greater partnerships with their peers. Abstracts and panel discussion proposals are currently being accepted for the following themes:

Defining Pathways for Trades Education in the 21st Century

Government
Industry, business and higher education
Craft practitioners, teacher and the public
Potential for development of skills exchange, and partnership efforts
Collaboration on community, regional, national and international levels
Building a new culture for building craft education and industry
Finding and Remembering the Reasons for Building Craft
This conference is designed to build on the collaborative learning set
http://www.iptw.org/

3-year Robert Sainsbury Scholarship

Scholarships, including the 3-year Robert Sainsbury Scholarship for doctoral study, are available for MA and PhD candidates with a background in anthropology, archaeology, art history and related subjects, and who wish to study the historical and/or contemporary arts and material culture of one or more of the three regions. Scholarships can cover fees and living costs for students enrolled on graduate programmes at the Sainsbury Research Unit for the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas (SRU).
Museum anthropology is emphasised in teaching, using the Sainsbury Collection displayed in Norman Foster’s Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts.

For further information:
www.sru.uea.ac.uk

CALL FOR PAPERS: 41st Annual CAC Conference and Workshops "Conserving the Past, Embracing the Future"

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
May 26-30, 2015

Deadline for submissions of papers and posters is 31 January 2015, and deadline for submissions of ignite talks is 31 March 2015. For all the details, please click on this link https://www.cac-accr.ca/news/call-for-papers-41st-annual-cac-conference-and-workshops/44 or visit our web site's home pagewww.cac-accr.ca.

Student Grants for 2015 Conservation Placements: Zibby Garnett

CLOSING DATE FRIDAY 27 FEBRUARY – INTERVIEWS MARCH
The Zibby Garnett Travel Fellowship will once again be offering grants to students to fund overseas conservation placements.
This year seven students received a shared total of £8,650 to travel around the world.
Full information, including an application form, can be found on the websitewww.ZibbyGarnett.org.
More information is available on their Facebook page and Twitter @TheZGTF

Conservation fellowships at the MET

Deadline: 5th December 

See details here:
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/internships-and-fellowships/fellowships/conservation-and-scientific-research-fellowships

Getty Graduate Internships in Conservation

Deadline for applications: 1st December.
These are offered in the four programs of the J. Paul Getty Trust—the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Research Institute, the Getty Conservation Institute, and the Getty Foundation, as well as in Getty Publications—to students who intend to pursue careers in fields related to the visual arts. Training and work experience placements are available in areas such as curatorial, education, conservation, research, information management, public programs, and grantmaking.
See details here:
http://www.getty.edu/foundation/initiatives/current/gradinterns/

SMITHSONIAN 12-MONTH POSTGRADUATE FELLOWSHIPS IN CONSERVATION OF MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

Deadline for applications: 1st December. 

The Smithsonian’s Office of Fellowships and Internships has announced one-year fellowships for recent graduates of masters programs in art and archaeological conservation (or the equivalent) to conduct research and gain further training in Smithsonian conservation laboratories for conservation of museum collections. Researchers in conservation science topics, including those at the postdoctoral level, are also encouraged to apply. The fellowship begins in the fall of 2015. A stipend of $37,700 is being offered at the postgraduate level and $48,000 at the postdoctoral level, plus a research allowance up to $4,000. While 12-month fellowship proposals are preferred, applications for projects of shorter duration (between 3-12 months) are acceptable, with a commensurate reduction to the stipend amounts. The prospective fellow must first contact the conservator or scientist with whom he or she would like to work. If the potential supervisor confirms that candidacy is suitable, application must be made through the Office of Fellowships and Internships by December 1, 2014. Program guidelines and instructions for application are available athttp://www.smithsonianofi.com/fellowship-opportunities/smithsonian-postgraduate-fellowships-in-conservation-of-museum-collections-program/. As one of the conservation laboratories in which a fellowship is offered, the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute (MCI) offers postings for treatment and research projects benefiting Smithsonian collections that make use of MCI’s excellent analytical capabilities (http://www.si.edu/mci/). Contact:

Mary Ballard, Senior Textiles Conservator, 301-238-1210, ballardm@smsi.edu
A. Elena Charola, Research Scientist (biodeterioration, stone), 301-238-1213, charolaa@si.edu
Paula T. DePriest, Deputy Director (biodeterioration), 301-238-1206, depriestp@si.edu
Janet G. Douglas, Head of Technical Studies (analysis of cultural heritage), 301-238-1238, douglja@si.edu
Christine France, Physical Scientist (stable isotopes), 301-238-1261, francec@si.edu
Carol Grissom, Senior Objects Conservator, 301-238-1236, grissomc@si.edu
Jessica S. Johnson, Head of Conservation (archaeological materials), 301-238-1218, johnsonjs@si.edu
Robert J. Koestler, Director (biodeterioration), 301-238-1205, koestlerr@si.edu
Nicole Little, Physical Scientist (ICP-MS, XRD, SEM-EDS), 301-238-1243, littlen@si.edu
Odile Madden, Research Scientist (modern materials, plastic, Raman spectroscopy), 301-238-1257, maddeno@si.edu
Dawn Rogala, Paintings Conservator (modern paints, artists’ materials research/archives), 301-238-1255, rogalad@si.edu
Jia-Sun Tsang, Senior Paintings Conservator (research and treatment of modern and contemporary art), 301-238-1231, tsangj@si.edu
Ed Vicenzi, Research Scientist (microchemistry/microscopy), 301-238-1215, vicenzie@si.edu

Fellows may also be hosted in the conservation laboratories of other Smithsonian museums, with the possibility of additional facilities for analytical work available at MCI. The conservator contacts for these museums are listed below:

Janice Ellis, National Museum of American History (202-633-3623; ellisjs@si.edu) for books and paper
Sunae Park Evans, National Museum of American History (202-633-3629; evanssu@si.edu) for costumes
Malcolm Collum, National Air and Space Museum (703-572-4361; collumm@si.edu) for objects
Tiarna Doherty, Smithsonian American Art Museum (202-633-5802; dohertyt@si.edu) for colonial to contemporary paintings, paper, objects, and frames
Catharine Hawks, National Museum of Natural History (202-633-0835; hawksc@si.edu) for natural history objects
Greta Hansen, National Museum of Natural History (301-238-1306; hanseng@si.edu) for anthropological objects
Andrew Hare, Freer and Sackler Galleries (202-633-0370; harean@si.edu) for objects, paper, and Asian paintings; and conservation science
Susan Lake, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (202-633-2731; lakes@si.edu) for modern materials
Nora Lockshin, Smithsonian Institution Archives (202-633-5913; lockshinn@si.edu) for archives, books, and paper
Dana Moffett, National Museum of African Art (202-633-4614; moffettd@si.edu) for objects
Lou Molnar, National Portrait Gallery (202-633-5822; molnarl@si.edu) for paintings and paper
Beth Richwine, National Museum of American History (202-633-3639; richwineb@si.edu) for objects
Suzanne Thomassen-Krauss, National Museum of American History (202-633-3347; thomassenkrauss@si.edu) for textiles

Object Conservator - NYC Private Practice

GV Art Conservation  is  looking to hire an Object Conservator to join their small team of Conservators on a full-time basis. The ideal candidate would be interested in working primarily with Modern, Post-War and Contemporary artworks alongside our painting and paper conservators in our spacious Long Island City (Queens) studio.

Requirements:

• Master Degree in Object Conservation
• Ability to work with minimal supervision
• Scientific, practical background and training
• Knowledge of current research on materials and treatments
• Strong report writing and documentation skills
• Chemical knowledge of traditional and contemporary materials
• Previous work with Modern, Post-War, and Contemporary Art is strongly preferred
• Experience working in private practice is a plus

GV ArtConservation is run by Gloria Velandia Ludmer, the Chief Conservator of Art Basel Miami Beach, The Armory Show, and Frieze NY. Our Private Practice is based in Long Island City, NY and focuses primarily on Modern, Post-War, and Contemporary artworks. For more details on the practice, please see their webpage 

If interested, please reply with your resume attached.

Learning from the best: beadworking with the Maasai in Olduvai

Learning the art of beadwork from the Maasai in Olduvai Gorge was one of the highlights for the OGAP conservation team this season (see details about our team here).

The team was very interested in engaging more directly with local Maasai women to learn about Maasai culture from them. First-hand understanding of manufacturing techniques is essential for a conservator's work, as is a deeper understanding of the cultural significance they carry. At Olduvai we learned from the best. And it was so much fun!

Colourful beads and other materials were brought from the Maasai Market in Arusha (Image by R Peters)

We organized several beadworking sessions and were introduced to the basic techniques. A small fund was provided by the UCL Conservation and Development Research Network, and beads and other materials were brought from the Maasai Market in Arusha. We had several sessions with Pendo Melau and Nairoshi Zebeday. Pendo and Nairoshi came over to the Leakey Camp at the end of the day and patiently showed us what to do! Needless to say they had to undo/correct our work very often!

We also had the chance to observe Siteyo Lembele and Sekwai Babai beadworking (they were working for the OGAP excavation but would sometimes come over to our lab during their lunch break). Siteyo and Sekwai showed us their techniques, and sold the end-products of the demonstrations.

As you probably know, beadworking is exclusively carried out by women in Maasai contexts. They start learning as little girls and devote a lot of attention to the use of colours and creation of designs - at some point they will have developed their own personal styles (usually influenced by their mothers). Their skills achieve nothing less than perfection and they are very critical of small defects.  It was fascinating to see how the four of them produced completely different patterns even though they were using exactly the same raw materials.

Here are the wonderful Pendo Melau,  Sekwai Babai and Nairoshi Zebeday discussing different techniques to produce a necklace (in the Laetoli Lab at the Leakey Camp).  (Image by Eri Ohara-Anderson)

Siteyo Lembele and Sekwai Babai showed us how to make beautiful bracelets and necklaces, and also how to wear them! (Image by R Peters)


In the following sequence Sekwai Babai shows the final steps for a perfect bracelet. Feel free to reproduce the bracelet at home, if you dare! Be patient, be brave, and start again if you have to!  You probably will!  ;-) 

OGAP Conservation 2014

Starting from the top left corner: Carmen Martin Ramos (in black jumper), Elizabeth Diaz, Eri Ohara-Anderson, Ephraim Lucas Tarmo, Isack Faustin Lyimo, Ngonyani Lihuni and Renata Peters. Kristen Welch (Teaching Assistant from Colorado University, seen on top left corner) was not working in conservation but she was in the lab a lot!

The 2014 OGAP Conservation season has been very exciting and successful. We have just finished our work and will add more details here soon.  But first of all, we would like to introduce you to everybody who contributed to this very successful season!

The team was headed by Renata Peters (Coordinator of the MA in Principles of Conservation at the UCL Institute of Archaeology and the UCL Conservation and Development Research Network). Eri Ohara-Anderson (currently on the UCL MSc Conservation for Archaeology and Museums, year 2) assisted managing the team and the magnificent workload! We were  fortunate to count once again on the expert help of our colleague Dan Mainoya (conservator and curator at the Natural History Museum, Arusha).

Dan Mainoya (conservator and curator at the Natural History Museum, Arusha)

We are extremely happy to have added Tanzanian apprentices to our team this year: Isack Faustin Lyimo, Ephraim Lucas Tarmo and Ngonyani Lihuni did brilliant work with us!

Highlights to the season were added by the help of conservator Elizabeth Diaz (OGAP), and conservation enthusiast (hopefully future conservator) Carmen Martin Ramos (OGAP). We also counted on  the help of Jesuit Temba (Tanzania Antiquities Directorate) for a few days! And also the precious help from IFR students Georgina de Barros, Trevor Keevil, Matthew Muttart, Victoria Sluka,   Gabriela de la Torre and Ben Zunkeller. Last but not least, we also had the eventual help of the wonderful Angeliki Theodoropoulou! Wow, this made a mighty team!!!  Thanks so much to you all - it was a privilege and also a lot of fun to work with you!

Here are some of our people in action:

Renata is looking happy with her fossils

Eri Ohara-Anderson - busy bee!

Isack Faustin Lyimo worked on a number of complex artefacts

 Ngonyani Lihuni working with a rotary tool 

Ephraim Lucas Tarmo became very interested in scapulas

The extra help from Carmen Martin Ramos and Elizabeth Diaz was essential for our work 

Jesuit Temba working on fossilised bone

Ben Zunkeller, Georgina de Barros and Victoria Sluka (IFR students) working on recently excavated bone

As you can see, Matthew Muttart (IFR student) was really not very bored by this difficult job (removing concretion from recently excavated lithic). 

Gabriela de la Torre and Trevor Keevil (IFR students) just after accomplishing a difficult mission (Eri on the far right)

And finally, our wonderful Angeliki Theodoropoulou doing some sediment removal!

Borrow artefacts at the Archaeo-library.

Saturday, 21 June 2014, the first library opened in Vlaardingen, the Netherlands, where you can borrow authentic artefacts, between 5000 - 200 years old and excavated in the city Vlaardingen, instead of books! “Thanks to the archaeo-library people can now tell a tale about the history of Vlaardingen in their own living room, on the basis of an authentic artefact”, city archaeologist Eli van Toledo explained in an interview. She was asked whether the conservators didn’t protest vehemently against this idea, but refused to take the bait. However, she did state that it was also a step in the dark for the archaeologists, and that this will be a short-lived experiment if the borrowers don’t take good care of the artefacts.

One of the two display cases with artefacts that are up for
loan. Copyright: Omroepvlaardingen.nl

       The project is a joint undertaking between the Vlaardingse cultuur- en educatiecentrum KADE40 and the archaeological depot of the city Vlaardingen.  Its intended objective is to share archaeological artefacts with the public. Both organic as well as inorganic objects, such as a conserved bone ice skate, an inkwell, faience pottery and a 5000 year old flint axe, are on loan. Members of the archaeo-library are allowed to keep an artefact for up to 6 months.  As some of the artefacts are fragile,  they have to give evidence of their creditworthiness and sign a contract if they damage ‘their artefact’. However, becoming a member and borrowing artefacts is free...

One of the two display cases with artefacts that are up for
loan. Copyright: Omroepvlaardingen.nl

       A cute story was furthermore mentioned in the Algemeen Dagblad (a Dutch Newspaper) about a 66 year old female inhabitant of Vlaardingen (she became the first member of the archaeo-library) who nervously walked out of the building homewards, clutching her purse which held a 5.000 year old arrowhead (packed tightly in bubble wrap!).  “It’s going to receive a place at the front of my display cabinet,” she said. “I just hope no one breaks into my house and steals it”.

What do you think of this project? 

Investigative conservation at The Guardian

Renata Peters gave a talk at The Guardian last week, as part of the UCL Lunch Hour Lectures on Tour. She talked about investigative investigative conservation done on objects excavated from Western Front trenches. The focus was on daily life in WW1 trenches but the work also helped the identification of a few of the soldiers with whom some of the material was associated. Take a look at the video if you want to know more about investigative conservation. 

Workshop on Conservation of Ethnographic Collections at University of Amsterdam (UvA)

Ellen van Bork (University of Amsterdam, UvA) ran an excellent workshop on conservation of ethnographic collections in Amsterdam last week. Teaching was done by various conservators such as Martijn de Ruiter (Tropenmuseum), Renata Peters (UCL Institute of Archaeology), Steph Scholten (UvA), Menno Fitski (Rijksmuseum), Hans Piena (Openlucht Museum) and Helene Tello (Ethnologischens Museum, Berlin). 
Some of the classes were taught at the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam, where Martijn de Ruiter provided a wonderful tour and showed both the challenges posed by the collection and the innovative responses they have found.

If you haven’t been to the Tropenmuseum you should definitely put it on your list next time you visit Amsterdam!

'Conservation in museums and inclusion of the non-professional' by Jill Saunders (JCMS)

The Journal of Conservation and Museum Studies (JCMS) has just released 'Conservation in museums and inclusion of the non-professional' by Jill Saunders, an article based on her UCL MA Principles of Conservation dissertation.

Abstract: Just as object meanings are defined by people, so too can identities of individuals, groups and communities be implicit in their relationships with particular objects. The transformative quality of the museum environment and display formats, with regard to objects and object relationships, is fundamental to the socio-cultural responsibilities of these institutions and their ability to affect social issues. To understand the potential utility of heritage conservation in this respect, it is necessary to explore the complexity of the relationships that can form between objects and people and so establish some key issues and implications of conservation activities.
This paper first addresses the role of materiality and material interactions in the construction and communication of identity aspects, and considers professional conservation with regard to these relationships. It will be shown that material interactions can have great significance concerning identity and that the subjectivity of object values is a key issue in the conservation of material heritage. It will be seen that though the management of heritage can be problematic, the resonance of heritage status gives museums a unique capacity for addressing both intangible and tangible social needs. 

See the whole article here

Lunch Hour Lecture at The Guardian: Investigative Conservation and the Archaeology of the First World War (by Renata Peters)

Renata Peters (UCL Institute of Archaeology) will give one of the UCL Lunch Hour Lectures On Tour this year, taking place at The Guardian on 19th June (between 13.00 and 14.00). She will talk about investigative conservation done on objects excavated from Western Front trenches. Some of these objects were associated with unidentified human remains thought to be of soldiers killed in battles between 1914 and 1918, and provided important information for their identification. Others provided more questions than answers, but also shed light on the reality of life and death in the trenches.

You can book a free ticket here

Kayapó chiefs Raoni Metuktire and Megaron Txukaramae at UCL

Kayapó chiefs Raoni Metuktire and Megaron Txukaramae (part of the Amazonian indigenous movement in Brazil) will participate in a special event at the Institute of Archaeology on 10 June.

Kayapó chiefs Raoni Metuktire and Megaron Txukaramae are iconic leaders of the Amazonian indigenous movement in Brazil. Raoni played a prominent role in the 1992 Rio Earth summit, which heralded the recognition of indigenous lands, national forests, extractive reserves, and other protected-status areas in Brazil.

Unfortunately the tide in Brazil has turned in recent years and Brazilian indigenous peoples face the abolishment of hard-fought indigenist provisions in the country’s constitution, threats to their ancestral and inhabited territories (among others by plans to build hundreds of hydroelectric dams), and the toxic environmental and human rights legacy of mining, cattle ranching, and industrial–scale agricultural activity.

Invited by the developing Centre for Amazonian Studies, the UCL Institute of Archaeology, the UCL Department of Geography, and the UCL Biodiversity Forum, the Kayapó chiefs will speak about the threats currently faced by Amazonian indigenous peoples and the importance of indigenous stewardship over the landscape of Amazonia.

Following their presentation, Raoni and Megaron will participate in a Q&A with the audience and a panel of UCL Amazonian specialists.
See more here: 
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/calendar/articles/20140610

Roman gold mines and the power of protests: exceptional example of local initiative by Katarzyna Jarosz (International University of Logistics and Transport, Wrocław, Poland)

The town of Roșia Montană (Romania) has one of the longest networks of Roman gold mines in the world. A Canadian firm, ‘Rosia Montana Gold Corporation’ plans to create Europe's largest open-cast gold mine in the village. However, the environmental and social impact of the project would be high. It will involve, for example, the dislocation of hundreds of families, the destruction of the oldest mines and archaeological sites, and the contamination of a local lake. The poster analyzes the origin, history and impact of the protests the project as well as the role played by civil engagement and society in protecting cultural heritage.

This is the abstract of a poster to be presented at 'The impact of cross-disciplinary conservation on social development', the UCL Institute of Archaeology Annual Conference 2014. 
The conference will be held Friday and Saturday, 16 & 17 May 2014, at the UCL Institute of Archaeology in Lecture Theatre G6 from 8:30 to 18:00.  Conference posters will be on display all day Friday in room 612.
You can book your tickets here!

Training local Thangkas restorers for the Matho Museum Project by Nelly Rieuf & Melany Wan

The Matho Museum Project involves restoring a vast number of Thangkas from the collection of the Matho Monastery in the Himalaya Ladakh region in India. The amount of Thangkas in need of conservation means that it is impossible to solely rely on volunteers from foreign countries that have received formal conservation training. For this reason eight local girls from the Matho Village have been recruited to be trained as Thangka restorers. The poster will explain the training process of the Thangkas restoration team and outline some of the challenges that the Project has faced.

This is the abstract of a poster to be presented at 'The impact of cross-disciplinary conservation on social development', the UCL Institute of Archaeology Annual Conference 2014. 
The conference will be held Friday and Saturday, 16 & 17 May 2014, at the UCL Institute of Archaeology in Lecture Theatre G6 from 8:30 to 18:00.  Conference posters will be on display all day Friday in room 612.
You can book your tickets here!

Museum, migrants and socio-economic human rights by Sophia Labadi (University of Kent, UK)

Labadi suggests that the practice of museum conservation can promote the wellbeing and economic prosperity of recent adult migrants and foster social cohesion. She discusses how these practices of conservation and interpretation have changed the relationships that migrants have with their host countries, but also their countries of origins. The poster provides in-depth analyses of pioneer programmes developed to promote social and economic human rights (specifically the right to education and the right to decent work) of recent migrants at Manchester Museum and the National Gallery of Denmark (Copenhagen).


This is the abstract of a poster to be presented at 'The impact of cross-disciplinary conservation on social development', the UCL Institute of Archaeology Annual Conference 2014. 
The conference will be held Friday and Saturday, 16 & 17 May 2014, at the UCL Institute of Archaeology in Lecture Theatre G6 from 8:30 to 18:00.  Conference posters will be on display all day Friday in room 612.
You can book your tickets here!

Continuity Matters: Maintaining training outcomes in conservation and museum practice by Misa Tamura (British Museum)

Tamura addresses issues with attaining a long-term positive impact on the conservation and museum practice training provided by external consultant conservators and other museum practitioners to museums in challenging contexts. She discusses some of the considerations in such projects drawing on the data collected from a survey of sub-Saharan African museum professionals, as well as a case study from the National Museum of Ethnology, Mozambique, where she had an internship placement.

This is the abstract of a poster to be presented at 'The impact of cross-disciplinary conservation on social development', the UCL Institute of Archaeology Annual Conference 2014. 
The conference will be held Friday and Saturday, 16 & 17 May 2014, at the UCL Institute of Archaeology in Lecture Theatre G6 from 8:30 to 18:00.  Conference posters will be on display all day Friday in room 612.
You can book your tickets here!

The role of the conservator in the illicit trade of antiquities by Patricia Torres Sepulveda (UCL Institute of Archaeology)

The looting of antiquities robs people of their material culture, hinders the development of academic knowledge and often compromises the cultural identity of people when they are most vulnerable. The conservation of looted artefacts is not only morally and ethically wrong, but it may also render police enforcement useless. Torres Sepulveda draws on these ideas to explore the impact of looting and how conservators can fight against it. She argues for a set of ethical standards and rules that would empower conservators to act more ethically and responsibly. 


This is the abstract of a poster to be presented at 'The impact of cross-disciplinary conservation on social development', the UCL Institute of Archaeology Annual Conference 2014. 
The conference will be held Friday and Saturday, 16 & 17 May 2014, at the UCL Institute of Archaeology in Lecture Theatre G6 from 8:30 to 18:00.  Conference posters will be on display all day Friday in room 612.
You can book your tickets here!

Working together to preserve our intangible cultural heritage cultural centres: The Modern Museum by Louise Smith (UCL Institute of Archaeology)

Smith explores participatory conservation between the museum, conservator, the indigenous community and the general public in Australia through the use of cultural centres. The poster illustrates new ways in which intangible heritage is being presented to the general public and explores the functionality of cultural centres in contemporary society. It also discusses the benefits for each group and the impact of engaging the local communities through the practice of conservation. Besides bringing awareness to the conservator the poster aims to raise new ideas on how to approach intangible heritage. 

This is the abstract of a poster to be presented at 'The impact of cross-disciplinary conservation on social development', the UCL Institute of Archaeology Annual Conference 2014. 
The conference will be held Friday and Saturday, 16 & 17 May 2014, at the UCL Institute of Archaeology in Lecture Theatre G6 from 8:30 to 18:00.  Conference posters will be on display all day Friday in room 612.
You can book your tickets here!

In pursuit of an impact: the Watts Towers Conservation Project’s education and outreach efforts by Sylvia Schweri (Los Angeles County Museum of Art LACMA)

The Watts Towers, a U.S. National Historic Landmark in Los Angeles, are a work of art created by Italian immigrant Sabato Rodia between 1921 and 1954. Since 2011 the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has worked to formulate a preservation and maintenance protocol for the Towers and provided daily preservation maintenance. Schweri discusses LACMA’s recent conservation efforts and how its project, in which local hiring has been an important feature, has contributed to local economic well-being and provided training opportunities for community members. Her poster furthermore explores some ideas for future preservation-related outreach and local investment.

This is the abstract of a poster to be presented at 'The impact of cross-disciplinary conservation on social development', the UCL Institute of Archaeology Annual Conference 2014. 
The conference will be held Friday and Saturday, 16 & 17 May 2014, at the UCL Institute of Archaeology in Lecture Theatre G6 from 8:30 to 18:00.  Conference posters will be on display all day Friday in room 612.
You can book your tickets here!

Why is Participatory Conservation Important by Yuqi Chock (UCL Institute of Archaeology)

Yuqi Chock contends that public participation is essential to decision-making in cultural heritage issues because this leads to major benefits such as the successful identification and preservation of intangible heritage values. By outlining the advantages to be gained and by listing possible methods in which the involvement of interested parties in the decision-making process may be attained the poster aims to encourage the practice of participatory conservation to people who have yet to fully engage in this relatively new concept.

This is the abstract of a poster to be presented at 'The impact of cross-disciplinary conservation on social development', the UCL Institute of Archaeology Annual Conference 2014. 
The conference will be held Friday and Saturday, 16 & 17 May 2014, at the UCL Institute of Archaeology in Lecture Theatre G6 from 8:30 to 18:00.  Conference posters will be on display all day Friday in room 612.
You can book your tickets here!