World Monuments Fund Watch List 2010 October 10, 2009
Posted by history in : Uncategorized , add a commentThe World Monuments Fund recently announced its Watch List for 2010. Established in 1996, the Watch List, as described on their Web site, focuses global attention on “cultural heritage sites around the world that are facing such dangers and that illuminate current issues in the field of heritage preservation.”
“Ranging from the famous (Machu Picchu, Peru) and remote (Phajoding, a monastery high in the mountains of Bhutan), to the unexpected (Merritt Parkway, Connecticut, U.S.) and little-known (desert castles of ancient Khorezm, Uzbekistan), the 2010 Watch tells compelling stories of human aspiration, imagination, and adaptation.”
The complete list can be found here.
Call for Abstracts-ICOMOS International October 3, 2009
Posted by history in : Call for Papers, Conferernces and Symposia, International , 1 comment so farCALL FOR ABSTRACTS FOR PAPER AND POSTERS FOR THE 13th Annual US/ICOMOS International Symposium
May 20-22, 2010 in Washington , DC AT WHAT COST?
Social and Economic Pressures and the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites
The 13th Annual US ICOMOS International Symposium will focus on the increasingly complex relationships between cultural heritage and the world’s market economies. It will look at real world problems and practical solutions through formal presentations, round tables and group discussions.
Looting, mass tourism, and development pressures are some of the market forces now posing a direct challenge to traditional heritage and historic preservation practices and priorities. In both the public and private sectors, heritage sites and districts are now increasingly seen as potential engines of local development and a possible source of income and social stability for communities. How can these positive and negative economic pressures be reconciled? Which economic and social strategies are most effective in today’s financial environment? What role can and should heritage and historic preservation professionals play? The 2010 US/ICOMOS Symposium will examine new tools and approaches that can help to integrate cultural heritage into social and economic agendas, while still protecting its significance and integrity. Throughout the Symposium, the dialogue between participants and presenters will offer the opportunity to understand, compare and assess practices for effective and sustainable strategies.
Specifically, the symposium sessions will cover the following themes: · Cultural heritage - its contribution to the development of sustainable communities and the legal and legislative perspectives from the United States and abroad - The most traditional role of heritage in economic development is as a tourist attraction. This arrangement, however, is not always desirable or possible. It is impractical in many places and has proven to be unsustainable in other instances. Nations and communities have found new ways to use heritage in a sustainable environment. These sessions will feature innovative heritage initiatives and case studies that have obtained the economic and social benefits of heritage for contemporary communities. · Looting, illicit traffic in cultural property, and their impact on cultural heritage sites - Heritage travel has been marketed as an exciting adventure in the popular media, which often portrays archaeological sites as a trove of treasures for collectors and at times glamorizes the looting of sites and encourages the illicit traffic of cultural objects. As a driver of tourism and a source of precious objects, heritage sites have been misused and exploited, causing great damage to these unique places and trivializing the general understanding of its significance. The objective of these sessi ons is to identify programs, activities and new ideas that can be effective in discouraging the looting of archaeological sites, curbing illicit traffic and promoting the sustainable management of sites.
- The role of heritage administrators and professionals: Legal and legislative perspectives from the United States and abroad - The leadership of state, federal, and international organizations in protecting cultural heritage becomes critical in an environment dominated by market economics. Their authority, however, must be exercised wisely. The preservation objective has to be considered in the context of the welfare of society, both present and future. Around the globe new governmental policies and regulations seek sustainability, including many that affect cultural heritage. These sessions will present examples of successful legislative approaches and innovative administrative, practices.
Abstracts for proposed poster presentations and research papers (20 minutes) on these themes will be accepted until November 13, 2009. Authors whose papers or posters are selected will be notified mid January 2010. Final written and electronic papers must be received by US ICOMOS one month prior to the Symposium.
Instructions for Submitting an Abstract (please read carefully)
§ Abstracts must be received in US/ICOMOS by Friday, November 13, 2009.
§ Maximum text of 250 words in English. Please indicate whether the submission is for a paper or a poster.
§ US/ICOMOS will accept electronic (Microsoft Word or Adobe pdf files only) abstracts sent by email to don.jones@usicomos.org
§ The page with the abstracts must contain AT THE TOP the title of the proposed paper, the name of the author(s), and contact information (institutional affiliation, mailing address, phone number and email address).
A committee of distinguished preservationists will evaluate all abstracts. Authors selected for paper presentations will be notified by mid-January 2010.
Note: In previous years, US/ICOMOS has been able to secure grants and monetary contributions to help defray travel, lodging, and registration costs for international speakers selected to present papers. In the changed financial environment of today, US/ICOMOS cannot guarantee that such funding will be available in 2010. Sent by - US/ICOMOS
(United States National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites) 401 F Street, NW, Suite 331 Washington, DC 20001 Ph 202-842-1866 Fax 202-842-1861 www.usicomos.org.