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Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative (SCRI) Symposium: Current Approaches to the Conservation of Conflict- Affected Heritage
Friday, February 28, 2020, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM EDT
Category: US

Current Approaches to the Conservation of Conflict-Affected Heritage

Present day armed conflicts have resulted in damage, destruction, and theft of cultural heritage. This
loss raises new and challenging questions to the fields of heritage preservation and conservation.
How do we respond to ongoing threats? What support is appropriate for colleagues in conflictaffected
areas? What forms of salvage, stabilization, conservation interventions, and commemoration
are needed? Are there new or speculative scientific methods that can assist in conservation or
tracking the theft of objects? Scholars and practitioners alike are working through these concerns in
real time as they are faced with a moment of both real global crisis and great public attention about
the post-conflict futures of heritage sites, museum collections, and cultural traditions.
Organized by the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative, the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation
Institute, and the International Council of Museums Disaster Resilient Museums Committee
(DRMC), and supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, this symposium brings together
panelists who have each addressed conflict-affected heritage through collaborative interventions,
developing on-the-ground responses, or conducting much needed basic scientific studies. Participants
will discuss on-going cases from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq as well as cuttingedge
conservation approaches that show great promise in assisting the global effort to restore what
has been damaged and recover what has been lost. This state-of-the-field gathering intends to assess
the good work occurring now in conflict and post-conflict spaces and to prompt reflection on what
projects will be needed in years to come.

When: Friday, February 28, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: The Ring Auditorium, Hirshhorn Museum, Independence Ave and 7th St

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