Events
Past events
STOP! History is Not For Sale! The Illegal Trade in Antiquities
July 15, 2008
Sharjah Archaeology Museum, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
From May 15 to July 15, 2008, to celebrate International Museums Day, the Sharjah Archaeology Museum calls attention to the leading stance of the government of Sharjah (one of the United Arab Emirates) in detecting and stopping the illegal trade in antiquities with a temporary exhibition in the foyer of the Museum. The new exhibit showcases antiquities that have been seized at Sharjah's borders and tells the story of loss as a result of these looted objects. The exhibition opens on the evening of Thursday 15 May at 5pm at the Museum and will be accompanied by an interesting and informative presentation from specialists in the field of archaeology, antiquities and customs security. This panel of specialists will address the audience to explain why we should stop the illegal trade in antiquities, what laws and powers Sharjah government has in place to stop the illegal antiquities trade and by outlining a recent seizure of smuggled goods, a customs official will explain the process of detecting this trade in our ports and airports. These specialists will also be available for questions from the audience. The lecture will be presented in both English and Arabic and refreshments will be served. The event is open to all.
Contact the Museum for more information: Tel: + 971 (0)6 566 5466, Fax: +971 (0)6 566 2692 archaeology@sharjahmuseums.ae
For more information: Sharjah Archaeology Museum
Institute of Art and Law seminars
July 3, 2008, 12:00PM
Institute of Art and Law , London, England
The first seminar on July 3rd is entitled, "Good faith, Due Diligence and Ethical Imperatives in Art and Antiquities Dealing", and is an afternoon study forum featuring discussion of International Law and cross-border claims to cultural objects. Drawing on a wealth of modern case law, from both within and beyond the art world, and using a wealth of practical examples, the seminar will provide valuable practical guidance on proper standards of behaviour for museums, private collectors and trading bodies in modern art and antiquities transactions, and suggest solutions to the challenge of illicit markets in today’s atmosphere of cross-border art mobility.
The second two-day seminar on July 17th and 18th, entitled "State Immunity, Anti-Seizure and Customary International Law", will focus on Anti-seizure statutes and safe conduct for itinerant art. The conference will look in detail at the policies demanding cross-border mobility, the legal vehicles for achieving such mobility, the risks that threaten the itinerant work of art and the devices that exist to afford legal immunity or other protection. On the latter point particular focus will be placed on the practical application and value of modern anti-seizure statutes, looking critically at their pragmatic workability and functional differences, as well as the searching questions of principle that they provoke.
For more information: Institute of Art and Law: Forthcoming Seminars
Sixth World Archaeological Congress (WAC-6)
June 29, 2008-July 4, 2008
Dublin, Ireland
WAC holds an international Congress every four years to promote the exchange of results from archaeological research; professional training and public education for disadvantaged nations, groups and communities; the empowerment and betterment of Indigenous groups and First Nations peoples; and the conservation of archaeological sites.
For more information: WAC-6
Achieving the Freer Circulation of Cultural Artifacts: Session 453
May 9, 2008-May 14, 2008
Schloss Leopoldskron, Salzburg
This session is aimed at building consensus among cultural authorities and museum representatives from around the world on ways to overcome legal, political, and practical obstacles to the circulation of cultural objects—including, but not limited to—those which have been transferred from one country to another in known or unknown circumstances in the distant or more recent past. Participants will work together to identify and assess new and better ways to promote the sharing of art and artifacts – from virtual access via “Second Life” to practical strategies for significantly expanding loan programs worldwide. Whereas there are many museum conferences worldwide, few strive to bring together a multi-disciplinary, international group of participants for an open, informal exchange of thoughts and ideas in a neutral setting. Hence, there is a need for an evaluative international forum of this type, which will bring diverse experts from a range of national and professional contexts into dialogue and give them the opportunity to reflect deeply on ways to expand and simplify the international exchange of cultural artifacts. Together, the participants will seek to develop a set of recommendations to overcome institutional, logistical, political, and legal barriers to cultural collaboration and exchange.
Given the diversity of the participants, the seminar will be highly interactive, encouraging cross-cultural comparisons of data and experiences and providing an opportunity to discuss and share best practices. The format of the four-and-a-half-day session includes a series of five lectures and/or panel presentations given by the members of the faculty, followed by ninety minutes of plenary discussion, during which all participants are encouraged to ask questions and share additional insights from their professional experiences and their specific contexts. Presentations will focus on the following questions: 1) How can the goal of improved access for all be achieved? 2) What role can international organizations play in supporting the freer circulation of cultural artifacts? 3) How can we create the political will and public support for improved access; what is the role of cultural ministries and policy makers? 4) What can museums and their associations do? 5) What case studies show this can work and what best practices can be identified for
application in a variety of contexts?
The fee for this session is €3300, covering tuition, accommodation and
meals during the session. Financial aid is available, thanks to a
generous grant from The Edward T. Cone Foundation. For questions regarding registration, contact the admissions office: Admissions@SalzburgGlobal.org.
For more information: Salzburg Global Seminar
Contested cultural heritage in a global world
April 24, 2008-April 25, 2008
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Program
The conference brings together an international group of scholars to discuss how forces of eligion and nationalism may act to heighten inter-group tension around heritage claims, even to he point of causing the destruction of ancient and historic sites.
Dr. Donny George Youkhanna, former Director of the Iraq National Museum and now Visiting Professor at the State University of New York-Stony Brook, will deliver the keynote address of the conference ("Mayhem in Mesopotamia" on April 24).
Organized by Spurlock Museum and the Collaborative for Cultural Heritage and Museum Practices (CHAMP).
For more information: CHAMP
Protecting the Past: the Fate of Cultural Property in Times of Armed Conflict
April 24, 2008, 1:30PM-4:30PM
National Trust for Historic Preservation
Boardroom, 2nd floor
1785 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Panel I - Looking Back: Lessons Learned from Past Conflicts
Lynn H. Nicholas will discuss Nazi and World War II art looting, wartime preservation measures and post-War restitution.
Robert M. Edsel will discuss the role of the WWII Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives troops in protecting, preserving and restituting looted art.
András J. Riedlmayer will discuss the destruction of cultural property during the Balkan Wars of the 1990s.
Hays Parks will discuss the history of and U.S. position toward the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
Panel II - Looking Forward: Applying the Lessons Learned.
Corine Wegener will discuss looting and destruction of cultural property at the Iraq National Museum and recovery efforts and also the role of the Blue Shield in protecting cultural property in future conflicts.
John Russell will discuss damage done to cultural heritage during the Iraq War and efforts toward cooperation between the U.S. military and cultural heritage professionals of different nationalities.
Richard Jackson will discuss current attitudes of the U.S. military toward the Hague Convention and obligations to preserve cultural heritage during armed conflict.
No cost to attend, but space is limited and pre-registration is required
For more information: Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation
AIC 36th Annual Meeting
April 21, 2008-April 24, 2008
Denver, Colorado
The theme for AIC’s 2008 Annual Meeting is Creative Collaborations. The theme is intentionally broad, meant to highlight successful projects completed by conservators partnering with professionals in other fields, such as scientists, engineers, artists, owners/shareholders, or industrial representatives. The general session and specialty groups will explore this theme, with possible topics including post-Katrina and other disaster recovery activities; protection, recovery, or treatment of cultural property in conflict zones; collaborations between the fields of art and environmental conservation; and many more.
For more information: American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC)
The Who, What, Why, and How of the Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC)
April 17, 2008, 6:00PM-8:30PM
National Academy
1083 Fifth Ave., New York
(Use entrance on 5 East 89th Street)
CPAC is responsible for reviewing requests by foreign governments to restrict the import into the U.S. of certain categories of their cultural property “in jeopardy from pillage” and then recommending a course of action. The activities of the Committee are often not understood and are occasionally controversial. This is a rare opportunity to learn about this important committee from current and former members.
Reservations and Prepayment Required.
For more information: International Foundation for Art Research
Antiquities under Siege: Cultural Heritage Protection after the Iraq War
April 9, 2008, 9:00AM-10:30AM
National Press Club
529 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC
Book release and policy briefing with panelists:
Matthew Bogdanos
Donny George Youkhanna
Patty Gerstenblith
McGuire Gibson
Larry Rothfield
Cori Wegener
For more information: Cultural Policy Center, University of Chicago
Encounters with World Heritage: A past rich with prospects for the future
April 3, 2008-April 5, 2008
Palais de la Decouverte, Paris
In the context of their affiliation with the "Forum UNESCO - University and Heritage" network, students of the Professional Masters program in the Faculty of Sciences, Arts, Culture, News and Multimedia at the Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines University are organizing a symposium on different aspects of world heritage that will center on the following themes:
* Raising awareness of world heritage amongst a younger population
* The digital revolution and the future of heritage
* Conservation and the protection of World Heritage
* Tourism and World Heritage - friends or enemies?
* Technical and industrial heritage - what are the stakes?
* Management of post-conflict sites - rebuilding a cultural identity
Speakers will include:
Chérif Khaznadar: UNESCO specialist and co-founder and former director of the "Maison des Cultures du Monde". He is also the co-founder and former organizer of the "Festival of the Imagination".
Emmanuel Desveaux: Directeur d'études at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales and Native American culture specialist. Adjunct professor, University of Indiana, Bloomington. He also holds the Marc Bloch chair at Humboldt University of Berlin.
Christian Manhart: UNESCO specialist on post-conflict World Heritage conservation.
For more information: UNESCO World Heritage
Illicit Traffic of Cultural Heritage in the Mediterranean Region
March 12, 2008-March 15, 2008
Florence, Italy
Call for Papers
Deadline: 7 September 2007
Click here for Application
This workshop focuses on evolving multilateral efforts and national responses in the Mediterranean region to control the illicit trade in cultural heritage, particularly underwater heritage. It will identify areas of policy and law reform, and facilitate strategies to encourage the uptake and implementation of existing multilateral instruments and the creation of regional initiatives to curb the illicit traffic of cultural objects.
International Workshop directed by:
- Ana Filipa Vrdoljak. University of Western Australia, Perth and European. University Institute, Florence, Italy
- Francesco Francioni. European University Institute, Florence, Italy
Florence and Montecatini Terme, Italy 12-15 March 2008
Ana Filipa Vrdoljak
Law Department
European University Institute
Via Boccaccio 121
I-50133 Firenze, ITALY
Direct dial: +39.055.4685.262
Fax: +39.055.4685.200
Email. Ana.Vrdoljak@eui.eu
For more information: Full details of the Workshop
The Destruction of the Past: Time to Say No
March 10, 2008, 6:00PM
Hemmerdinger Hall, Silver Center, 100 Washington Square East, New York, NY
Professor Colin Renfrew, Lord Renfrew of Kaimsthorn, Cambridge University, will deliver the Inaugural Lecture in The Ritchie and Charles Scribner Distinguished Lectures in the History of Art. Lord Renfrew is Director of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Disney Professor Emeritus of Archaeology, and former Master of Jesus College, University of Cambridge. The Inaugural Lecture is co-sponsored by New York University's Department of Art History, Fine Arts Society, Center for Ancient Studies, Department of Classics, and Department of Anthropology.
For more information: NYU Center for Ancient Studies
Loot: The Global Trade in Plundered Artifacts
March 6, 2008, 7:00PM
Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Colorado
A fascinating evening with the intrepid journalist and author,Roger Atwood. Atwood's journeys through Iraq, Peru, Hong Kong, and across America reveal how the worldwide antiquities trade is destroying what's left of the ancient sites before archaeologists can reach them, thus distorting the historical record and causing the loss of critical information about the past. Despite efforts by archaeologists,law enforcement officials, and national governments, the illegal trade is erasing the physical remains of ancient civilizations around the world. Discover how the largest known piece of Precolombian gold, weighing in at three pounds, wound up in a smuggler's trunk in New Jersey!
For more information: Denver Museum of Nature and Science
War and Peace: Art and Cultural Heritage Law in the 21st Century
March 4, 2008, 10:00AM-6:00PM
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, New York, NY
Cardozo Public Law, Policy and Ethics Journal and The Lawyer’s Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation are presenting an all-day symposium, on how to prevent looting during times of both war and peace, how to deal with looted cultural material that enters into the international art market, and legal issues related to restitution of art works. Donny George, former director of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad is a presenter.
For more information: Cardozo Public Law, Policy, and Ethics Journal
The Looting of the Baghdad Museum. A Loss of a Nation's Memory
February 14, 2008, 7:00PM
Hilton Ballroom, University of Houston
4800 Calhoun
Tickets: General Admission - $20; AIA Members - $10; Students - Free with ID
On April 10, 2003, a tragedy occurred that shook the world. As Baghdad fell, we watched in shock as the storied Baghdad Museum was looted of some of the most ancient artifacts in human history. Come hear a story ripped right from the headlines as the former director of the Museum tells of the fate of the museum and its collection of priceless artifacts that are not only a loss to the people of Iraq but to all mankind.
For more information: AIA Houston
The Veracity of "Scientific" Testing on Antiquities by Conservators
February 13, 2008, 6:30PM
Columbia University, 612 Schermerhorn
Oscar Muscarella of the Metropolitan Museum of Art will examine and confront the issue of an alleged natural distinction, a dichotomy in archaeological investigations, that of the respective inherent value of alleged objective scientific vs. subjective archaeological/art historical analyses regarding genuine/forgery attributions. He will argue that both investigations are equally subjective, suffering from the very same problems, such as errors, mistakes, misinterpretation, and lies and dissimulations. Muscarella will discuss some of the reasons for this claim and present examples.
For more information: Columbia University Center for Archaeology
Protecting cultural heritage in times of armed conflict. Second Protocol To The Hague Convention – How To Make It Work?
February 7, 2008-February 8, 2008
Tallinn, Estonia
The aim of this conference is to disseminate the principles of the 1954 Hague Convention and its Protocols to the armed forces and to the personnel engaged in the protection of cultural property, and to exchange the practical experiences of implementing the Second Protocol to The Hague Convention.
For more information: Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Estonia
Location, Location, Location: the Role of Lex Situs in Modern Claims for the Return of Cultural Objects
November 30, 2007, 1:30PM-5:30PM
Pentre Moel, Crickadarn, Nr Builth Wells, Powys, LD2 3BX, United Kingdom
The world of art and antiquities continues to give rise to seminal legal decisions based on the private law of title. Despite the entry by many countries into international instruments governing claims for the return of cultural objects, claims continue to be brought and determined according to normal principles of private law applicable to commercial and cultural commodities alike. Such claims conform to a long tradition running in recent years from the Winkworth case in 1980 to two decisions involving the Islamic Republic of Iran earlier this year.
The aim of this conference is to examine the workings of the ordinary law of title in a cross-border setting and to ask whether private title claims are more effective than claims based on international treaties or other legal devices. Among the questions to be considered are the scope of the lex situs rule, its operation in two-party and three-party cases, its relation to national ownership and confiscatory laws, the justiciability of such laws in common law courts, and the case for distinct common law rules governing cultural property independently from ordinary articles of commerce. The lex situs rule will be examined in detail, both as it applies in the United Kingdom and other jurisdictions. The interrelation between the lex situs rule and international conventions (UNESCO 1970, Unidroit and the European Directive and Regulation) will also be explored. The recurrent focus will be on tangible cultural objects and the special nature of such material in modern law and policy. The conference will end with an instructive case study based on modern authority and practice.
This seminar qualifies for 3.5 hours Law Society and Bar Council CPD
For more information: The Institute of Art and Law
Layers of Meaning: Fakes, Forgeries and the Authenticity of Art
November 23, 2007, 10:00AM-5:00PM
Pentre Moel, Crickadarn, Nr Builth Wells, Powys, LD2 3BX, United Kingdom
A select committee of experts comprising lawyers, public officials, academics and art trade specialists will exchange views and information on legal and other concerns relating to issues of authenticity of antiquities and works of art. Subjects to be addressed include:
• English civil law and civil actions in respect of fakes and non-authentic works
• The criminal investigation and prosecution of those responsible for fakes and forged works
• The liability of auction houses in the sale of fake or forged artworks (England and France) with detailed consideration of the case of Thomson v. Christie, Manson & Woods
• The continued expansion of the criminal market for fakes and forgeries; Russian and Aboriginal cases, and examination of the causes and cures
• What law applies in cases of an international nature?
• Conditional Fee Arrangements and ATE Insurance in ‘fake’ claims
The proceedings will be chaired by Philip Barden (Devonshires) and speakers will include Professor Norman Palmer (Barrister), Professor Brian Harvey, Rebecca Hossack (Rebecca Hossack Gallery), Tamara Oppenheimer (Barrister), Nicholas Queree, Sgt Vernon Rapley (Scotland Yard), Ian Snaith (University of Leicester), Dr Sophie Vigneron (University of Kent), Olga Yudina Mazure (formerly Hermitage Museum)
This seminar qualifies for 5 hours Law Society and Bar Council CPD.
For more information: The Institute of Art and Law
Objects and Sites as Cultural Property: The Power of Cultural Heritage in a Globalized World
November 15, 2007-December 13, 2007, 4:30PM-6:30PM
Penn Humanities Forum, 3619 Locust Walk
University of Pennsylvania
In 2006-2007, the Ethnohistory Workshop Series was entitled, “Powerful Objects: How do things come to hold sway over people?” and focused upon objects as a source of power within culture. For the 2007-2008 series, we are extending this concept to that of cultural heritage and the role that objects and sites have in the creation of heritage and of cultural identity.
For the past twenty years in newspapers, magazines, and museums, people have begun to identify antiquities as cultural property that should be returned to their source country. This connects to Native American human remains and sacred objects that are being returned to indigenous groups within the United States through the federal legislation of NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act). It also includes the Elgin Marbles or Parthenon Marbles that have been debated in England and Greece for many years. And more recently, illegally acquired antiquities at the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles have been identified and returned to their source country.
Rather than debate simply about antiquities, the 2007-2008 Ethnohistory Workshop will invite speakers to Penn to examine the concept of ‘cultural property’ and that of ‘sacred site.’ What makes an object a cultural property and what makes a site sacred and worthy of being preserved for the next generation?
One can ask this question of obvious material such as the Parthenon Marbles. But, one could also ask this about an object such as the Thomas Eakins painting, The Gross Clinic. Did the status of this painting change around the November 2006 announcement of a proposed sale of the painting by Jefferson University? Before that announcement, few people went to Jefferson University to see the painting; after November, it has become a star attraction at the Museums that purchased the painting. What changed?
During the year, these questions will be examined from a variety of perspectives and related to an entire series of objects and sites. Perspectives will include issues of cultural identity, human rights, cultural cohesion, symbolism, context, and legality.
October 25th, 2007
Dr. Richard Leventhal
(Prof. of Anthropology)
November 15th, 2007
Lee Rosenbaum
A.K.A. ‘CultureGrrl’
December 13th, 2007
Dr. Patty Gerstenblith
(Prof. of Law, DePaul University)
For more information: 2007-2008 Ethnohistory Workshop Series
The Future of the Past: Ethical Implications of Collecting Antiquities in the 21st Century
October 18, 2007-October 19, 2007
Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
A conference that explores the controversial world of antiquities collecting with a focus on the ethical dilemmas that abound in this complex realm. This exciting two day conference will bring together the many differing voices and opinions that surround this timely debate. Speakers will include art dealers, collectors, museum directors, and curators, representatives of source cultures, archaeologists, art historians, legal scholars and ethicists.
For more information: The future of the past
International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection’s Ninth Annual Conference
October 14, 2007-October 18, 2007
Marriott Winston-Salem, 425 North Cherry Street, Winston-Salem, NC
The theme: "Keeping Up with the Times - A Higher Level of Learning." The 2007 conference will run 3 full days, plus a special post-conference security excursion to the Biltmore Estates. In addition to several timely new general sessions, we will be adding a whole new dimension to management training with the CIPM II certification program. This advanced study course for administrators, managers, directors, and other professionals, will feature a wide range of expanded special subjects.
For more information: IFCPP
International Legal Issues: The Current Debate over the Immunity of Foreign Cultural Property from Suit in the United States
October 8, 2007, 4:00PM-6:00PM
American University Washington College of Law 801 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Room 603, Washington DC
This program will present current issues concerning the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), which codified the restrictive theory of sovereign immunity providing that a foreign state and its agencies and instrumentalities have only limited immunity from suit in the United States. Particularly within the context of cases involving stolen or looted art, the FSIA has recently been subject to new and important interpretations of the statute that have had the apparent effect of broadening the circumstances in which a foreign sovereign may be held to account in a U.S. court. The panelists will discuss the text and legislative history of the FSIA, and survey recent cases affecting its application. The program will concentrate specifically on the FSIA's impact in stolen art cases, where U.S. plaintiffs endeavor to recover stolen or looted art from foreign countries by filing suit in the U.S. The complex historical facts often involved in such cases offer a particularly interesting and unique context for the application of the FSIA.
For more information: Special Events & Continuing Legal Education
The International Movement of Art & Cultural Property
October 4, 2007, 4:00PM-5:30PM
The Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London, England
A panel discussion sponsored by the International Cultural Property
Committee of the Section of International Law & Practice of the American Bar Association.
Museums around the globe confront numerous obstacles in dealing with claims made on the art works and cultural objects in their collections. In some cases, works may have been placed on loan years ago and a museum may not know the current owner or may be presented with a claim to restore the works to the lender. Museums must also safeguard the ownership rights of victims of theft, including nations whose antiquities have been illegally excavated and removed and Holocaust victims and their heirs whose art properties were stolen during World War II. Finally, works on loan may be claimed to satisfy judgments received against the owner. In the United States, the ability of museums to remove art works from their collections through deaccessioning depends on laws that vary from state to state. The problem is more complicated in countries where museums are prohibited by law to remove any works from their collections. This panel will address issues of deaccessioning, long-term loans, and return guarantees for works on international loan and consider policies that may lead to greater cooperation in this complicated area of international law.
Speakers:
Lawrence M. Shindell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, ARIS
Corporation, Milwaukee, WI
Norman Palmer, Rowe & Maw Professor of Commercial Law, Faculty of Laws,
University College, London, England
Patty Gerstenblith, Professor, DePaul University College of Law, Chicago, IL
Bonnie Czegledi, Director of the Institute of Art and Cultural Heritage,
Toronto, Canada
Program Chair:
Cristian DeFrancia, Legal Adviser, Iran - United States Claims Tribunal, The
Hague, Netherlands
Moderator:
Ricardo A. St. Hilaire, Chief Prosecutor, Grafton County, Concord, New
Hampshire
For information: Bonnie Czegledi 416-929-8209; czegledi@artlaw.com
For more information: American Bar Association
Portable Antiquities in Europe and the Wider World Looting, Sharing and Collecting
July 12, 2007-July 13, 2007
The University of Pecs, Budapest, Hungary
This is a two-day international meeting dedicated to exploring the law of portable antiquities. A committee of experts comprising lawyers, public officials, archaeologists, museum experts and others will exchange views and information about legal and other developments. Experts on law, policy, ethics and practice are invited from all major jurisdictions.
For more information: University of Pecs
Fifth International Conference on Science and Technology in Archaeology and Conservation
July 7, 2007-July 12, 2007
Granada and Baeza - Spain
For more information: WATCH
American Bar Association International Cultural Property Committee Examines Collecting Chinese Art and Antiquities: Hot Trade Heats Up
May 4, 2007, 4:30PM-6:00PM
Fairmont Hotel
2401 M St NW,
Washington, DC 20037
A panel discussion sponsored by the International Cultural Property Committee of the Section of International Law & Practice of the American Bar Association and co-sponsored by the Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation. This program seeks to investigate some of the legal and ethical dilemmas of contemporary collecting in this field. China is one of the largest source countries for antiquities in the world and has requested a bilateral agreement with the United States to help curb some of the illicit trafficking of cultural property currently taking place.
Speakers:
Mr. Reid Dunavant, Doyle New York, Washington, DC
Mr. Jerome L. Hanifin, Serko Simon Gluck & Kane LLP, New York, NY
Dr. Anne Underhill, Field Museum of Natural History,
Chicago. IL
Prof. Patty Gerstenblith, DePaul University College of Law, Chicago,
IL
Program Moderator:
Bonnie Czegledi, International Art & Cultural Heritage Law, Barrister & Solicitor, and Director of the Institute of Art and Cultural Heritage, Toronto, Canada
For more information: Panel Discussion: American Bar Association International Cultural Property Committee Examines Collecting Chinese Art and Antiquities: Hot Trade Heats Up
10th US/ICOMOS International Symposium
April 18, 2007-April 21, 2007
Golden Gate Club, Presidio, San Francisco, California
Balancing Culture, Conservation, and Economic Development: Heritage Tourism in and around the Pacific Rim
For more information: ICOMOS
The Future of the Global Past
April 14, 2007, 9:30AM-6:00PM
Rm. 101 LC (Linsly-Chittenden Hall) 63 High St.
International symposium will focus on cultural property, antiquities issues and archaeological ethics. Speakers and their topics will include: Karen Polinger Foster, "Matters Past, Present and Future"; Roger Atwood, Georgetown Univ., "A Critical Look at U.S. Media Coverage of Antiquities Issues"; and Prof. Roderick McIntosh, "Riot at Jenne! Local Shield Rattled, but Unbroken."
Open to the general public. Admission: Free
For more information: Yale Conferences/Symposia
3rd Annual Ename International Colloquium: The Future of Heritage
March 21, 2007-March 24, 2007
Monasterium PoortAckere Oude Houtlei 56 9000 Ghent
A unique global forum for sharing predictions, projections, and innovative ideas about how the field of heritage will look in the coming decades.
As in previous years, we look forward to hosting a wide range of scholars, heritage professionals, educators, and community leaders for three days of stimulating discussions and reflections on the current and future state of heritage.
Please note that the early registration fee will be available until 1st of March 2007.
A number of hotels rooms have been reserved for colloquium participants at a special rate.
For more information: Ename Center
Dr. Donny George Youkhanna, "Museums and Archaeological Sites in Iraq since 2003"
March 7, 2007, 8:00PM-9:30PM
Furst Hall 535, Yeshiva University, 500 West 185th Street, New York, NY
Dr.Donny George Youkhanna, now Visiting Professor of Anthropology at SUNY Stony Brook, is the former Director of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad and former President of the Iraq Antiquities Board. He will give an eyewitness acount of the current crisis in Iraq with special focus on its impact upon the cultural treasures and institutions of Iraq.
For more information: Ruth A. Bevan
Legal Issues in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage
February 25, 2007
Marriot Hotel, Cairo, Egypt
Themed "Re-aligning the Legal Vision", this session will bring together some of the world's most respected scholars and legal professionals to discuss illegal trafficking of cultural heritage, repatriation, cultural heritage law (at the state and international level) international conventions, and conservation. SAFE will be represented at this meeting by SAFE Vice President, Ricardo A. St. Hilaire.
- Illegal trafficking of cultural heritage
- Repatriation
- Development of adequate cultural heritage State laws
- Formulation and ratification of international conventions
- Development of risk management conservation programs that include the various legal issues
For more information: National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences (NILES)
Conference on Repatriation of Cultural Heritage: Call for Papers
February 13, 2007-February 15, 2007
Nuuk, Greenland
To mark the International Polar Year of 2007 – 2008, The Greenland National Museum & Archive is hosting an international conference on repatriation of cultural heritage.
For the last couples of decades the world has witnessed an increasing number of disputes about cultural heritage ownership, and often these disputes result in claims for repatriation. What causes the disputes is the fact that ethnographic, archaeological or physical anthropological collections are often of importance to several parties simultaneously? both to the source community, who claims it by virtue of being the ?culture of origin?, and the state, museum or private institution that currently holds the material. Since most of the disputes relate to material appropriated within a colonial or otherwise occupational context, repatriation isn?t restricted to having museological implications, but touches upon a wide variety of political, legal, ethical and cultural issues.
Owing to the successful repatriation partnership between Greenland and Denmark, the Greenland National Museum & Archives wish to host an international, cross-disciplinary conference on repatriation, addressing all relevant parties: researchers and museum curators, representatives of western governments, 3rd and 4th World populations, UN agencies and other inter- and non-governmental organizations. The aim of the conference is to create understanding and mutual respect between the parties involved, in order to work out solutions and models for collaboration in future repatriation disputes.
Deadline for submitting papers or posters is November 1st, 2006. A number of the contributions will be published subsequently.
Deadline for registration is November 15th, 2006.
For more information: Conference on Repatriation of Cultural Heritage
The New Cultural Property
February 9, 2007, 9:30AM-5:30PM
McNally Ampitheater, Fordham Law School, 140 W. 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023 Reception to follow
From Baghdad to Bamiyan, from the Euphronios krater to the melodies of Enigma, cultural laims to property are at the heart of many modern debates. The Fordham International Law ournal invites you to attend a symposium exploring the legal implications of issues including he repatriation of cultural artifacts, the protection of cultural property during wartime, the rights of indigenous groups, cultural products and intellectual property, and cultural geographies.
For more information: Register online
From Poseidon's Realm: Great Art Discoveries Underwater
February 1, 2007, 6:00PM
Fullerton Hall, The Art Institute of Chicago
FREE
John Hale, University of Louisville
Thanks to the pioneering efforts of Jacques Cousteau in developing scuba equipment, the past 50 years have witnessed an explosion of interest in exploration of ancient sites in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. Shipwreck sites have been found from periods of ancient Greek history ranging from the Bronze Age to the Byzantine era.
John Hale has participated for three years with a multidisciplinary team in a search for lost ships from the Persian Wars (493-480 B.C.). The team has used modern search technology to map the sea floor at places that range from Mount Athos to the straits of Salamis near Athens, site of the most famous Greek naval victory in history. In this illustrated lecture, Dr. Hale will set the Persian War Shipwreck Survey in the wider context of current research on underwater sites ranging from classical shipsheds in the harbors of Piraeus to amphora wrecks to the discovery of individual statues.
For more information: The Art Institute of Chicago
Iraqi Museum: Past, Present and Future
December 16, 2006, 3:00PM
Funger Hall
George Washington University
2201 G street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20052
His Excellency Samir Sumaida'ie, Ambassador of Iraq to the United States and Dr. A Hadi Al Khalili. Cultural Attaché cordially request the pleasure of your company for a presentation by Dr. Donny George, formerly Chairman Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage currently Visiting Professor, Stony Brook University, New York
All are welcome
Dr. A Hadi A Khalili
Cultural Attaché
Iraqi Cultural Office
Embassy of the Republic of Iraq
1638 R St. NW, Suite 220
Washington DC, 20009
Tel (202) 986 - 2626
Fax (202) 986 - 2291
Email: Iraq_Cultural_Aattache@yahoo.com
culture@IraqiCulture-USA.org
For more information: Iraqi Cultural Office
The Looting of Antiquities in Iraq Today: What is to be done?
December 8, 2006, 2:30PM
University of Chicago Paris Center
6 rue Thomas Mann, Paris 13eme
Metro: Bibliothèque François Mitterrand (Line 14 and RER C)
Responding to the disastrous looting of the Iraq National Museum and subsequent massive and ongoing pillaging of Mesopotamian archaeological sites, the Cultural Policy Center at the University of Chicago is undertaking an initiative try to improve policies and legal regimes to better protect cultural heritage from looting in the ftermath of armed conflict. As part of that effort, the Chicago Paris Center is hosting a roundtable discussion with experts focusing on what is happening now in Iraq to that country's museums and archaeological sites, what the prospects ahead are, and what efforts are -- and are not -- being made to deal with the crisis. Participants include:
* Neil Brodie, Research Director, Illicit Antiquities Research Centre, Cambridge University.
* Lt. Col. Joris D. Kila, Network Manager for Cultural Affairs with the Civil-Military Co-operation (CIMIC) of the Netherlands Army and advisor for International Cultural Heritage.
* Guido Carducci, Chief, International Standards Section, Culture Sector, UNESCO
* Gaetano Palumbo, Director of Archaeological Conservation Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia, World Monuments Fund.
* Anna Paolini, Program Specialist for Middle East Countries, Museum Section, Division of Cultural Heritage, UNESCO
The roundtable will be moderated by Lawrence Rothfield, Faculty Director of the Cultural Policy Center and editor of Preventing Post-Combat Looting of Antiquities: Learning the Lessons of Iraq (forthcoming from Alta Mira Press in 2007).
For more information: email
Acquiring Art and Antiquities: What Every Seller and Acquirer Must Know
November 30, 2006, 6:00PM-9:00PM
House of the Association, 42 West 44th Street
Conflicts over who owns art and antiquities are very much in the news these days. This program will provide an overview of the issues attorneys, dealers, collectors, museum officials, and curators, and others need to be aware of when they are involved in international transactions in art and antiquities. The program will provide an overview of U.S. laws governing the purchase/sale/import/export of art and antiquities, the impact of foreign source countries patrimony laws, issues related to establishing the provenance of art and antiquities, and discussion of real life examples of how these laws and provenance issues have impacted transactions involving the importation of art and antiquities into the U.S.
Moderator:
JEROME L. HANIFIN
Serko Simon Gluck & Kane LLP
Speakers:
PATTY GERSTENBLITH
De Paul University College of Law
SHARON COTT
General Counsel
Metropolitan Museum of Art
JAMES WYNNE
Special Agent
Federal Bureau of Investigation
JAMES MCANDREW
Senior Special Agent
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
SHARON COHEN LEVIN
Chief, Asset Forfeiture Unit
Assistant United States Attorney
for the Southern District of New York
MICHAEL J. MCCULLOUGH
Associate Compliance Counsel
Sotheby
DEAN R. NICYPER
Flemming Zulack Williamson Zauderer LLP
HOWARD N. SPIEGLER
Chair, The Art Law Committee
Herrick, Feinstein LLP
For more information: New York City Bar
Panel Discussion at the 32nd Annual Byzantine Studies Conference: "Trade in Illicit Antiquities: Responsibilities of Scholars, Museum Curators, and Professional Organizations"
November 10, 2006, 2:00PM-3:45PM
J.C. Penney Conference Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis
The publication and exhibition of pirated antiquities raise some critical and highly controversial ethical questions which cannot be overlooked, because such scholarly work has repercussions beyond the academic community. Although the outcries against the destruction of sites and structures as a result of war and vandalism find an audience in the community of Byzantine scholars, the trade in antiquities, which is constantly fed by illegal excavations, has not yet been addressed. Therefore, this panel aims to raise consciousness about the ethical dimensions of our scholarship, the responsibilities of the academic community, and the wider implications of our professional practices. Panel members include Robert Ousterhout (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Gary Vikan (Walters Art Gallery) Malcom Bell III (University of Virginia), and Gunder Varinlioglu (University of Pennsylvania).
For more information: 2006 Byzantine Studies Conference
Thieves of Baghdad, Matthew Bogdanos
November 9, 2006, 7:00PM
NYU Law School Tishman Auditorium at Vanderbilt Hall, 40 Washington Square South, between MacDougal and Sullivan Streets
The presentation will explore the theft and looting of the Iraq Museum in April 2003 and will show more than one hundred photographs from Afghanistan and Iraq. Colonel Bogdanos will describe his team's recovery of thousands of antiquities and discuss the black market in stolen antiquities that is funding the insurgency in Iraq.
A book signing will immediately follow the lecture.
For more information: Thieves of Baghdad
Cultural Heritage and New Technologies Workshop 11
October 18, 2006-October 20, 2006
City Hall of Vienna, Austria– Wappensaalgruppe
Read pressentation from:
Bernard Frischer: The "Grand Compromise": A Hybrid Approach to Solving the Problem of Looted Art
Michael Müller-Karpe: Laundering antiquities of illegal origin: Germany’s struggle against ratifying the UNESCO convention of 1970
Sam Paley: SAFE/Saving Antiquities for Everyone: An American non-profit organization
For more information: Stadtarchäologie
Cultural Heritage Issues: The Legacy of Conquest, Colonization and Commerce
October 12, 2006-October 14, 2006
Most events are at the Collins Legal Center, Willamette University, 900 State St., Salem, Oregon
More than two dozen internationally recognized experts from Australia, Canada, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Nigeria and the United States will engage the audience in a critical dialogue about the legal and ethical dimensions of cultural heritage issues.
The conference is open to the public.
For more information: International Conference at Willamette University
Prosecuting crimes against cultural heritage: A first-hand account by a federal prosecutor and a FBI agent
October 9, 2006, 6:00PM-7:30PM
American University Washington College of Law
4801 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Room 528
The Lawyers' Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation announces a program featuring former federal prosecutor Robert Goldman and FBI agent Robert Wittman at American University?s Washington College of Law In Washington, D.C. to be held on October 9, 2007, from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. Together Mr. Goldman and Mr. Wittman are responsible for the recovery of over $150 million worth of stolen art and cultural property and have been instrumental in the prosecution and conviction of numerous individuals involved in these crimes. Mr. Goldman and Mr. Wittman will discuss their work together in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and on the FBI?s rapid deployment national Art Crime Team. This is a free event and open to the public.
You may attend the event without registering, but it would be helpful to register with Washington College of Law on their website.
For more information: LCCHP
Saving Iraqi Culture with Dr. Nada Shabout
October 5, 2006, 7:30PM
The Rothko Chapel, 1409 Sul Ross at Yupon, Houston, Texas
Dr. Nada Shabout, Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of North Texas, will discuss the damage inflicted on Iraq’s cultural artifacts by the current war and the need for their restoration. Considered one of the world's leading authorities on contemporary Iraqi art, Dr. Shabout traveled to Iraq in 2003 to construct a list of artworks missing and stolen from the Iraqi Museum of Modern Art which was damaged after the US invasion. There are up to 8,000 pieces of art missing from this Baghdad museum. However, only about 1,300 are accounted for, many of which are badly damaged. She recently received a $10,000 grant from the American Academic Research Institute to continue her research and, as she says, “reconstruct an archive out of nothing.”
For more information: The Rothko Chapel
Security of Archaeological Heritage
May 16, 2006-May 19, 2006
St. Petersburg (Russia)
The main thematic directions for the proposals are:
- Legislative base for preservation of the archaeological sites
- Archaeological heritage and capital development
- Natural processes and destruction of the archaeological sites
- Modern military actions and archaeological heritage
- Security of archaeological sites and private collecting of antiquities
All current details concerning this event are available here...
For more information: www.archcons.spb.ru
Museums and the Collecting of Antiquities -- Past, Present and Future
May 4, 2006
Bartos Forum, New York Public Library
5th Avenue and 42nd Street, New York, NY USA
A Public Symposium Organized by the Association of Art Museum Directors
The symposium will explore how museums have, and can responsibly continue to, protect, interpret and exhibit archaeological material and works of ancient art. Participants will present an overview of the contribution art museums have made to the preservation and understanding of ancient art and culture through the collecting of antiquities, and how this mission can responsibly be continued. Panelists will discuss the role of collecting in the continuing research on, and appreciation of, ancient art and culture.
Admission is free, but registration is required.
For more information: www.aamd.org/symposium/
The 2006 National Conference on Cultural Property Protection
February 26, 2006-March 1, 2006
Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA
For more information: www.ofeo.si.edu/natconf/
Protecting Cultural Heritage: International Law after the War in Iraq
February 3, 2006
The University of Chicago Law School Weymouth Kirkland Courtroom, 1111 East 60th Street, Chicago
For more information: http://culturalpolicy.uchicago.edu/protectingculturalheritage/
Canadian Cultural Property Protection Conference
January 16, 2006-January 17, 2006
Canadian War Museum in Ottawa
Canadian Museums Association's Cultural Property Protection Conference
Speakers include Dr. Peter Tarlow, Steve Keller, Alan Bell and Alain Lacoursiere.
This conference has been made possible in part through a contribution from the Museums Assistance Program, Department of Canadian Heritage.
Antiquities Law and the Protection of Cultural Heritage, Dr. Marina Papa Sokal
November 16, 2005, 7:00PM
Cohen Lounge, Dickson Hall
Archaeological Institute of America Lecture
Every day, at archaeological sites all over the world, historically important materials are destroyed and looted to feed the illicit antiquities market, the third largest underground trade after drugs and weapons. In response to this, many countries as well as international organizations have drafted laws to discourage these activities and to prosecute those who labor in this market. Dr. Papa Sokal will discuss these laws with special attention to the UNESCO convention and The Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act.
For more information about the lecture, please contact Dr. Senta German, Director of the Northern New Jersey Chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America, Phone 973-655-7078, email, germans@mail.montclair.edu .
The International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection (IFCPP) Seventh Annual Conference, Certification Programs, Seminar, and Exhibits.
November 13, 2005-November 17, 2005
Wyndham Orlando Resort, Orlando Florida
Co-Hosted by the Institute for Terrorism Research and Response (ITRR), and the International Association for Tourism Security
(IATS), this event promises to be the best yet in cultural property,
hospitality industry, and tourism protection programs.
Schedule: Nov. 13 - Institute for Terrorism Research & Response full-day workshop
Nov. 13 - Exhibits & Welcome Reception
Nov. 14-16 - General Sessions & Certification
Nov. 17 - Special Workshops
Other - pool party, seafood dinner, discounts to attractions
Call 1-800-257-6717.
For more information: http://www.ifcpp.org/
World Cultural Heritage and new technologies City Hall of Vienna First Call for Papers
November 7, 2005-November 10, 2005
Main Topics
- UNESCO - World Cultural Heritage (documentation,presentation and
conservation)
- What has changed in the past 10 years in the field of cultural
heritage and information and communication-technologies? - Chair:
David Bibby, Germany/Willem Beex, The Netherlands
- What about the future of GIS, VRM, Internet, Photogrammtrie aso. on
the field of cultural heritage? - Chair: Bernie Frischer, USA / ??
2 Workshops
W1 - How to publish "old" excavations with new technologies - Chair:
S. Paley, USA
W2 - Tourism - Cultural Heritage and EDP, continuation of the last
year - Chair: Oleg Missikoff, Italy / Wolfgang Börner, Austria
You will get more informations about the main topics and the
workshops in the next days on our new homepage
http://www.stadtarchaeologie.at , click on "Tagung" and there you
find also the pages on english
Call for Papers
Please send your "abstract" until May 20, 2005 to
mailto:kongrarchae@m07.magwien.gv.at - please do not forget to
specify to which topic your paper belongs (see contents)! - please do
not forget to register
Guideline: minimum 200, maximum 300 words
Notification of Lectors: May 30, 2005
If you have further questions, contact
Mag. Wolfgang Börner
Magistrat der Stadt Wien
Magistratsabteilung 7 - Kultur
Referat "Kulturelles Erbe" - Stadtarchäologie
Friedrich-Schmidt-Platz 5/1, A-1080 Wien
Tel. 0043 (0)1 4000 81176
Fax: 0043 (0)1 4000 99 81177
mailto:bor@m07.magwien.gv.at
mailto:cultherit@m07.magwien.gv.at
http://www.wien.gv.at/ma07/buerger.htm (Wie war Wien? - BĂĽrger/innen schreiben Geschichte)
http://www.stadtarchaeologie.at
Strategies for the future of culture: Dresden in global context
October 27, 2005-October 29, 2005
New York University school of Continuing and Professional
Studies
Dresden, Germany
This conference will examine how cultural creation, display and preservation will evolve in the 21st century. Speakers will address
the impact of terrorism, increasing urbanism, political instability and ecological disasters on cultural institutions, as well as preventing
looting, legal ownership of objects or sites versus the notion of stewardship, and the ramifications of the increasing cost of protecting cultural property.
Speakers include Neal Brodie on "A delicate balance: cultural heritage and its relationship to archaeology", John Malcolm Russell on "Perils and prospects: case studies from Iraq", and Lawrence M. Kaye on "Resolving stolen art and cultural property claims: a litigator's
perspective".
The Threat to Iraq's Cultural Heritage--Current Status and Future Prospects
July 5, 2005
Workshop organized by the Oriental Institute's Iraq Working Group in conjunction with the 51st Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale) ..
Statement by Michael MĂĽller-Karpe, condemning the looting of archaeological sites in Iraq and specifically urges scholars worldwide ".....to refrain from providing expertise to the antiquities market and to private collectors, unless the artifacts in question can be proven to be neither excavated illegally nor exported without permission." The statement was signed by 46 attendees of the workshop.
Colleagues who wish to add their names to this statement should contact Clemens Reichel.
The Looting of the Iraq Museum: The Lost Legacy of Ancient Mesopotamia
May 31, 2005, 6:00PM
The National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South (212) 475-3424. Free admission
ed. by Milbry Polk & Angela M. H. Schuster and forward by Donny George (published by Abrams)
Dr. Donny George, Director of the Iraq Museum, discussed the looting that happened in April 2003 and the ongoing looting of the major archaeological sites in Iraq in a series of lectures and book signings:
New York—May 31, 2005, 6pm The National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South (212) 475-3424. Free admission
Listen to interviews with Dr. Donny George on NPR:
The Looting and Recovery of Iraqi Treasures Talk of the Nation, May 26, 2005
The Leonard Lopate Show, Lost Legacies, May 31, 2005
Chicago—June 1, 2005, 7pm The Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL. Tickets: $16, students/educators $14, members of FM or Oriental Institute $12. Pre-registration required (312) 665-7400
Boston—June 2, 6pm Harvard University Art Museum, Sackler lecture hall. (617) 495-4544 Free admission. June 3, 10:30am Remis Auditorium, Museum of Fine Arts, Avenue of the Arts, 465 Huntington Avenue. Tickets: $10 members, seniors, students; $13 non-members, general admission. To purchase tickets, call (617)369-3306
8th Annual US/ICOMOS International Symposium
May 5, 2005-May 8, 2005
Charleston, South Carolina
HERITAGE INTERPRETATION
Expressing Heritage Sites Values to Foster Conservation, Promote Community Development and Educate the Public
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS:
The US/ICOMOS Symposium Content Committee hereby issues a global call for abstracts from which to select speakers at the 8th International Symposium.
PROCEDURES:Abstracts of 500 words, in English only, plus one optional illustration, maximum Abstracts will be accepted up to 8:00 a.m. 2 January 2005 / Washington (USA) time. Email is preferred method of transmission (Microsoft Word format only), but faxes will be accepted.
Submit your abstract with your contact information (name, institutional affiliation if any, mailing address, phone, fax and e-mail, ALL WRITTEN ON THE TOP OF THE SAME PAGE AS THE ABSTRACT
Email to: garaoz@usicomos.org
Fax to : 1-202-842-1861
Authors selected to present their papers will be notified by 1 February 2005 and given the proper technical instructions for the final submittal and at that time, they will also be informed of any monetary travel stipend that may be offered. Full final paper and illustrations, in electronic format will be due in US/ICOMOS by 15 April 2005.
Film and discussion : Robbing the Cradle of Civilization: The Looting of Iraq's Ancient Treasures, FREE
May 1, 2005, 2:00PM
Join McGuire Gibson, Professor of Mesopotamian Archaeology, for a special showing and discussion of an important new documentary film produced by Robert Benger for the Canadian Broadcasting Company. Robbing the Cradle of Civilization takes us into the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad to see the tragic losses from seven days of pillage. Part detective story, part historical thriller, part archaeological tragedy, this film is a dramatic depiction of Bender's premise that if the first casualty of war is truth, the second casualty is history. Professor Gibson will introduce the film and answer questions following the screening.
Professor Irene Winter
April 10, 2005
Professor Irene Winter will be presenting the 54th A.W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts, a series of six lectures entitled "Great Work: Terms of Aesthetic Experience in Ancient Mesopotamia"
For more information: The details of the lecture series can be viewed here
The National Conference on Cultural Property Protection
February 20, 2005-February 23, 2005
The Flaimgo Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
The theme for this years conference is:
"Don't gamble w/cultural property protection"
If you need assistance please contact:
Donna Taylor or JJ Mclaughlin at 202-357-3375
For more information: http://natconf.si.edu
Cultural Property Advisory Committee to Meet on China
February 17, 2005
The Cultural Property Advisory Committee will meet to consider the request from the People's Republic of China on February 17, 2005, from approximately 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Friday, February 18, 2005, from approximately 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Department of State, Annex 44, Room 840, 301 4th St., SW., Washington, DC.
On February 17, the Committee will hold an open session, approximately 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., to receive oral public comment on the China request. Persons wishing to attend this open session should notify the Cultural Heritage Center of the Department of State at (202) 619-6612 by Friday, February 4, 2005, 5 p.m. (e.s.t.) to arrange for admission, as seating is limited.
Those who wish to make oral statements or submit written materials to the Committee should consult the Federal Register notice for instructions.
For more information: http://exchanges.state.gov/culprop/whatsnew.html
Mesopotamia Endangered - Witnessing the Loss of History, sponsored by (TAARII)
February 17, 2005
Columbia University, New York, New York
LECTURER: Joanne Farchakh
With a short video and a Powerpoint presentation, Joanne Farchakh will give vivid details of the on-going destruction of Iraq's archaeological sites in the Sumerian heartland. She has been documenting this story since the mid-1990s, when looting of a few sites became known to the Iraqi State Organization of Antiquities and Heritage. At that time, emergency funding to SOAH made possible the salvage excavation at Umma, Umm al-Aqarib, Zabalam, and several other sites The public buildings revealed at these sites were impressive and added greatly to the history of Mesopotamian architecture. More important, for the first time these sites, some of which had been the subject of illegal excavation on a relatively small scale in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, were excavated scientifically for the first time. On the day that the 2003 war began, looters went out to the sites in great numbers, drove off the Antiquities guards, and began digging on an industrial scale. The looting has continued until the present, with little hindrance. The looting is spreading to other areas and efforts by the Antiquities service to stop it are just beginning.
Joanne Farchakh is a Lebanese archaeologist and journalist who has has made frequent reporting trips to Iraq in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
She holds a B.A in Art & Archaeology (1996) and M.A in Journalism (1998) from the Lebanese University in Beirut. She has excavated in Lebanon (Beirut, 1993-1996) and in Syria (Um el-Tellal, 1997).
She is Mideast correspondent for Archeologia magazine and her reports have appeared in the Daily Star, L'Orient-Le Jour and Al-Athar (Beirut), in Archéologia, Revue du Patrimoine Mondial and Museum International (Paris), and in Archaeology Magazine (USA).
She has presented papers on her work in Iraq at the World Archaeological Congress (Washington D.C., 2003), at the Global Heritage Fund Workshop on Iraqi Heritage, (Petra, Jordan, June 2004), and at the International Symposium for Cultural Heritage Protection (Istanbul, Turkey, July 2004).
Her lecture tour of the United States in early 2005 has been organized by The American Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TAARII) and includes stops at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania, the Smithsonian Institution, the University of Michigan, the University of Chicago-Oriental Institute, University of California-Berkeley, Getty Conservation Institute, and Stanford University.
The fifth meeting of the Ancient Near Eastern Seminar for the 2004-05 academic year
January 26, 2005
Prof. Andrzej Rozwadowski
Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan
& Visiting Fulbright Scholar at the Anthropology Department, Arizona State University, Tempe
"Forgotten Images and Living Symbols: Decoding the Message in the Rock Art of Central Asia"
Rock art has been created for thousands of years in Central Asia and is related to a rich mosaic of diverse ethnic, religious, and economic traditions, starting with the Indo-Iranian Bronze Age, through the Early Nomadic peoples of the Iron Age, to the Arab conquest. Each of these traditions had distinctive influences on the rock art, allowing some decoding of the symbolic content. Since ancient times, however, Central Asian societies have typically adopted new symbols from the old cultural background, so that rock art imagery, though originally created in a specific context, has often functioned in different symbolic contexts. This issue can be demonstrated using three examples: Indo-Iranian, shamanistic, and Islamic. It is argued that Indo-Iranian and shamanistic models share enough common features to make it difficult to separate them culturally, yet symbolic values associated with some of these ancient rock images have been transmitted into the sphere of folk culture, which currently constitutes an important component of Central Asian Islam.
The meeting will be held at the Columbia University Faculty House (117th Street at Morningside Drive; enter from 116th Street behind the Law School). The lecture begins at 5:30 PM (drinks at 5:00), followed by dinner with the panelists at 7:00 PM. If you wish to make dinner reservations (they are necessary), please contact our seminar rapporteur, Lee Ullmann and for those without internet access, a phone call to me will be fine [(718) 817-3854]. Faculty House rules require that dinner reservations be made two weeks in advance, so please do not wait until the last moment to make yours.
The seminar schedule for the rest of the academic year is as follows:
February 22, 2005 (Tuesday)- Fredrik T. Hiebert (Univ of Pennsylvania)
March 22, 2005 (Tuesday)-Aslihan Yener (Univ of Chicago)
April 20, 2005 (Wednesday)- Catharine Roehrig (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Iraq's Cultural Heritage Challenges and Opportunities
December 2, 2004, 6:30PM
Gallery, 77 Cowcross Street, London EC1M 6EJ, UK. Nearest Tube is Farringdon.
The annual ICOMOS-UK Christmas Lecture and Gathering will be held in association with the British School of Archaeology in Iraq
We are very pleased that Dr. Lamia al-Gailani Werr, an Iraqi born
archaeologist, has offered to give a talk on her recent experiences working for the Iraqi Reconstruction and Development Council in Baghdad. We hope that the talk will provide an opportunity to understand the difficulties the Iraq State Board of Antiquities have faced during the last few years, but also offer suggestions for the way forward for the protection and management of Iraq\'s cultural heritage. As usual there will be time for a discussion
after the talk.
Admission is ÂŁ12.50 for members of ICOMOS-UK and members of the British School if Archaeology in Iraq. Admission for non-members is ÂŁ15 and for students it is ÂŁ8. Admission includes wine and mince pies after the talk.
For more details of this event or to buy a ticket, please contact:
Mrs Rikke Osterlund
International Council on Monuments & Sites UK
70 Cowcross Street
London EC1M 6EJ
Tel +44-20-7566-0031
Fax +44-20-7566-0045
Email rikkeosterlund@icomos-uk.org
For more information: Click here for the final notice
