29
Oct 2015Congratulations to AAMD: a new initiative to safeguard heritage
In consideration of the scale of destruction of cultural property in recent times the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) has recently published protocols for Safe Havens for Works of Cultural Significance from Countries in Crisis. These provide a guide to help cultural institutions safeguard irreplaceable artworks and archaeological treasures from damage, destruction, and looting during violent conflicts and other crises. They provide for safe…
25
Oct 2015Foundations of Risk Analysis
The Society for Risk Analysis invites you to take advantage of free access to a Special Virtual Issue of the Journal Risk Analysis: “Foundations of Risk Analysis.” This will be freely available through the remainder of 2015 at the Wiley Online Library site here. This special issue, edited by Terje Aven and Louis Anthony (Tony) Cox, Jr., includes 28 contributions from past issues of Risk…
15
Dec 2014Dissociation – losing our mind(s)
or the importance of professional collection care Preserving objects requires: seeing the objects as having value keeping the objects safe and secure Human remains are almost universally seen as having value, certainly in a Western culture. So how is it possible that approximately 100 human brains were lost? Or, as clarified in a press release (December 3, 2014), how could these samples have been deemed biological waste…
23
Oct 2014World Disasters Report 2014 – Focus on Culture and Risk
Learning about multiple rationalities and risk reduction All over the world, communities live exposed to hazards and disasters. And each community has its own cultural heritage to protect. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) released its World Disasters Report 2014 – Focus on Culture and Risk on October 16. These reports, which focus on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), are a…
22
Jun 2014Is your investment in emergency preparedness growing with the challenge?
Over just the last three decades, the average annual cost of natural disasters has quadrupled. At the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, Kristina Georgieva — European Commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis response — reported that only 4% of spending on natural disasters is directed to preparedness. While we don’t know what the investment ratio is for heritage organizations,…
07
May 2014Cyber Attacks: The Newest Threat to Cultural Property
In the digital age, a new threat presents risks to our cultural collections. With the rise of cyber attacks, heritage protection professionals must ask new questions to ensure the safety of their collections. Is your collection’s digital data backed up and safeguarded by up-to-date security? Meticulous records and digital files can be swept away, impossible to recover or replace. Within the comprehensive Cultural Property Risk…
16
Mar 2014Protect Your Collection from Adverse Environmental Conditions – Sustainably!
Are you a small institution with a mixed collection? Do you want to better understand temperature and humidity requirements for your collection? Are you committed to a sustainable future? Protect Heritage is pleased to announce the launch of a new service! Environment impacts every aspect of collection preservation. Without an organized understanding of your collection’s environmental requirements, you may be spending unnecessary energy and resources, or…
02
Feb 2014Monuments Men Movie on the Horizon
The upcoming film The Monuments Men, starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman and Cate Blanchett, features a new take on World War II heroism. An Allied platoon infiltrated Germany in the closing months of the war. Their mission? Heritage protection. Based on Robert M. Edsel’s 2009 novel by the same name, the story details the systematic theft of artwork by the Nazis and…
14
Jan 2014A Chance for You to Help Protect Our Heritage – Treasure Caretaker Training: Digital Monastery Project
You can make a difference – together we can help prevent this kind of damage and loss. Too many pieces of our global heritage are being lost because their caretakers lack the skills and knowledge to safeguard them. The pilot initiative Treasure Caretaker Training: Digital Monastery Project will train monks and nuns in Bhutan in the proper care and digital recording of art and icons…
08
Jan 2014Do Museum-Hosted Events Risk the Safety of Collections?
As with many questions of heritage preservation, the answer is both ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ Events hosted by the museum can certainly represent a risk to collection safety. Museum professionals easily imagine and often (sadly) remember incidents related to fire, theft, physical damage, pests, and so on. However, damage to collection is often less closely tied to events than more long-term risks resulting from reduced community…