Panel discussions
and lectures

Books

Conferences

Fundraisers

Parties

Candlelight Vigils

Past events

Heritage Conserved and Contested: Asian and European Perspectives

June 19, 2011-June 26, 2011
Leiden and Amsterdam, Netherlands

The 6-day training program will be led by two major scholars on the theory of cultural heritage: Prof. Michael Herzfeld from Harvard, and Prof. Wickramasinghe from Leiden. Participants will interact with a number of cultural and conservation institution, including archaeologists and museum curators. They will also be coached by the co-leaders in view of presenting their personal work at an international conference, that is also part of the summer school package. IIAS is covering all the local expenses (accommodation, meal, training, local transports, etc.) and is only asking for a 200 Euro registration fee per participant, once their dossier has been accepted. International transport will need to be covered by the participants.

Registration is now open! Registration closes on the 15th of January 2011

For more information: Summer Programme in Asian Studies

Why does the past matter?

May 4, 2011-May 7, 2011
UMass Amherst CampusAmherst, MA, United States

The goal of this conference is to bring together a wide range of academics, public officials, heritage professionals, and community leaders to examine the practical value of the past—by means of a serious humanities and social science reexamination through four distinct thematic lenses. The aim of each is to assess the contemporary social impacts of the study and communication of heritage.

For more information: The University of Massachusetts Amherst Center for Heritage and Society

Other Views: Art History in (South) Africa and the Global South

January 12, 2011-January 15, 2011
University of the WitwatersrandJohannesburg, South Africa

Final call for papers: OTHER VIEWS: ART HISTORY IN (SOUTH) AFRICA AND THE GLOBAL SOUTH
A colloquium organised by the South African Visual Arts Historians (SAVAH) under the aegis of the Comité International d’Histoire de l’Art (CIHA), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 12-15 January 2011

The colloquium addresses concerns about the unequal distribution of resources around the globe and challenges from postcolonial societies to the older methods and concepts of Western art history. These challenges have relevance in South Africa, Africa and the Global South, which in this context is a cultural construct rather than a geographic term. It refers to communities and artistic production, throughout history and across nations, which, within the dominant narratives of Western art, have been ignored, marginalised, displaced and appropriated.

Papers are invited that address any of the topics outlined in the panels below.  Abstracts, up to 250 words in length, must be submitted by email in English, and must include the author’s institutional affiliation and relevant contact details.  The final length of individual papers must not exceed 3,000 words, in order to fit into the strict 20 minute time limit per presentation. Abstracts should be sent directly to the panel organisers, copying the Chairperson of SAVAH, Federico Freschi, federico.freschi@wits.ac.za. ABSTRACTS WILL BE ACCEPTED UNTIL 31 JULY 2010.

1.    INTERROGATING WESTERN PARADIGMS
1.1    Modernist primitivism and indigenous modernisms: transnational
discourse and local art histories
1.2    Rethinking authenticity in African art

2.    INTERROGATING THE POSTCOLONIAL
2.1    Art as an act of decolonisation: perspectives from and on the Global South
2.2    About the epistemological and political consequences of some uses of the ‘Latin American Art’ label

3.    INTERROGATING THE GLOBAL SOUTH
3.1    Problematising the Global South

4.    THE POLITICS OF DISPLAY AND COLLECTING
4.1    Changing museums, changing art histories
4.2    Africa, Africanness, and their representation in the contemporary
mega-exhibition

5.    CULTURAL PRODUCTION
5.1    Where to put baskets in an art gallery?  The place of traditional
cultures in art history
5.2    Tradition and innovation in Southern African textiles

6.    ART AND ‘PRE-HISTORY’
6.1    Archaeologies of art

7.    POWER AND POLITICS
7.1    Architecture and landscape

8.    CONSTRUCTING IDENTITIES
8.1    Unsettling hierarchies: women artists in South Africa
8.2    Clothing, cultures, classifications: inventing self and other through
dress
8.3    Who is entitled to tell the black artist’s story in South Africa?

9.    PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH
9.1    Between Seeing and Believing: Documentary and Archival Practices in the Global South

For more information: Final Call for Papers: Other Views: Art History in (South) Africa and the Global South

World Universities Congress

October 20, 2010-October 24, 2010
Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart UniversityÇanakkale, Turkey

For more information: World Universities Congress - Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University

Engaging in the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (EPOCH) Student Symposium

September 24, 2010-September 25, 2010
The University of Texas at Austin, School of InformationAustin, TX, United States

The first annual Engaging in the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (EPOCH) student symposium aims to bring together an international group of graduate students who are involved in the research and practice of protecting cultural heritage. In order to prevent the loss of material and intangible culture due to both human and natural causes, EPOCH will engage a new generation of scholars in the practices and methodologies necessary to preserve our cultural legacies for today and the future. Hosted by The University of Texas at Austin's School Information, this two-day conference will allow students from diverse backgrounds in heritage protection studies (including library and archival science, museum studies, architecture history, anthropology, and art conservation) to share findings, pose questions, and develop collegial networks. We hope you can join us!

For more information: EPOCH Student Symposium

Archaeologies of Yeronisos off Cyprus: the Island beyond the Island

September 24, 2010-September 25, 2010, 6:00PM
Hemmerdinger Hall, Silver Center for Arts and Science, Room 102, 32 Waverly Place or 31 Washington PlaceNew York, New York, United States

Friday, September 24, 2010

6:00 P.M. Welcome
Matthew S. Santirocco, Seryl Kushner Dean, College of Arts and Science, and Angelo J. Ranieri Director of Ancient Studies, NYU

6:10 P.M. Greetings
John Brademas, President Emeritus, NYU

6:15 P.M. Remarks
His Excellency the President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias

6:30 P.M. Keynote Address:  The Charles and Ritchie Markoe Scribner (WSUC ’76) Distinguished Lecture in the History of Art
Saving and Exploring Yeronisos: A Cyprus-American Collaboration
Sophocles Hadjisavvas, Former Director, Department of Antiquities of Cyprus
Joan Breton Connelly, Professor of Classics, NYU and Director, NYU Yeronisos Island Excavations

7:25 P.M. The Gift of History
Charles Scribner, III, Friends of Yeronisos

7:30 P.M. Food & Wine Reception hosted by the Cyprus Embassy Trade Center, NY

Saturday, September 25, 2010

10:00 A.M. Session I
The Potential Role of Island Ecology in Island Archaeology
Peter P. Blanchard, III, Maine Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, Volunteer; Former Island Steward for Coastal Preserves

Yeronisos and the Archaeologies of Cult: Chalcolithic and Hellenistic, Cypriot and Egyptian
Joan Breton Connelly

Clearchus's Journey from Soloi to Ai Khanum: a Peripatetic tale of Old Cyprus
Paul Cartledge, Hellenic Parliament Global Distinguished Professor in the History and Theory of Democracy, NYU; A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture, Cambridge University

Chair: Sophocles Hadjisavvas

12:30 P.M. Lunch Break

2:00 P.M. Session II:
Late Hellenistic Ceramics in the Eastern Mediterranean: The Special Contribution of Yeronisos
Jolanta Mlynarczyk, Professor and Head, Division of Near Eastern Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw

Glass Finds from Yeronisos:  Connections with the Phoenician/Palestinian Coast
Mariusz Burdajewicz, Keeper, Department of Near Eastern Christian Art, National Museum in Warsaw

Yeronisos and the Early Byzantine Art and Architecture of Western Cyprus
Charalampos G. Chotzakoglou, Professor of Byzantine Art and Architecture, Hellenic Open University; Director of the World Forum of Religions and Cultures of the Kykkos Monastery, Nicosia

Chair: Joan Breton Connelly

Co-sponsored by the Cyprus Embassy Trade Center, New York; the Cultural Services of the Ministry and Culture of the Republic of Cyprus; the Panpaphian Association of America, Inc.; the Friends of Yeronisos; and the NYU Department of Classics and Department of Art History.

The event is free of charge and open to the public, and seating is by general admission.  For more information, please call 212-998-8100 or email ken.kidd@nyu.edu.

For more information: NYU Ancient Studies Events

Museums and Restitution International Conference

July 8, 2010-July 9, 2010
Manchester MuseumManchester, United Kingdom

Museums and Restitution is a two-day international conference organised by the Centre for Museology and The Manchester Museum at the University of Manchester. The conference examines the issue of restitution in relation to the changing role and authority of the museum, focusing on new ways in which these institutions are addressing the subject.

Restitution is one of the most emotive and complex issues facing the museum world in the twenty first century. Its current high profile reflects changing global power relations and the increasingly vocal criticisms of the historical concentration on the world's heritage in the museums of the West. The 2002 Declaration of Importance and Value of Universal Museums, which was signed by the directors of eighteen of the world's most prominent museums, pushed the subject to the forefront of debate as never before.

Over recent years, the issue of restitution has taken on a new complexion with different processes emerging. We have seen an increasing emphasis on museums working with source communities, and with new forms of restitution other than object restitution- such as visual and knowledge restitution. The language of discussion too has changed, with the term 'reunification', for example, rather than 'repatriation' now often being used in relation to the Parthenon Marbles. The opening of New Acropolis Museum in Athens in June 2009 has added a further dimension to the debates. We are also seeing new countries gaining an increasing prominence in restitution debates: for example, the official response from the government of the People's Republic of China to Yves Saint Laurent auction of Chinese looted bronzes at Christie's in Paris March 2009. This is a trend clearly set to continue.

This conference will bring together museum professionals and academics from a wide range of fields (including museology, archaeology, anthropology, art history and cultural policy) to share ideas on contemporary approaches to restitution from the viewpoint of museums.

For more information: Museums and Restitution International Conference, University of Manchester

The Past Refound: Using Virtual Reality to Recreate Ancient Worlds

April 22, 2010, 6:30PM
National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, (212) 475-3424New York, NY, United States

Cultural Heritage Now: Prospects, Directions, Futures | A Public Conversation

April 10, 2010, 10:00AM-5:00PM
Scholarly Communication Center, Alexander Library, Rutgers University, 169 College AvenueNew Brunswick, NJ, United States

For more information: Events - Cultural Heritage Now: Prospects, Directions, Futures | A Public Conversation

Who Protects Antiquity

April 7, 2010, 6:30PM-8:00PM
Proshansky Auditorium, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth AvenueNew York, United States

A panel discussion with James Cuno, Lawrence Rothfield and Larry Coben regarding preservation, looting, the role of museums and archaeologists, and numerous other issues.

For more information: CUNY Graduate Center

Archaeology in Conflict

April 6, 2010-April 10, 2010
Vienna International Center, UN CityVienna, Austria

The protection of cultural heritage is not merely about monuments and artifacts but about people and identity. Consequently, preserving cultural heritage is not about the past but concerns the present and future of humankind.

The history of the past 25 years demonstrates that, despite international conventions and public awareness, archaeological heritage and cultural property are increasingly becoming targets of high priority in armed conflicts and the “cultural cleansing” of whole regions one of the prime goals of warfare. Around the whole world, such armed conflicts often form the context and the incentive for the looting and destruction of archaeological sites as well as religious buildings and cultural institutions, such as libraries, archives, and museums. The targeting, looting and destruction of cultural property connected to armed conflicts threatens scientific investigation on, conservation of, and general access to cultural heritage.

Scholars – archaeologists as well as cultural heritage professionals – must consider their role and involvement in the protection of cultural property, facing the challenge of the new conflict scenarios. Today’s connections between academia, civil society, government, and the military have to be critically assessed at the beginning of the 21st century. Against the backdrop of recent experiences in former Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places in the world, archaeology faces pressing ethical, epistemological and even existential questions that demand serious attention in a constructive, systematic manner.

For more information: Archaeology in Conflict

Who Owns Underwater Cultural Heritage?: Perspectives on archaeological law and ethics in the Mediterranean

March 26, 2010-March 27, 2010
Penn Museum, Rainey AuditoriumPhiladelphia, United States

March 26, 6:30 PM: Keynote Lecture 

"The Million-Piece Jig-Saw Puzzle: Excavating a Cargo of Medieval Glass" by George F. Bass

March 27, 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM: Public Lectures and Discussion 

Archaeologists working in territorial and international waters discuss which legal and ethical standards direct our collective responsibility as stewards of world cultural heritage and address the guidelines for archaeological practice outlined in the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, which took effect in 2009. Co-sponsored by the Penn Cultural Heritage Center.

participants include:

MARIANO AZNAR GÓMEZ, Dept. of Public International Law, Universitat Jaume I, Spain

GEORGE F. BASS, Professor Emeritus, Texas A&M University, USA

DAVID J. BLACKMAN, Oxford University, UK

BRIDGET A. BUXTON, Institute of Archaeological Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, USA

BRIAN I. DANIELS, Cultural Heritage Center, University of Pennsylvania, USA

JAMES P. DELGADO, Institute of Nautical Archaeology, USA

KATERINA DELLAPORTA, 2nd Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities, Ministry of Culture, Greece

NIC FLEMMING, National Oceanography Centre, UK

ANDREJ GASPARI, Military Museum of Slovenia & Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, Slovenia

ELIZABETH S. GREENE, Dept. of Classics, Brock University, Canada

WILLIAM KRIEGER, Institute of Archaeological Oceanography,University of Rhode Island, USA

JUSTIN LEIDWANGER, Art & Archaeology of the Mediterranean World, University of Pennsylvania, USA

RICHARD M. LEVENTHAL, Cultural Heritage Center, University of Pennsylvania, USA

IRENA RADIÇ ROSSI, Dept. of Archaeology, University of Zadar, Croatia

VASIF ŞAHOGLU, Research Center for Maritime Archaeology, Ankara University, Turkey

JACOB SHARVIT, Marine Archaeology Unit, Israel Antiquities Authority, Israel

AHMED SHOKRY, Supreme Council of Antiquities, Egypt

THEOTOKIS THEODHOULOU, Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities, Ministry of Culture, Greece

SEBASTIANO TUSA, Soprintendenza del Mare, Regione Sicilia, Italy

OLE VARMER, Office of General Counsel for International Law, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, USA

ANNALISA ZARATTINI, Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici del Lazio, Italy

Admission: Pay-what-you-want.

For more information: Penn Museum - Events Calendar - Who Owns Underwater Cultural Heritage? Conference

National Heritage Law Moot Court Competition

March 5, 2010-March 6, 2010
DePaul University College of LawChicago, Illinois, United States

This inaugural competition allows students the opportunity to advocate in the nuanced landscape of cultural heritage law. This dynamic and growing legal field deals with the issues that arise as our society comes to appreciate the important symbolic, historical and emotional role that cultural heritage plays in our lives. It encompasses several disparate areas: protection of archaeological sites; preservation of historic structures and the built environment; preservation of and respect for both the tangible and intangible indigenous cultural heritage; the international market in art works and antiquities; and recovery of stolen art works.

The problem for the inaugural competition will address criminal intent and statutory interpretation under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. All rounds will be held in federal courtrooms in the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse located in downtown Chicago. The judges for the final round will include members of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Registration will be capped at the first sixteen (16) teams to submit payment and the information detailed in the Competition Rules, and both must be received by November 16, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. (CST).

For more information: DePaul University College of Law

Topic: Archaeologists' Views on Collecting Antiquities

March 4, 2010, 7:15PM
George Washington University, location TBAWashington, D.C., United States

Lecture given by Malcolm Bell, Ph.D., Professor, Greek Art and Archaeology, University of Virginia, Former Vice President for Professional Responsibilities, Archaeological Institute of America 

For more information: Museums and Antiquities

Ransacking Iraq: The Destruction of the Iraqi National Museum by Magnus Bernhardsson

March 2, 2010, 7:00PM
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 225 South StreetWilliamstown, MA, United States

For more information: Monuments in Peril Series Continues with "Ransacking Iraq"

The Looting of the Iraq Museum: An Evening with Dr. Donny George Youkhanna

February 24, 2010, 6:30PM
American Museum of Natural History, Linder theater, first floorNew York, NY, United States

In this special presentation, Donny George Youkhanna will share his unique perspectives on the current archaeological and museum conditions in Iraq. As Director General of the Iraq National Museum in Baghdad, Dr. Youkhanna as instrumental in the recovery of thousands of Mesopotamian artworks and artifacts looted during the U.S. invasion in 2003. He was also the Chairman of the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) and president of the Iraq State Board of Antiquities and Heritage. In 2006, he was forced to leave Iraq and is now a visiting professor at the Sate University of New York, Stony Brook. 

For more information: The Silk Road - Ancient Pathway to the Modern World

National Conference on Cultural Property Protection

February 21, 2010-February 24, 2010
Crystal Gateway MarriottArlington, Virginia, United States

The Conference began as an idea of Robert B. Burke, founder and first director of the Office of Protection Services at the Smithsonian Institution. In 1977, just 20 people from the Smithsonian gathered for the inaugural Conference. Now, three decades later, the Conference unites roughly 150 participants from large and small cultural organizations across the United States and abroad. We honor these humble beginnings and pay tribute to the founder through the annual Robert B.Burke Award.

A volunteer board of directors provides oversight and ideas for the National Conference on Cultural Property Protection. James J. McLaughlin, Director of the Smithsonian Institution's Office of Protection Services, serves as Chair.

For more information: National Conference on Cultural Property Protection, 2010

Museums and the Market: Preserving the Past by Regulating the Market in Antiquities

February 18, 2010, 7:15PM
George Washington University, location TBAWashington, D.C., United States

Lecture given by Patty Gerstenblith, Ph.D., J.D., Distinguished Research Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Art, Museum, and Cultural Heritage Law, DePaul University, and Founding President of The Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation

For more information: Museums and Antiquities

Selling the Near East: The Global Trade in Ancient Artifacts

January 13, 2010, 8:00PM
Auditorium 149, Earth Sciences Center, 5 Bancroft Avenue, University of Toronto, St George CampusToronto, Ontario, Canada

Illicit Antiquities: A scandal of our age

December 19, 2009, 2:30PM
Wiltshire Heritage Museum, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History SocietyDevizes, Wiltshire, United Kingdom

An illustrated lecture by Dr Christopher Chippindale, Reader in Archaeology at the University of Cambridge.

The world's great museums continue to unveil and show off ravishing new antiquities, especially from the Classical world. Where do these treasures come from? In a growing scandal, it becomes increasingly clear these are not forgotten curios, excavated long ago and recently gathering dust in the attics of Swiss bankers, but new finds recently looted and illicitly exported from their countries of origin. Why? How?

And what will be the consequences?

Dr Christopher Chippindale, one of the Society’s Trustees, is Reader in Archaeology at the University of Cambridge and a pioneering researcher in this troubling field.

For more information: Illicit Antiquities: A scandal of our age

Workshop on The Human Dimension of Cultural Heritage

December 18, 2009, 9:00AM-6:00PM
Sala Europa, Villa SchifanoiaFiesole, Florence, Italy

Workshop organized by Profs Francesco Francioni, Tullio Scovazzi and Laura Pineschi

For more information: Workshop on The Human Dimension of Cultural Heritage

Cultural Heritage at Risk, Art and Book Theft: Past, Present, Future

November 10, 2009, 8:00AM-4:30PM
Wexner Center for the Arts at Ohio State UniversityColumbus, Ohio, United States

This symposium explores the history and extent of thefts of fine art and library materials and offers an exciting opportunity to hear from curators as well as law enforcement officers working in the arts.

For more information: Cultural Heritage at Risk

Heritage in Conflict and Consensus: New Approaches to the Social, Political, and Religious Impact of Public Heritage in the 21st Century

November 9, 2009-November 13, 2009
Center for Heritage and Society, 215 Machmer Hall, UMass AmherstAmherst, Massachusetts, United States

Throughout the world, historic districts, archaeological sites, religious monuments, ethnic traditions, and traditional customs—once cherished as timeless symbols of collective identity and continuity—have increasingly become the targets of violence and a source of discord. The destruction of the Mostar Bridge in Sarajevo, the obliteration of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, the battle between Hindus and Muslims for the site of Ayodhya in India, the controversies over the Temple Mount/Haram esh-Sharif in Jerusalem, and the looting of the Baghdad Museum are but a few recent examples of significant damage to cultural heritage in times of ethnic and religious conflict and state-to-state war.

Yet while the term “heritage in conflict” has been primarily associated with armed or violent conflicts, it should also be linked to the wider issues of conflicting interpretations or conflicting domains of intangible heritage that may endure even after violent conflict has ceased.

It has become increasingly clear in the 21st century that people, working in an increasingly multicultural environment, must be able to cope more effectively with contested heritage in city streets and rural regions—as well as on the battlefield. We must examine and understand the role of interpretation—not merely as the dissemination of objective facts about the past—but as a public means of reflection about the contemporary cultural significance of tangible and intangible heritage and the modern identities that are based on it. We should reexamine the processes of management, presentation, and heritage commemoration to assess their effectiveness in a world that is not made up of homogeneous, territorially discrete populations, with a single historical perspective, but a dynamically evolving mosaic of immigrant and diasporic communities, ethnic groups, and new nations living together in a globalized world.

This five-day workshop will offer global perspectives on selected themes of Heritage in Conflict and will develop a longterm working group to formulate research and policy agendas for the future. Participants will include specialists in historic preservation, architecture, anthropology, archaeology, sociology, conflict resolution, public history, and heritage management as well as leaders and representatives of affected communities from Europe, the Americas, South Africa, and the Middle East.

For more information: Workshop on Heritage in Conflict and Consensus

Museums, Antiquities, and Cultural Property

November 2, 2009, 5:00PM
Rainey Auditorium, Penn MuseumPhiladelphia, PA, United States

James Cuno in his book, Who Owns Antiquity? Museums and the Battle Over Our Ancient Heritage (Princeton 2008), argues for the universality of heritage and the need for museums to purchase antiquities from all around the world. This is in sharp distinction to the 1970 UNESCO Convention and the Penn Museum's important Pennsylvania Declaration, which make a strong case for the preservation of heritage within an object's country of origin. In a talk sponsored by Penn's Cultural Heritage Center, Cuno will present his views, and engage in an open dialogue about the importance of cultural heritage and the control and ownership of antiquities in the 21st century.

For more information: UPenn Center for Ancient Studies - Lectures and Events

Culture and Conflict: The U.S. and the 1954 Hague Convention

October 23, 2009
National Trust for Historic Preservation, Board Room, 2nd floor, 1785 Massachusetts Ave, NWWashington, District Of Columbia, United States

In March 2009, the United States ratified the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict raising serious questions about implementation and next steps for the U.S. military and for this country generally.

The Lawyers' Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation and U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield present a conference, "Culture and Conflict: The United States and the 1954 Hague Convention," to consider the domestic and international ramifications of U.S. ratification.

The conference will begin with an evaluation of the continuing efforts to restitute art works looted during the Holocaust and not recovered in the immediate aftermath of World War II, particularly in light of the June 2009 Prague conference on the status of restitution efforts throughout Europe and the United States. The program will then turn to what government organizations, particularly the U.S. military, are doing to ensure compliance with the Hague Convention and to avert or mitigate cultural damage in future conflicts. The final panel will discuss what more the U.S. must do to protect its own cultural heritage in event of conflict, the prospects for future ratification of the Hague Convention's First and Second Protocols, and the role of the Hague Convention ratification within U.S. public and cultural diplomacy.

For more information: Culture and Conflict

Graduate Program in Cultural Heritage and Preservation Studies (CHAPS) Inaugural Reception

September 24, 2009, 5:00PM-7:00PM
Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers School of Arts and SciencesNew Brunswick, United States

The CHAPS program was awarded a grant from the Academic Excellence Fund for 2009-2010, and is looking forward to an exciting year. The inaugural speaker at the reception will be John Stubbs, Vice President of the World Monuments Fund and author of "Time Honored: A Global View of Architectural Preservation".

For more information: colvill@rci.rutgers.edu

Five Day Professional Development Program

August 25, 2009-August 29, 2009
The University of QueenslandBrisbane, Queensland, Australia

The Professional Development Program is available as a Five Day Intensive for people from all professional back grounds, especially international humanitarian law, Human Rights Commissions, Environmental and Heritage Agencies, Museums, Galleries, Libraries and Archives.

For more information: International Heritage Protection

IFCPP 2009 Conference

August 13, 2009-August 14, 2009
The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States

The International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection is proud to announce that its Eleventh Annual Conference will be held at the Art Institute of Chicago, August 13-14, 2009.

This year's conference will include 2 full days of all-new sessions presented by the nation's leading cultural property protection authorities, an all-new/updated CIPM/CIPM II certification program, a nighttime reception at the Art Institute's famous Stock Exchange, significantly discounted downtown lodging, and much more.

RSVP now to reserve your spot.

For more information: IFCPP- International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection

Appropriating the Past: the uses and abuses of cultural heritage

July 6, 2009-July 8, 2009
Durham University, UK

A multi-disciplinary conference to be held at Durham University, UK, 6-8th July 2009 to inaugurate the Durham University Centre for the Ethics of Cultural Heritage.

This two-day conference should be of wide appeal to archaeologists, anthropologists, anthropologists, philosophers, lawyers and others with an interest in the ethical principles and problems associated with the concept of cultural heritage. The meeting will open with four invited lectures to introduce the conference theme and relate it to the specific aims and methods of the new Centre.

This conference will explore some of the key ethical issues raised by the competing modes in which archaeologists and others appropriate the past. These include: rights to interpret the past and tell stories about it; handling the sacred; the concept and ethics of birthright; local versus national versus international rights over sites, antiquities and artefacts; study custodianship of human remains; looting and the antiquities trade; the economic exploitation of sites and resources; duties of preservation for future generations; the use of destructive research techniques; the roles of codes of ethics and of legal frameworks.

Please register any interest in the conference with Andreas Pantazato. 

For more information: Centre for the Ethics of Cultural Heritage; Durham University

The Art of War: The Protection of Cultural Property in War and Peace

May 28, 2009, 6:00PM-8:00PM
42 West 44th Street, New York City Bar Association

The looting of the Iraq Museum in 2003 shocked the world and brought the plunder of antiquities into the headlines. The presenters on this panel were on the ground during the looting or the aftermath. They will discuss what happened, and what has been done to make sure it does not happen again in Iraq, or anywhere else there is armed conflict.

Moderator: Lucille A. Roussin, a member of the Art law Committee of the NYC Bar Association. She holds a Ph.D. in Art History and Archaeology from Columbia University and a J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. She has taught and published widely in both art law and archaeology.

Donny George, former Director General of the Iraq Museum and former Chairman of the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage; Visiting Professor, State University of New York, Stony Brook. “The Constitution and the Iraqi Law of Antiquities: are they honored and respected in all Iraqi provinces”

Corine Wegener, President, U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield. “The 1954 Hague Convention and the Future of Cultural Protection During Armed Conflict.”

Matthew Bogdanos, Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps., Head of the investigation into the looting of the Iraq Museum. “Thieves of Baghdad: The Search for the World’s Cultural Heritage."

There is no charge for this program. Registration is required.

For more information: New York City Bar

Making History Interactive, CAA 2009 Williamsburg

March 22, 2009-March 26, 2009
Williamsburg, Virginia, US, United States

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and The University of Virginia invite you yo participate in the 37th annual international conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (CAA).

The conference theme will be "Making History Interactive," which will be reflected in both the conference activities and the unique venue. As an organization, CAA is dedicated to the application of digital technologies that make it possible to access and investigate our cultural heritage in new ways. Using digital technologies, archaeologicals can interact with the historical record, to push the boundaries of interpretation and further our understanding of the past. Williamsburg served as the capital of Virginia from 1699 to 1780 and today is the site of the nation's largest outdoor living history museum. Founded in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation seeks to engage people in the exploration of the revolutionary events and ideals that led to the establishment of a new nation. In addition to the standard conference activities,

The CAA 2009 Organizing Committee invites proposals for sessions, individual papers, poster presentations, workshops, and round table discussions related to the conference theme as well as other CAA topics. For further information on submitting a proposal, please see the Call for Papers.

The CAA 2009 Organizing Committee is pleased to announce that the Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI) will be meeting in conjunction with CAA in Williamsburg. The two organizations last met jointly at CAA 2006 in Fargo, North Dakota, USA. Each day of the conference, ECAI will sponsor a session that will be open to all attendees. For further information on ECAI, please visit ECAI's web site.

Queen of the Mountain: Theresa Goell's Work in Turkey

March 3, 2009, 6:00PM-8:30PM
Temple Emanu-El
One East 65th Street (between 5th and Madison Avenues)
New York City, NY

The American Turkish Society presents a film screening and discussion:

Queen of the Mountain: Theresa Goell's Work in Turkey
Martha Goell Lubell- Producer/Director
Donald H. Sanders, Ph.D.- President, Learning Sites, Inc.

Theresa Goell abandoned the comfortable lifestyle of her conservative Jewish family in Brooklyn to study archaeology. Beginning in 1953, Goell excavated the spectacular burial site of King Antiochus I on Nemrud Dagi, a 7,000 foot high mountain three days' walk from the nearest post office. The virtually unknown mountaintop site in Southeastern Turkey became her life's passion. Struggling with a hearing disability, her work was nothing short of extraordinary, bringing roads, tourists and employment to the impoverished local population.

In the film "Queen of the Mountain," Theresa Goell's saga comes to life through breathtaking National Geographic archival footage of the excavations, hundreds of family photographs and finally Goell's stunning oral history and letters, read by acclaimed actress Tovah Feldshuh. The screening will be followed by a discussion on Goell's life and the archaeological site of Nemrud Dagi, with her niece Martha Goell Lubell, who produced and directed the film in 2005, and Dr. Donald H. Sanders, who coordinated the full publication of Goell's excavation report following her passing in 1985.

The Sanctuary of Nemrud Dagi is one of the most remarkable, best preserved, but least known  monuments of Asia Minor. The site, called by its builder a hierothesion, or "common dwelling place of all the gods next to the heavenly thrones," is situated 2150m above seal level, atop one of the highest peaks in the Anti-Taurus Mountains of southeastern Turkey near the banks of the Euphrates River. The monument is one of the premier sites of the Late Hellenistic period. It was constructed by king Antiochus I of Commagene in the mid-1st century BC to command a 360- view of the ranges, plains, and towns that comprised his ancient kingdom.

Space is limited. Pre-registration and ID is strictly required for entry. No walk-ins will be allowed. To RSVP, please register online or fill out the registration form and fax to (212)-583-7615 by Friday, February 27, by 5:00pm. Press attendance is limited; members of the press wishing to cover the event, please contact The Society.

For questions, please call (212) 583-7614 or email info@americanturkishsociety.org

Members of the AIA and SAFE are offered tickets at a discount price of $10.00.

For more information: American Turkish Society

Museums, Antiquities, and Cultural Property with James Cuno

March 2, 2009, 5:00PM
Rainey Auditorium, Penn Museum, Philadelphia, PA

James Cuno, in his book, Who Owns Antiquity? Museums and the Battle Over our Ancient Heritage, argues for the universality of heritage and the need for museums to purchase antiquities from around the world. This is in sharp distinction to the 1970 UNESCO Convention and the Penn Museum's important Pennsylvania Declaration, which make a strong case for the preservation of heritage within an object's country of origin.

In a talk sponsored by Penn's Cultural Heritage Center, Cuno will prevent his views and engange in an open dialogue about the importance of cultural hreritage and the control and ownership of antiquities in the 21st century.

Free lecture. Reception to follow. Reservations requested.

Before this lecture, there will be an opportunity to attend an earlier session for a small number of museums staff, faculty, graduate students and undergraduates who have focused on issues of museums and cultural property. This earlier and smaller session begins at 2:00pm, and a reservation is required. Space is limited to 25. Please e-mail Dr. Richard Leventhal if interest in attending.

For more information: University of Pennsylvania Museum

Collectors, Collections and Collecting the Arts of China: Histories and Challenges

February 20, 2009-February 21, 2009
The Auditorium of the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art
The University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

This symposium will bring together a distinguished group of eminent scholars and curators from universities and Asian art museums in North America and the United Kingdom to discuss the topics of collectors, collections and collecting of Chinese art in the West. The collection of Chinese art in the West gained momentum in the 19th century and has been changing with the growth and the decline of colonialism in Asia and the wax and wane of the international relationship between China and the West. Because of economic development in recent years, auction houses and private collecting flourished in China. At the same, the Chinese government increased its effort to safeguard the country’s cultural heritage, and it formally requested that the U.S. State Department’s Cultural Property Advisory Committee place an embargo on all exported archaeological and cultural heritage properties. In many respects, these new developments along with the changes in the academic and museum professional worlds challenge the western modes of collecting and exhibiting Chinese art.

Sponsors:
The Harn Eminent Scholar Chair in Art History Program of the School of Art and Art History
The Harn Museum of Art

Organizers:
Guolong Lai (Assistant Professor, School of Art and Art History, UF)
Jason Steuber (Cofrin Curator of Asian Art, Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, UF)

Keynote Address (6:00-8:00 pm, Friday, February 20, 2009)
Nick Pearce (Professor of Chinese Art History, Director, Institute for Art History, Glasgow University)
CARP-on: Further Thoughts on Chinese Art Provenance Research
   
Panel I: Early Collections (9:00-11:30am, Saturday, February 21, 2009)
Chair and Discussant:  Guolong Lai
Magnus Fiskesjö (Former Director of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm; Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Cornell University)  On the conception of “art” and “archaeology” in the formation of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, and beyond
Elinor Pearlstein (Associate Curator of Chinese Art, The Art Institute of Chicago)
Chicago and China: Cross-Cultural Awareness, Academic Exchange, 1900-1950
Robert D. Mowry (Alan J. Dworsky Curator of Chinese Art at Harvard University's Arthur M. Sacker Museum)
From Mementos to Masterpieces: The Chinese Collections of the Harvard Art Museum
Deborah Del Gais (Curator of Asian Art, the RISD Museum, Rhode Island School of Design)
The Early Formation of the Chinese Collection at the RISD Museum of Art

Lunch Break (11:30am-12:30pm)
Panel II: Collectors and Connoisseurs (12:30-3:00pm, Saturday, February 21, 2009)
Chair and Discussant: Glenn G. Willumson (Associate Professor of Art History, Director of Museum Studies Program, School of Art and Art History, UF)
Jay Xu (Director, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco)
A Unique Pair: The Bronze Rhinoceros and Its Collector, Avery Brundage (1887-1975)
Amy G. Poster (Curator Emerita of Asian Art, Brooklyn Museum)
Stewart Culin (1858-1929): At the Forefront of Chinese Vernacular Culture in America
Nixi Cura (Course Director, Arts of China, Christie's Education, London)
Luo Zhenyu's Collection in Asia and the West
Zaixin Hong (Associate Professor of Art History, The University of Puget Sound)
Florence Ayscough (1878-1942): A Pioneer of Promoting Modern Chinese Painting in America

Panel III: Challenges in Collecting Chinese Art (3:10-5:00pm, Saturday, February 21, 2009)
Chair and Discussant: Nick Pearce
Stacey Pierson (Lecturer in Chinese Ceramics, Department SOAS, University of London)
Collecting Chinese Ceramics in the 21st Century: A Historical Perspective
Chen Shen (Senior Curator, Ancient Chinese Archaeology, Royal Ontario Museum, Canada)
Collecting Ancient Chinese Artworks at the Royal Ontario Museum: Past, Present, and Future
Jason Steuber
Collecting and Provenance: Chinese Art at the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art

For more information: Harn Eminent Scholar Symposium

Former director of Baghdad museum to speak

February 18, 2009, 5:30PM
101 McCormick, Princeton University
Princeton, NJ , United States

Donny George Youkhanna, the former director general of the National Museum in Baghdad, will speak about looting of the museum following the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

George, who also served as chairman of the Iraq State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, will present an illustrated talk about the looting of the Baghdad museum and efforts to recover the stolen artifacts. The lecture is part of a monthly series sponsored by the University Library's Department of Rare Books and Special Collections and the Princeton Society of the Archaeological Institute of America. A reception will follow the talk.

As American troops entered Baghdad on April 10, 2003, thieves emptied the National Museum of artifacts, some of which dated back before recorded history. George and his colleagues led efforts to recover almost half of the stolen 15,000 Mesopotamian artworks and artifacts that date back to as much as 6,000 years. A significant number of artifacts are still missing.

George's recovery efforts brought death threats to him and his family from people who did not want the artifacts recovered. George and his family eventually fled Iraq, and he now teaches at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Contact Alan Stahl, curator of numismatics in the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, at the e-mail provided below.

For more information: astahl@princeton.edu

Catastrophe! The Looting and Destruction of Iraq's Past

December 31, 2008
Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago , United States

The exhibit “Catastrophe! The Looting and Destruction of Iraq’s Past” will focus on the ongoing destruction and looting of Iraq’s cultural heritage, examining what efforts are and can be made to stem the looting of archaeological sites in Iraq and on a local and national level throughout the world. Archaeologists involved with the exhibit include McGuire Gibson, University of Chicago Professor of Mesopotamian Archaeology, Geoff Emberling, Director of the Oriental Institute Museum, and exhibit co-curator, Katharyn Hanson.

The exhibit is organized around the following themes:

The importance of archaeology to history and identity: Why does the past matter? What can it tell us about ourselves and our community? Looting and damage to archaeological sites: dramatic photographs, including recent satellite images, show illicit looting and destruction of sites. The threat of war: combat damage and the more significant construction damage being done by the US military at important sites including Babylon, Ur, and Samarra. The importance of archaeological context: how much context can tell us about an object and about the culture from which it came. Looted artifacts: the routes that looted artifacts take from Iraq to art markets around the world, and where seizures have been made. The Iraq Museum five years later: what in fact was looted and the progress of recovery efforts to date. What has been done and what can be done?

For more information: Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago

Special invitation to an event with Dr. Saad Eskander, Director of the Iraq National Library and Archive

December 8, 2008
British Library Conference Centre
96 Euston Road
London NW1 2DB, United States

Award and Honorary Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Library and Informational Professionals (CILIP) and talk: 'Rebuilding the Iraq National Library and Archives' hosted jointly by the British Library and CILIP.

The presentation and lecture will be preceded by a reception at 18:15.

Tickets are free but pre-booking is required.

The British Library with CILIP are pleased to be able to offer this exclusive opportunity to discover more about the incredible achievements of Dr. Saad Eskander, Director of the Iraq National Library and Archives (INLA), who has worked tirelessly with his team to reconstruct and rebuild their  institution which was badly damaged and looted during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Dr. Eskander is to be conferred with Honorary Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) on Monday 8 December at the British Library and he has kindly agreed to give a talk and to answer questions about restoring the INLA.

The British Library has supported the Iraq National Library and Archives in a number of ways, not least in hosting Dr. Eskander' diary blog on the Library's web site from November 2006- July 2007. Further details are at: http://www.bl.uk/iraqdiary.html

This event is being jointly hosted by the British Library and CILIP for an invited audience. Tickets must be pre-booked and are available on a 'first come, first served basis'. If you would like to attend please email cat.finlayson@bl.uk with your name and address to reserve tickets no later than Friday 28 November 2008.

Founding Conference of the Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield

December 7, 2008-December 8, 2008
The Hague, The Netherlands

The Founding Conference of the Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield (ANCBS) will be held in The Hague, The Netherlands on 7-8 December, 2008. You are cordially invited to participate. Please click on the link for mor information on the program and registration or email contact@ancbs.org or information@uscbs.org.

For more information: ANCBS' Foundation and Working Conference

Cultural Respect in Preservation and Conservation

November 20, 2008, 8:30AM-4:30PM
William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Preservation and conservation of collections in libraries, archives, museums, and historic sites are guided by professional ethics, standards, guidelines, and best practices. This year's North Carolina Preservation Consortium (NCPC) annual conference will address the issues of cultural respect. Is there a moral imperative to preserve and conserve books, manuscripts, documents, photographs, film, sound recordings, art, and artifacts? Please join us for presentations and discussions on these and other issues of cultural respect and heritage preservation.

For more information: North Carolina Preservation Consortium

Antiquities Wars: A conversation about loot and legitimacy

November 19, 2008, 7:00PM
The New York Institute for the Humanities at NYU
Hemmerdinger Hall
100 Washington Square East
* Free and open to the public *, United States

James Cuno
Director, The Art Institute of  Chicago
Author, Who Owns Antiquity?

Sharon Waxman
Formerly of The New York Times
Author, Loot: The  Battle over the Stolen Treasures of the Ancient World

Kwame Anthony Appiah
Philosopher,  Princeton  University
Author, Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers

Daniel Shapiro
International Cultural Property Society
President Emeritus

Please contact 212.998.2101 or nyih.info@nyu.edu.

For more information: The New York Institute for the Humanities at NYU

Iraq: Must cultural heritage be a casualty of war?

November 19, 2008, 7:00PM-9:00PM
Oriental Institute, Breasted Hall
Museum Education Office
773-702-9507

Micah Garen is a journalist, photographer and filmmaker who has spent years documenting the destruction of cultural history in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2004, while making a film about the looting of archaeological sites in Southern Iraq, Micah was kidnapped and held for ten days. That experience was chronicled in a memoir published in 2005 by Simon and Schuster; American Hostage: The Story of a Journalist Kidnapped in Iraq and the Remarkable Battle to Win His Freedom. Based upon his own experiences, having just returned from another trip to Iraq, Garen will discuss the current situation with the looting of archaeological sites in Iraq, share clips from the documentary film he

For more information: oi-education@uchicago.edu

Looting of the Iraq Museum: The Loss of a Nation's Memory

November 12, 2008, 6:00PM-8:30PM
Weisman Art Museum
University of Minnesota
333 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN, United States

Free admission.
Seating is limited- arrive early!

Dr. Donny George Youkhanna is the former Director General of the Iraq National Museum and was instrumental in the recovery of thousands of objects looted during the U.S. invasion in 2003.  In 2006, he was forced to leave Iraq and is now a visiting professor at Stony Brook University in New York.  He will provide the latest news about the museum and the restitution of antiquities from other countries, along with information about the ongoing looting of Iraq's archaeological sites. 

A panel discussion on war and cultural property will take place following the lecture, featuring Dr. Donny George Youkhanna; Dr. Patty Gerstenblith, Director of the Cultural Heritage Law Program at DePaul University Law School; and Cori Wegener, Associate Curator at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and President of the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield.  Phyllis Messenger of the Maya Society of Minnesota will moderate the panel.  The panel will be followed by a reception.

Co-sponsored by Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, LLP; the Weisman Art Museum; the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield; and the Maya Society of Minnesota.

For more information: U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield

Museums and Disasters

November 12, 2008-November 16, 2008
New Orleans
Historic New Orleans Collection, United States

ICMAH's 2008 annual conference will be held in a city that suffered a devastating flood in 2005 that killed 1,464 people and where recovery has been criticized for being painfully slow. (A historical perspective shows that recovery from major disasters tends to be perceived as slow by both affected individuals and concerned observers.) Special emphasis at the conference will be on recent history/contemporary events.

Speakers will include Blue Shield member Nina Archabal, Chair of ICOM-US and Director of the Minnesota Historical Society, and Cori Wegener, President of the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield and an associate curator at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

For more information: ICOM/ICMAH Annual Conference 2008

U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield Fundraiser

November 11, 2008, 6:00PM-8:00PM
Blaine and Lyndel King's home:
326 West 50th Street, Minneapolis MN 55419, United States

Lyndel King, Director of the Weisman Art Museum, invites you to a fundraiser in support of the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield with special guest, Dr. Donny George Youkhanna, former Director General of the Iraq National Museum. Hors d'oeuvres and cocktails will be served.

We hope you will attend and help support our efforts to protect cultural property during armed conflict.

Suggested donation $50 per person (make check payable to "USCBS"). USCBS is a non-profit charitable organization and donations are tax deductible within the limits of the law.

Please RSVP by November 3rd to Cori Wegener
cwegener@uscbs.org or 612-839-7954

For more information: U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield

The Appraisers Association of America Conference

November 8, 2008-November 9, 2008
New York Athletic Club 180 Central Park South, New York City

Evening Reception and Preview on November 7 at Swann Auction Galleries

On November 8, 2008, Christopher A. Marinello, general counsel to the Art Loos Reigster, will be delivering the keynote address at the Annual Dinner of the Appraiser's Association of America. Chris will be addressing the topic of stolen artwork and the sometimes astonishing way that stolen artwork is recovered. The dinner is produced in conjunction with the AAA's 2008 National Conference, which runs from November 8-9, 2008. The seated dinner is open to the public. Admission to the dinner is seperate from the conference. For reservations, please contact Cecily Nelson-Reynolds of the AAA or Laurel Waycott of the Art Loss Register.

For more information: AAA 2008 National Conference Brochure

Acquiring and Maintaining Collections of Cultural Objects: Challenges Confronting American Museums in the 21st Century

October 16, 2008, 8:30AM-5:00PM
1 E. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60604, United States

This fall, on October 16, DePaul Law School's Center for Intellectual Property Law and Information Technology and the Program in Cultural Heritage Law will host a conference on "Acquiring and Maintaining Collections of Cultural Objects: Challenges Confronting American Museums in the 21st Century." Speakers include: James Cuno, Art Institute of Chicago; Ildiko DeAngelis, George Washington University; Patty Gerstenblith, DePaul Law School; Thomas Kline, Andrews Kurth; Jennifer Kreder, Northern Kentucky University; John McCarter, Field Museum of Natural History; John Russell, Massachusetts College of Art and Design; Howard Spiegler, Herrick Feinstein; Martin Sullivan, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery; and Stephen Urice, University of Miami School of Law.

For more information: DePaul University, College of Law

Public Forum: Cultural Heritage: Indeginious Perspectives

October 3, 2008, 4:00PM
University of Pennsylvania Museum, United States

Indigenous peoples, the museum community, archaeologists, anthropologists, and others interested in the culture and patrimony of Native peoples, both past and present, are invited to this open forum. Repatriation, sacred sites, living communities, control of the past, cultural tourism--these and related topics are part of this afternoon program to discuss the meaning of “cultural heritage.” Indigenous leaders and activists from across the Americas, concluding their own four-day working conference at the Penn Museum, join in the public discussion, offering short presentations from the conference. A reception follows in the Lower Egyptian gallery.

This program is organized by Penn Museum’s Center for Cultural Heritage, and co-sponsored by MACHI (Maya Area Cultural Heritage Initiative)and the Penn Center for Native American Studies.

Free. Reservations requested: 215/898-4890.

For more information: University of Pennsylvania Museum

Antiquities in Iraq: Cultural Heritage and Iraq's Future

September 8, 2008, 1:30PM-3:30PM
U.S. Institute of Peace, 2nd Floor Conference Room, 1200 17th St, NW, Washington, DC , United States

Ever since the US invasion in March 2003, Iraq's cultural heritage-- stretching back to ancient Mesopotamia and the golden age of Islam-- has been at risk. Many precious artifacts have been stolen. Despite some improvement, to this day archaeological sites are poorly protected and are still being plundered.

What happened to Iraq's antiquities in 2003 and what has happened since then? What should the US, Iraqis, and the international community do to protect Iraq's antiquities going forward? What can we learn from the Iraq experience to protect antiquities in conflict zones in the future? A distinguished panel will address these issues and take your questions.

Speakers include:

Matthew Bogdanos
Colonel, U.S.Marine Corps and author of Thieves of Baghdad: One Marine's Passion to Recover the World's Greatest Stolen Treasures (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2005)

Michael Dziedzic
Senior Program Officer, Center for Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations, United States Institute of Peace

Lawrence Rothfield
Professor and Research Affiliate, Cultural Policy Center, University of Chicago and author of Antiquities under Siege: Cultural Heritage Protection after the Iraq War (AltaMira Press, 2008)

Donny George Youkhanna
Professor, Department of Asian and Asian American Studies, Stony Brook University (SUNY) and former Director General of the National Museum in Baghdad, 2003-2006

Daniel Serwer, Moderator
Vice President, Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations, U.S. Institute of Peace

To RSVP, please send your name affiliation, daytime phone number, and name of the event to Elizabeth Detwiler at edetwiler@usip.org

For more information: United States Institute of Peace

STOP! History is Not For Sale! The Illegal Trade in Antiquities

July 15, 2008
Sharjah Archaeology Museum, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates , United States

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, United States

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, United States

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, United States

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
, United States

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
, United States

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

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
, United States

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
, United States

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
, United States

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 StreetsNew York, New York

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.

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 web site.

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? - Bürger/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 Müller-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.

For more information:

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.

For more information:

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 £12.50 for members of ICOMOS-UK and members of the British School if Archaeology in Iraq. Admission for non-members is £15 and for students it is £8. 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

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