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Past events

Catastrophe! The Looting and Destruction of Iraq's Past

April 10, 2008-December 31, 2008 Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago

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

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

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

Past Events