New Scholarship Program Launching in 2008

HCN announces a new scholarship program to begin with our 2008 workshop series. Have you dreamed of traveling to an exciting workshop location if only the fee were lower? Do you know of a group of students or community members who might be interested in learning about our projects around the world? If you like to talk about building conservation and are willing to make a presentation, HCN will provide you with information and photos to spark interest in hands-on volunteering for heritage. In return, we will give you a reduced fee to the workshop of your choice.

Just contact us about the workshop you would like to attend and the group (or groups!) you would like to address. HCN has been looking for ways to recruit more volunteers and ways to reduce fees for those of you with more energy and enthusiasm than funds. We think this is the perfect answer to both – we’re looking forward to hearing from you.

HCN’s Preservation Partners

Alma Ortolan firmly believes we have a responsibility to preserve the art and architecture our ancestors created and built, and pass that heritage along to future generations. As one of Italy’s foremost conservators, she is fortunately in a position to do this. Working out of a 15th century Palazzo in the medieval town of Serravalle, 30 miles north of Venice, Professor Ortolan develops inspiring educational training programs for private individuals and academic institutions. She was the inspiration for our workshops at the Cloister of the Monastery of San Giovanni Battista and will serve as one of three technical experts leading this year’s workshop, scheduled for April 20 – May 3, 2008.

Professor Ortolan is a licensed Painting Conservator for the Italian Ministry of Cultural Property with experience in easel painting, murals, stucco, stone and architectural surfaces. She studied in both Italy and Poland and worked in a number of European countries. She has also worked in the U.S., serving as the Senior Conservator in the Fair Park Mural Projects in Dallas, Texas. Her most significant project to date is the reconstruction of the interior decorations of the LA FENICE opera house in Venice following a devastating fire. She recently completed one phase of a remarkable conservation project in the catacombs under the city of Rome.

Water Wheel Turns Again

September 22, 2007 was a historic day at the Francis Mill in Waynesville, North Carolina. At just about noon that day, a steady stream of water made its way from the mill pond, through the newly reconstructed flume and over the wheel, bringing water power to the mill for the first time in 31 years. The event was the culmination of four years of hard work by the Francis Mill Preservation Society, supported by HCN and our wonderful workshop participants. Thanks to all of those who made this milestone possible!

HP Helps HCN

Judith represented HCN at a nonprofit fair at the Hewlett-Packard campus in Colorado Springs this fall. In addition to thanking our hosts for the opportunity to publicize our workshops, we would like to thank HP employees for donating a digital camera and a copier/fax machine through the company’s annual Giving Fair. They’ve helped make some of our wishes come true!

TravelWatch Eyes HCN

The TravelWatch column of the Travel With A Challenge travel information website featured HCN as one of its five stories for the December-January issue. You can read the full article online. Travel with a Challenge is a popular, six-year old website addressing the interests and agendas of educated, proactive mature travelers, i.e. those 45 to 80! The site’s articles cover alternate travel, such as ecological/nature-based vacations, educational, and, of course, cultural/historical and volunteer vacations worldwide.

Global Heritage Issues

Threats to the Old City of Tartous, Syria

Tartous, the second most important port in Syria, rose to prominence in the late middle ages, circa 1291, and again in 1918 during the French Mandate. The medieval-era Old City has survived into the 21st century, but is threatened by the growth of modern Tartous City as it infringes on the area.

The medieval city was divided into two sections: the Bishop’s City where the Cathedral of Santa Maria de Tortosa (1145), a museum since 1956, still stands; and the Citadel, known as the Old City, with architectural features from three main periods - the Crusades, the Ottoman Empire and the French mandate. The city’s roots are even older, with the ruins of a church destroyed by an earthquake in 387 AD lying below the cathedral. Social change through the centuries has also influenced the architecture, with wealthy families altering the buildings to meet their tastes.

Although local and international organizations currently have some conservation work underway, a more in-depth study is needed of buildings from the various periods in order to understand their characteristics and the importance of each to local heritage. This architectural heritage demands protection, but faces many obstacles, such as administrative and technical difficulties, the high cost of restoration and rehabilitation procedures, and the desire of the residents themselves to modernize their homes. Sandstone, which was originally the predominant building material, is now mixed with a variety of other materials and multicolored finishes.

The Old City of Tartous is living heritage that needs to be protected from random interventions and maintained for future generations to appreciate.

- Zeina EL-CHEIKH

Conference Calendar

Australian Maritime Museums Council Annual Conference on Managing the Future of Historic Vessels
March 8, 2008, Sydney, Australia

A one-day conference to examine the issues involved with and to report on practical examples of historic boat conservation. Topics include interpreting historic vessels to new audiences; international perspectives on historic ship conservation; teaching and learning traditional skills; the conservation process and its applicability to historic vessels; and examples of specific ship conservation projects. For information, see www.maritimeworld.net.

Agents of Change: People, Climate, and Places through Time
March 12-16, 2008, Boise, Idaho, USA

The 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Environmental History, which seeks to promote scholarship and teaching in environmental history, support the professional needs of its members, and to connect its undertakings with larger communities.. For information, see www.aseh.net.

Society for American Archaeology 73rd Annual Meeting
March 26-30, 2008, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

A full slate of symposia, discussions and networking opportunities from the SAA, an international organization dedicated to the research, interpretation, and protection of the archaeological heritage of the Americas. For information, see www.saa.org.

Public Histories of Union and Disunion
April 10-13, 2008, Louisville, Kentucky, USA

The 2008 Annual Meeting of the National Council on Public History, which encourages historians' engagement with the public. For information, see www.ncph.org.

Society of Architectural Historians Annual Meeting
April 23-27, 2008, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

The Society of Architectural Historians is an international not-for-profit membership organization that promotes the study and preservation of the built environment worldwide. For information on the 2008 meeting, see www.sah.org.

In the Garden of the Sun: California's San Joaquin Valley
May 7-10, 2008, Fresno, California, USA

The 2008 meeting of the Vernacular Architecture Forum. An examination of the region’s vernacular building record from both the 19th and early 20th century, which reflects styles and types common throughout the United States with adaptations due to climate, ethnicity and location. For information, see vernaculararchitectureforum.org.

World Heritage and Sustainable Development
May 7-9, 2008, Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Portugal

Experts at the Heritage 2008 International Conference will present and discuss the relationships between Heritage and Human Development, Natural Environment and Building Preservation and the need for Heritage to be addressed in innovative and sustainable ways in an increasingly global world. For information, see heritage2008.greenlines-institute.org.

Change is the Constant
May 29 - June 1, 2008, San José, CA, USA

The Society for Industrial Archaeology (SIA) 37th Annual Conference City will highlight the challenge of utilizing the forces of change to further the research and public outreach that are the core of the SIA mission. For information, see knightsia.org/sia2008/index.html.

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