Haiti heritage rescue could stall

Project boss stresses need for continuity of funding after handover to local authorities

By Emily Sharpe. From Conservation, Issue 229, November 2011
Published online: 15 November 2011

 George Nader and works rescued from the rubble of the Nader Museum, which housed the collector’s vast assemblage of Haitian art

In the 22 months since a catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti, heritage professionals from the US, Canada and Europe have worked non-stop with their Haitian colleagues, through cho­lera epidemics and political up­heavals, to salvage the country’s fragile heritage. Among the many initiatives re­sulting from the disaster was the Smithsonian’s creation of a new conservation centre where foreign conservators could assess and conserve works pulled from the rubble as well as train a new generation of native conservators. But before handing over the centre to the Haitian government on 1 November, the project’s supervisor expressed concerns about its future should the necessary funding not be raised to sustain the project.

Read more: http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Haiti+heritage+rescue+could+stall/25000