USCBS News

Dear colleagues,

The international conference on “Archaeology in Conflict” will take place from the 6th to the 10th of April 2010 in the Vienna International Center/UNO-City in Vienna, Austria.

The conference is powered by the World Archaeological Congress (WAC) and the Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield (ANCBS) in cooperation with learned societies, academic research institutions and non-governmental organizations from all over the world. It is organized by Friedrich T. Schipper, University of Vienna, and Magnus T. Bernhardsson, University of Iceland & Williams College and hosted by Michael F. Pfeifer on behalf of the United Nations Youth and Student Association - Austria.

As the president of ANCBS I will personally deliver a talk about the Blue-Shield-network and also host a special session on cultural heritage protection.

I want to use the opportunity of this conference at a very distinct venue to schedule an ANCBS board meeting on the 6th of April at the UNO-City in Vienna.

Best regards,

Karl von Habsburg

President ANCBS

For more information, please visit the conference website at:

http://www.archaeologyinconflict.org/

Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield (ANCBS)
Postal address:
ANCBS Office,
Laan van Meerdervoort 70
2517 AN The Hague,
The Netherlands
E mail address: contact@ancbs.org
Web address: www.ancbs.org
Telephone: 00 31 (0)70-3466161
Fax: 00 31 (0)70-3467232
http://www.ancbs.org

The U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield and The Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation present the conference:

“Culture & Conflict: The U.S. & the 1954 Hague Convention”

DATES:

Thursday, October 22^nd, USCBS and LCCHP membership meetings and joint reception

Friday, October 23^rd, Culture and Conflict: the U.S. and the 1954 Hague Convention

LOCATION:

National Trust for Historic Preservation

1785 Massachusetts Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20036

www.preservationnation.org

Click here to register or go to culturalheritagelaw.org

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 1954 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.

Click here to see full schedule and to register or go to culturalheritagelaw.org

October 22-23, 2009

Washington, D.C.

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.

USCBS and LCCHP will hold a membership meeting and reception at the National Trust in Washington, D.C. on the afternoon of Thursday, October 22nd. The conference will be held on Friday, October 23, 2009, at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. Confirmed speakers include:

Lynn Nicholas, author of Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe’s Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War

Monica Dugot, Senior Vice-President and International Director of Restitution, Christie’s, New York

Robert Edsel, author of The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History

Patty Gerstenblith, President, Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation, and Distinguished Research Professor, DePaul University College of Law

Karl von Habsburg, President, Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield, and Cultural Property Protection Officer, Austrian Army

Richard Jackson, Special Assistant to the Judge Advocate General for Law of War Matters and Colonel (Ret.), U.S. Army

Thomas R. Kline, Partner, Andrews Kurth LLP and Assistant Professorial Lecturer, George Washington University, Museum Studies Program

Hays Parks, Deputy General Counsel for Law of War Matters in the Department of Defense General Counsel’s Office and Colonel (Ret.) U.S. Marine Corps

Corine Wegener, President, U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield; Associate Curator, Decorative Arts, Textiles, and Sculpture at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, andMajor (Ret.)  U.S. Army Reserve

Nancy Yeide, Head, Department of Curatorial Research, National Gallery

A full program and registration for the conference will be available on the LCCHP website, culturalheritagelaw.org, on September 24, 2009.

THE ASSOCIATION OF NATIONAL COMMITTEES OF THE BLUE SHIELD FOUNDING CONFERENCE , DECEMBER 7-9TH 2008

ANCBS - AN ORGANIZATION FOR PROTECTION OF CULTURE IN DANGER

Representatives of cultural heritage institutes from all over the world met in December 7th-9^th, 2008 in The Hague at the Founding Conference of the ANCBS – The Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield, with the purpose of coordinating and strengthening international efforts to protect cultural property at risk of destruction during armed conflicts or natural disasters.

Sunday, December 7^th, 2008, eleven National Blue Shield Committees established the ANCBS organization.  The group elected an international board, including Karl von Habsburg of Blue Shield Austria as Chair;  Marjan Otter of Blue Shield Netherlands as Secretary, Axel Mykleby of Blue Shield Norway as Treasurer, and Marie-Thérèse Varlamoff of Blue Shield France and Cori Wegener of Blue Shield United States as board members at large.  They identified the following priorities: coordinating and strengthening international efforts to protect cultural property at risk, providing and promoting cultural heritage protection training programs and awareness raising with international and governmental decision makers on the importance of the 1954 Hague Convention and its Protocols and the international symbol of the Blue Shield.

The Blue Shield is the protective emblem of the 1954 Hague Convention which is the basic international treaty formulating rules to protect cultural heritage during armed conflict. The Blue Shield network consists of organizations dealing with museums, archives, libraries and historical monuments and sites, cooperating through the International Committee of the Blue Shield (ICBS). 

During the conference they discussed their plans and activities to strengthen the network between Blue Shield and other cultural emergency assistance organizations, institutions and authorities that are responsible for cultural heritage. Tuesday December 9^th offered a variety of training courses in concurrent sessions to improve the knowledge and skills of the conference participants.

The ANCBS will have its headquarters in The Hague.  The city is generously supporting the new organization through its initial phase with office space and an annual contribution.

The ANCBS office can be reached: 00 31 (0) 70 346 6161 or contact@ancbs.org.

See www.ancbs.org for more information.

The Founding Conference of the Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield (ANCBS) will be held in The Hague on the 7^th, 8^th and 9^th of December 2008 and you are cordially invited to participate. As this is the Founding Conference, we hope to welcome representatives of many like-minded or related organizations.

The Founding Conference will have a threefold agenda:

First day (Sunday 7^th): The formal founding of the ANCBS, including the Statutes, the Strategic Plan and the election of the Board.

Second day (Monday 8^th): Strengthening the network between Blue Shield and other cultural emergency assistance organizations, institutions and authorities: ANCBS will present its plans for the coming years. National Blue Shield committees present their progress reports and there will be presentations on recent emergency situations and emergency response actions.

Third day (Tuesday 9^th): Improving the knowledge and skills of the conference participants during training courses and workshops that will benefit from the wide range of experience of the participants. This day will give everybody the opportunity to become more effective in meeting requests for help with adequate responses.

Participants:

First day (Session of Blue Shield members): Members of all Blue Shield committees, (established committees and committees under construction). All members of the ICBS board and members of the international working group. Observers are welcome.

Second and third day: Representatives of likeminded or related cultural heritage organizations. Members of Blue Shield committees (established committees and committees under construction) and members of the ICBS.

Background:

The plan to form an Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield was discussed at the first Blue Shield meeting in Torino 2004. At the second meeting in The Hague 2006 an international working group was elected which has since made preparations for the new association. The working group approached the City of The Hague, which has generously provided office space and three years of financial support to establish an ANCBS coordination centre in The Hague. With these tools, the time has now come to formally establish the ANCBS.

Practicalities and money:

The conference will take place at The Royal Library and the National Archive in The Hague. The office staff can help you to make reservations at nearby hotels at moderate rates. Participants are asked for a Conference fee of 50 Euro per day for the 8^th and 9^th of December, payable in cash at registration.

Updated programme information will be available at http://infocenter2.ancbs.org

We would appreciate your help in distributing this invitation to individuals and institutions that are interested in or should be aware of the Blue Shield mission.

You are kindly requested to respond before the 18^th of November. You can answer either by post to the address below or by e-mail to contact@ancbs.org We look forward to seeing many of you in The Hague in December during the conference, which we think will be an important step in the effort to provide coordinated help to endangered cultural heritage worldwide.

On behalf of the ANCBS Working group,                                                     

Leif Pareli, Chairman (Blue Shield Norway)

www.blueshield.no 

Marjan Otter, Secretary (Blue Shield Netherlands)

www.blueshield.nl

Postal address:

ANCBS Office,

Laan van Meerdervoort 70

2517 AN The Hague,

The Netherlands

The Cultural Policy Center at the University of Chicago

invites you to attend a book release and policy briefing

Antiquities under Siege:

Cultural Heritage Protection after the Iraq War

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

9:00–10:30 a.m.

National Press Club

529 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC

Free event, RSVP required

http://culturalpolicy.uchicago.edu

773.834.3986

PANELISTS

· Lawrence Rothfield, Editor, Antiquities under Siege; Faculty Director, Cultural Policy Center, University of Chicago

· Col. Matthew Bogdanos, USMC Reserves; leader of the investigation into the antiquities looting during Operation Iraqi Freedom

· Donny George Youkhanna, former Director-General, Iraq Museum; former President, Iraq State Board of Antiquities and Heritage

· Patty Gerstenblith, Professor, DePaul College of Law; President, Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation

· McGuire Gibson, Professor of Archaeology, University of Chicago; President, The American Academic Research Institute in Iraq

· Corine Wegener, Associate Curator, Minneapolis Institute of Art; President, U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Saddam Hussein’s government fell in April 2003, news accounts detailed the pillaging of the Iraq Museum. Less dramatic, though far more devastating, has been the subsequent epidemic of looting at thousands of archaeological sites around the country. Illegal digging on a massive scale continues to this day.

As the fifth anniversary of the invasion approaches, Antiquities under Siege, written by internationally renowned experts from a range of fields, recounts what happened and what continues to happen. Panelists will discuss why pre-invasion plans failed to protect Iraq’s artifacts, and identify procedures and strategies designed to safeguard antiquities during and after armed conflict.

Available from AltaMira Press in April 2008

http://culturalpolicy.uchicago.edu

1155 East 60th Street, Suite 285, Chicago, Illinois 60637

Phone: 773.702.4407 Fax: 773.702.0926

The Cultural Policy Center at the University of Chicago is a nationally recognized interdisciplinary center providing research and informing policy that affects the arts, humanities and cultural heritage.

The Center was founded in 1999 as a joint initiative of the Harris School of Public Policy Studies and the Division of Humanities.

March 19, 2008

Carleton College, Northfield Minnesota

Carleton will participate in the Global Candlelight Vigil for the Iraq Museum, taking place April 10 in the Language & Dining Center Room 104 beginning at 8 p.m. Joining museums, schools and organizations around the world, faculty and students will pause to remember the fifth anniversary of the cultural crime of the century: the looting of the Iraq National Museum, which occurred in Baghdad on April 10th through 12th, 2003.

At venues from San Francisco to Baghdad, across the United States and around the world, the Global Candlelight Vigil will call attention to the thousands of stolen antiquities that are still missing from the Iraq Museum as well as the plunder of historical monuments and archaeological sites across Iraq and around the world.Carleton’s Candlelight Vigil event will consist of viewing the film, “Robbing the Cradle of Civilization: The Looting of Iraq’s Ancient Treasures,” followed by a candlelight vigil. “We felt it was important to be part of this effort to raise public awareness about the growing crisis of cultural heritage destruction, which is of increasing concern to museums, universities and archaeologists in order to recognize the need to preserve the ultimate non-renewable resource, the intact evidence of our ancient past,” says Nancy Wilkie, professor of classics and anthropology and member of the Cultural Property Advisory Committee of the U. S. Department of State. [Wilkie is also a USCBS board member]

“By organizing a global event on the fifth anniversary of this great tragedy, we can call the world’s attention not only to the Iraq Museum, but to the ongoing destruction of global cultural heritage,” says Cindy Ho, president of the US-based non-profit organization SAFE/Saving Antiquities for Everyone, Inc., which has organized the Global Candlelight Vigil event with the endorsement of the Iraq Museum’s former Director General, Dr. Donny George, who is featured in a ‘call to action’ video on the SAFE website.

http://apps.carleton.edu/news/news/?story_id=394615

Iraq’s Cultural Heritage Five Years Later

Five years ago on April 10-12, after U.S. forces toppled the government of Saddam Hussein, the Iraq National Museum in Baghdad was systematically looted, along with many regional museums. Far worse has been the subsequent looting and destruction of archaeological sites throughout Iraq. While many artifacts stolen from the Baghdad museum have been recovered, archaeological sites continue to be plundered to supply the antiquities trade, in the absence of security and jobs for much of Iraq’s population. The pillage of sites and museums has caused irreparable damage to the cultural heritage of Iraq and all humankind.

To commemorate these tragic events, and to honor those who have worked to protect and restore Iraq’s cultural heritage, Saving Antiquities for Everyone (SAFE) is coordinating candlelight vigils and related events worldwide. Go to SAFE’s website to learn more and participate in a vigil near you:

http://www.savingantiquities.org/candlelightvigils.php

In Minneapolis we are participating in SAFE’s efforts on the evening of Thursday, April 10, with a screening of the following film:

“Robbing the Cradle of Civilization — The Looting of Iraq’s Ancient Treasures”
Thursday, April 10, 2008, 7 pm
Nicholson Hall, Room 135, University of Minnesota (East Bank)

Discussion and candles (of the electric variety) will surround the film screening.

This event has been organized by Eva von Dassow, faculty member in Classical and Near Eastern Studies, with the collaboration of Cori Wegener, curator at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and founder and president of the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield. Wegener was deployed in Iraq to oversee restoration of the Iraq National Museum.

Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation
presents

Protecting the Past:
the Fate of Cultural Property in Times of Armed Conflict

April 24, 2008
12:30 -3:00 p.m.

George Washington University
Jack Morton Auditorium
Media and Public Affairs Building (first floor), 805 21st Street, N.W.

Sponsored by:
George Washington University and Andrews Kurth LLP

Register Online to Attend “Protecting the Past”

Panel I - Looking Back: Lessons Learned from Past Conflicts

Individual presentations, followed by questions:

• Lynn H. Nicholas, independent researcher of Nazi era social and cultural policy and author of “Rape of Europa,” will discuss Nazi and World War II art looting, wartime preservation measures and post-War restitution [bio]
• Robert M. Edsel, author of the non-fiction book, “Rescuing Da Vinci,” co-producer of the documentary film, “The Rape of Europa,” and Founder and President of the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art, will discuss the role of the WWII Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives troops in protecting, preserving and restituting looted art. [bio]
• András J. Riedlmayer, Harvard University, will discuss the destruction of cultural property during the Balkan Wars of the 1990s. [bio]
• Hays Parks, U.S. Department of Defense, 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. [bio]
• Panel Chair: Thomas R. Kline, Attorney, Andrews & Kurth and Adjunct Assistant Professor, GWU, Museum Studies Program. [bio]

Panel II - Looking Forward: Applying the Lessons Learned.

Round Table Discussion, followed by questions to members of both panels.

• Corine Wegener, President, U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield; Associate Curator, Architecture, Design, Decorative Arts, Craft, and Sculpture at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts and Major (retired) in the U.S. Army Reserve, 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. [bio]
• John Russell, Professor, Massachusetts College of Art, and former Senior Advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Culture, Coalition Provisional Authority, 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. [bio]
• Richard Jackson, Special Assistant to the Judge Advocate General for Law of War Matters and Army Colonel (Ret.), will discuss current attitudes of the U.S. military toward the Hague Convention and obligations to preserve cultural heritage during armed conflict. [bio]
• Panel Chair: Patty Gerstenblith, Professor, DePaul College of Law, and President, Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation. [bio]

Register Online to Attend “Protecting the Past”

National Endowment for the Humanities 

WASHINGTON (November 15, 2007)—Today, President George W. Bush awarded the prestigious National Humanities Medals for 2007 during a ceremony held in the White House East Room. Nine distinguished Americans and one cultural foundation were honored for their exemplary contributions to the humanities. In recognition of their scholarship, preservation efforts, philanthropy, and literary works, the President presented National Humanities Medals to Stephen H. Balch, scholar and advocate; Russell Freedman, author; Victor Davis Hanson, military historian and author; Roger Hertog, philanthropist; Cynthia Ozick, author; Richard Pipes, author and historian; Pauline L. Schultz, curator and author; Henry Leonard Snyder, scholar and innovator; Ruth R. Wisse, scholar and author; and the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art. Immediately following the ceremony, the medalists, their families, and friends joined the President and First Lady Laura Bush for a reception held in their honor.

A Cold War historian, a leading advocate of higher-education reform, and several award-winning authors are among this year’s recipients. From one woman’s private news collection of local Wyoming history to an international organization’s recovery of over five million masterworks of art stolen by the Nazis in World War II, the work of these medalists is varied in its scope.

The National Humanities Medal, first awarded in 1989 as the Charles Frankel Prize, honors individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities, broadened our citizens’ engagement with the humanities, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to important resources in the humanities.

The Humanities Medal is the signal award for the humanities. Over the last decade, inclduing this year’s recipients, the National Humanities Medal has been awarded to only 98 individuals and 7 organizations. Among those recognized during this time period are Bernard Lewis, Judith “Miss Manners” Martin; Madeleine L’Engle, Harvey Mansfield, and John Updike.

Medal recipients do not compete for this award but are specially selected by the President for their lifelong achievements in each of their diverse areas of expertise. Citations for the nine individuals and one organization receiving the National Humanities Medal for 2007 can be found below. A detailed profile of each of the medalists is available online.

Dr. Stephen Balch, scholar and advocate, is being recognized “for leadership and advocacy upholding the noblest traditions in higher education. His work on behalf of reasoned scholarship in a free society has made him a leading champion of excellence and reform at our nation’s universities.”

Russell Freedman, author, is being recognized “for recounting the history of our nation’s struggle for liberty. With great insight and creativity, he has awakened young readers to our nation’s ongoing quest for justice for all.”

Victor Davis Hanson, military historian and author, is being recognized “for scholarship on our civilization’s past and present. He has cultivated the fields of history and brought forth an abundant harvest of wisdom for our times.”

Roger Hertog, philanthropist, is being recognized “for enlightened philanthropy on behalf of the humanities. His wisdom and generosity have rejuvenated institutions that are keepers of American memory.”

Cynthia Ozick, author, is being recognized “for literary criticism which has traced the shifting currents of American arts and letters. In her criticism and essays, she has been a lifelong advocate and practitioner of moral clarity and literary excellence.”

Richard Pipes, author and historian, is being recognized “for peerless scholarship on Russia and Eastern Europe and for a life in service to freedom’s cause. He has shaped and sharpened our understanding of the eternal contest of liberty and tyranny.”

Pauline L. Schultz, curator and author, is being recognized “for stewardship of a precious trove of local historical knowledge. She has been a collector and curator of facts and artifacts that capture a century of human experience on Wyoming’s high plains.”

Henry Snyder, scholar and innovator, is being recognized “for visionary leadership in bridging the worlds of scholarship and technology. His direction of massive projects in the digital humanities has opened new frontiers in cataloguing and preserving ideas and documents for future generations.”

Ruth Wisse, scholar and author, is being recognized “for scholarship and teaching that have illuminated Jewish literary traditions. Her insightful writings have enriched our understanding of Yiddish literature and Jewish culture in the modern world.”

Monuments for Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art is being recognized “for sustained efforts to recognize the contributions of the scholar-soldiers of the Second World War. Our civilization is forever indebted to a handful of men and women who, in an era of total war, rescued and preserved a precious portion of the world’s heritage.”