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Desa Lingga, North Sumatra

2012 WATCH AWARDS TO THREE SITES

In March, World Monuments Fund announced special awards for three 2012 World Monuments Watch sites for exceptional achievement in promoting positive change during the two-year Watch cycle. Cour Royale de Ti�b�l� in Burkina Faso has successfully raised funds for conservation activities and produced a remarkable film documenting the process of renewing traditional Kessena decorated earthen architectural surfaces. At the village of Desa Lingga in North Sumatra, Indonesia, the local community, the Heritage Trust of Sumatra, two local universities, and a vocational school collaborated to conserve four traditional structures: two clan houses (Rumah Belangayo and Rumah Gergah), a rice storage structure (Sapong Gajang), and a ceremonial building housing ancestral bones (Geriten). After a major collapse at the sacred Hindu site of Balaji Ghat in Varanasi, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) engaged the community to clear the site of debris, learn about its association with a famous shehnai musician, and participate in hands-on training as part of the conservation program.

The ceiling of the Carracci Gallery

CONSERVATION WORK BEGINS IN THE CARRACCI GALLERY

After a period of diagnostic studies to determine appropriate conservation treatments, work began in mid-March on the restoration of Annibale Carracci's magnificent ceiling in Rome's Palazzo Farnese. The ceiling, begun in the late-sixteenth century, is considered one of the most important artistic endeavors from this period in Rome. The Palazzo Farnese currently houses the French embassy, which has meant that public access to this treasure has been restricted for decades. Once the project is completed, the gallery will be more accessible to the public. 

Participants in the Orchha workshop

MADHYA PRADESH PROJECT TECHNICAL WORKSHOPS

During the first week of March, World Monuments Fund conducted a second set of technical workshops to advance planning for conservation work at 40 sites in Madhya Pradesh, India. Held in Orchha, where implementation on a number of monuments has progressed greatly in recent months, the workshops were attended by architectural conservationists and consultants, members of the Madhya Pradesh government, and contractors. The goals were to ensure that a high standard of work will be consistently employed across all the sites and to foster lively exchange among colleagues. The work will be financed with funds from the Indian Government Fiscal Commission 13.

Williamsburg High School students at El Barrio Artspace Lofts at PS 109

PRESERVATION INTERNSHIPS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS 

As part of a long-term commitment to preservation training in the United States, World Monuments Fund is a partner to Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design in Brooklyn, NY, supporting the school's efforts to prepare students for internships, jobs, and other learning experiences in historic preservation. 

 

WMF helps supplement classroom experiences with hands-on training and site-based learning activities such as the Preservation in Practice series and field schools. Each summer, students are able to participate in work-based learning internships supported by the New York City Department of Education. WMF encourages preservation organizations and design firms to host internships. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Green-Wood Cemetery, Preservation Greenpoint, Cooper Robertson Partners, the Neighborhood Preservation Center, Robert Silman Associates, A. Ottavino Stoneworks, the Park Avenue Armory, Landmarks West!, and Queens Historical Society have been frequent hosts to Williamsburg High School interns.

 

Organizations located within New York's five boroughs are encouraged to host interns. To learn more, please contact us. To hear the students talk about their internship experiences, watch our video.

WMF travelers review the model for work at Man�, Yucat�n

FINAL PHASE OF WORK BEGINS AT CHURCH IN MAN�, MEXICO

World Monuments Fund--in partnership with Fomento Cultural Banamex--recently kicked off work on the final phase of the restoration of San Miguel Arcangel in Man�, an important sixteenth-century monastery in Mexico's state of Yucat�n. Announced during a trip for WMF major donors in March, the project will allow restoration works at the convent and the installation of a museum of Yucatec embroidery. The museum will display a collection of pieces that represent the different techniques employed by local craftspeople, the most important cultural expression of Man�. WMF trustee and 2013 Hadrian Award recipient Roberto Hern�ndez joined WMF travelers and local authorities to launch the second phase of the project, which is expected to be complete in 2015. Earlier work focused on the church itself.

The Crusader castle Crac des Chevaliers in Syria

TWO ESSAYS BY WMF PRESIDENT BONNIE BURNHAM
 
An essay by World Monuments Fund President Bonnie Burnham appeared in the Wall Street Journal on April 3. The subject was cultural heritage in conflict with a specific focus on Syria. The entire country of Syria is on the 2014 World Monuments Watch.

 

In mid-March, a piece by Bonnie Burnham ran in the Huffington Post about another 2014 Watch site, the Hudson River Palisades. This natural landmark is threatened by the proposed construction of a 143-foot-high corporate headquarters for LG Electronics. If built, this building would interrupt the view of the Palisades north of the George Washington bridge that has remained unbroken and protected for a century.

CHOOSE WMF AS YOUR CHARITY ON AMAZON 
 
You can now support World Monuments Fund when you shop for eligible purchases through
AmazonSmile. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the exact same prices and selection as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to the charity of your choice. We hope you will choose WMF! Learn more about AmazonSmile here.
SIGN THE PETITION
 
The Hudson River Palisades, a National Natural Landmark
included on the 2014 Watch, would be marred by the construction of a new corporate headquarters for LG Electronics. Opposition has been growing, and in late March four former New Jersey governors came out in opposition to the proposed plan in a letter to the
New York Times

 

Join the effort to protect the Palisades, a national treasure. Sign our petition urging LG Electronics USA to redesign its office plans.
CRISIS IN SYRIA

Escalating violence in Syria since 2011 has had devastating effects on the country's cultural heritage. WMF placed the entire country of Syria on the 2014 World Monuments Watch due to the dire threats to its irreplaceable architectural legacy. 

Join WMF in taking a stand. Sign our petition to help ensure the survival of Syria's cultural heritageWe must do all we can to prevent further damage in Syria.  

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