NEW BLOG POST to ‘Can you dig it?’: http://www.c-u-d-i.blogspot.com

"Stuff matters": the crucial work of the American Institute for Conservation - Collections Emergency Response Team

An interview with Eric Pourchot, Institutional Advancement Director at the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation

In this blog post Eric Pourchot explains the work of AIC-CERT, why it was established and gives examples of how they have responded to recent disasters such as Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Irene and the earthquake in Haiti. The interviewed concluded with the question ‘Why in times of crisis is it important to rescue our cultural heritage?’ and Mr Pourchot answered with the following:

“In Haiti, a lot of volunteers would go over on flights and there’d be doctors, nurses and engineers and the volunteers asked themselves ‘What am I doing, why am I taking up space?’. There are quotes from the Haitian communities saying they can build houses but heritage is what makes it worth all the effort and it makes their lives have meaning.

AIC-CERT isn’t going to be the first ones there, and we shouldn’t be, the health and safety of people and the structural integrity of buildings has to come first but there is a real need to help these communities to recover and continue. It is quality of life versus quantity of life - you could just tear everything down, put up pre-fab buildings and call it a city but that’s not how cities are formed. We are drawn to places, we are drawn to things, it is what gives us identity and I’m honoured to be working with people who have devoted their lives to the concept that “stuff matters”.

Read the full blog post at http://www.c-u-d-i.blogspot.com

Jennie Agar

Maney Publishing

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