The following is a text-only press release from the federal Institute of
Museum and Library Services (IMLS). An HTML version of this release can
be read on the agency's Web site at
http://www.imls.gov/news/2010/061010.shtm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 10, 2010

IMLS Press Contacts 
202-653-4632
Jeannine Mjoseth, [log in to unmask]
Mamie Bittner, [log in to unmask]

IMLS Podcast: Senior Conservator Says Haiti's Paintings Can be Restored

Washington, DC-The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
announces release of a podcast interview with Susan Blakney, a senior
painting conservator and founder of Westlake Conservators. She traveled
to Haiti May 4-8 to assess the conservation needs of artwork damaged by
the January earthquake. To listen to the podcast, go to
http://www.imls.gov/resources/podcasts_Jun10.shtm. 

Blakney and two other conservators visited a dozen museums, which she
says have made great strides in retrieving and storing damaged artwork.
She describes seeing 500 paintings that were stacked "in a pile like
pancakes," awaiting conservation care. Haitians are anxious to save
their paintings, which are one of their "national loves and largest
exports," she said. However, the country does not have the materials it
needs to conserve the "vivid, colorful, and thematic" artworks that are
part of its social history, she says. Conservators will be needed for
many years to help restore the country's artwork and to train Haitian
artists on conservation techniques. Blakney is certain that the
paintings she assessed can be restored to exhibition standards. 

Blakney was part of emergency conservation team sent to Haiti by the
American Institute for Conservation (AIC) with support from IMLS. These
efforts are part of the Smithsonian Institution's Haitian Cultural
Recovery Project, which is also receiving support from the President's
Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, the National Endowment for the
Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Broadway
League. The U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield, a nonprofit,
non-governmental organization dedicated to the protection of cultural
property affected by conflict or natural disasters, is serving as the
international coordinator of this conservation effort.

Conducting conservation assessments in disaster zones is nothing new to
Blakney. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Blakney served as a cultural
disaster responder on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. After Hurricane Ike in
2008, she conducted conservation assessments in Galveston, Texas. She
was in the first class of conservators, collections managers, and museum
personnel to participate in 2007 training for the AIC Collections
Emergency Response Team (AIC-CERT), a rapid response team that can be
mobilized to provide emergency conservation assistance to museums in the
wake of natural and man-made disasters. IMLS funded the AIC to create
the training program through a 2006 21st Century Museum Professionals
grant. 

To learn more about the Smithsonian-led project, please go to
http://tiny.cc/nm8uy. 

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services 
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of
federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums.
The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that
connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the
national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to
sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and
innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about
the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.

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