Preventive Conservation

RE-ORG Nigeria Evaluation Seminar Reviews Museum Storage Projects Nationwide

An evaluation seminar of the RE-ORG Nigeria project was held 4–10 June at the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria. Participants from 12 national and university museums presented initiatives they carried out after receiving formal RE-ORG training. Within a year of the 2017 RE-ORG workshop in Jos, participants involved over 400 staff members in reorganization activities, improved the storage of more than 60 000 objects and refurbished spaces and furniture at more than 20 storage rooms. To spur community engagement, RE-ORG Nigeria also organized ten exhibitions in different locations across the country and provided seminars for museum staff.

The RE-ORG Nigeria national strategy 2017–2018 is undertaken in collaboration with the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments, the Ahmadu Bello University and participating museums, with generous funding from the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation. (See Special Feature: Training)

International Workshop Practices RE-ORG at Museum of Lisbon

The RE-ORG Lisboa international workshop, held 15–26 October at the Museum of Lisbon in Portugal, shared the RE-ORG methodology with 20 museum professionals from 10 Member States. Working with important collections from the Museum of Lisbon, including ceramics, paintings, textiles, graphic documents and furniture, participants practiced the full methodology, from preparation and condition assessment to planning and implementing the reorganization project. Within two weeks, they had reorganized six storage rooms with a total surface of 802 square meters.

The workshop familiarized participants with the RE-ORG method, which ICCROM and UNESCO developed in collaboration with the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) to help museums worldwide make improvements to existing storage areas.

RE-ORG Lisboa took place thanks to the generous support of the Empresa de Gestão de Equipamentos e Animação Cultural, E.M. (EGEAC), the Museum of Lisbon and the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa.

South American Heritage Professionals Convene in Santiago for RE-ORG Chile

From 27 August to 7 September, 19 Chilean and 2 Uruguayan professionals joined 10 coaches trained in 2017 to reorganize the storage and deposit areas of the Cerrillos National Centre for Contemporary Art (CNAC). They worked with three important collections containing more than 400 pieces in total. Some of these collections are contemporary art installations made up of multiple objects.

Partners in the Chilean national RE-ORG strategy are ICCROM, the National Centre of Conservation and Restoration (CNCR) and the National Sub-Directorate of Museums (SNM), both of which are under the structure of the National Service for Cultural Heritage of Chile.

18th Edition of RE-ORG Held at Kuwait National Museum

From 25 November to 7 December, 20 participants from Kuwait and Oman learned about RE-ORG methods.

At the end of the two-week course, the 18th edition of REORG, the seven storage units at the Kuwait National Museum, containing collections of archaeology and ethnography, were reorganized according to RE-ORG methodology. Collaborating partners for RE-ORG Kuwait included ICCROM and the Kuwait National Museum.

RE-ORG Albania Reaches Participants from 11 Institutions

The National History Museum of Albania organized a REORG workshop that took place 5–13 November in the storage rooms of the museum. Four coaches from Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia trained 16 participants from 11 institutions in Albania. In seven working days, they reorganized two museum storage areas.

For RE-ORG Albania, ICCROM teamed with the National History Museum of Albania, the Ministry of Culture of Albania and the International Council of Museums Southeast Europe Alliance (ICOM SEE).