FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MIDDLE EAST PHOTOGRAPHY PRESERVATION INITIATIVE (MEPPI) HOLDS SYMPOSIUM IN BEIRUT THAT ADDRESSES THE IMPORTANT HISTORY AND THE FUTURE OF MIDDLE EAST PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS
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MIDDLE EAST PHOTOGRAPHY PRESERVATION INITIATIVE (MEPPI) HOLDS SYMPOSIUM IN BEIRUT THAT ADDRESSES THE IMPORTANT HISTORY AND THE FUTURE OF MIDDLE EAST PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS
The Photographic Legacy of the Middle East and North Africa: Priorities for Sustainability
May 3 and 4, 2017, 9:00 to 17:00
Sursock Museum Beirut, Auditorium, Level -2
In English and Arabic simultaneous translation
Image of MEPPI participants courtesy of The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
“The sustainability of MEPPI’s efforts depends upon a wider recognition of the value of photography as a historic and contemporary record, as well as support for preservation in this region,” says Kathleen Dardes, head of Collections at the Getty Conservation Institute and MEPPI project leader for the GCI. “Therefore, a critical complement to the training offered through MEPPI is engagement with a broader group of professional colleagues, including directors, policy and decision-makers, scholars, and others.”
As of today, close to 300 photograph collections have been identified through MEPPI’s efforts, and the research undertaken has yielded new information about collections in the region, including their size, significance, mission, condition, and accessibility.
The Getty Conservation Institute works to advance conservation practice in the visual arts, broadly interpreted to include objects, collections, architecture, and sites. It serves the conservation community through scientific research, education and training, model field projects, and the broad dissemination of the results of both its own work and the work of others in the field. In all its endeavors, the Conservation Institute focuses on the creation and dissemination of knowledge that will benefit the professionals and organizations responsible for the conservation of the world’s cultural heritage.