FAIC's National Heritage Responders Provide Support in Kentucky, Florida, and Puerto Rico
The Foundation for Advancement in Conservation actively supports institutions, collections, and people who have been affected by disasters. We have teams of volunteers that deploy onsite or virtually to support recovery of precious items after first responders save lives. As the second wave of responders, we are there to help ensure physical parts of our cultural heritage are not lost in the floods, quakes, and fires.
Emergency Help Line
Since July, volunteers with National Heritage Responders (NHR) have been assisting impacted institutions and individuals in Kentucky, Florida, and Puerto Rico following flooding and hurricane events. Thanks to support from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and donations from individuals, FAIC deployed a team of three NHR volunteers to Whitesburg, Kentucky, from November 7-11, to assist institutions impacted by flooding in late July.
Whitesburg is nestled in the Appalachia mountains and is home to Appalshop, a media, arts, and education center. The center maintains a large archive of film, photographs, and other media specific to the region. Luca Ackerman, Siri Linz, and team lead Steve Pine worked with Appalshop staff to address damage to thousands of quarter-inch open reel tapes in their collection. NHR volunteers also helped Appalshop staff organize damaged materials and consider various storage options for collections.
NHR volunteers Luca Ackerman (right) and Siri Linz (center) working with Appalshop staff member Leo Shannon during their recent deployment to Whitesburg, Kentucky in November. Courtesy of Steve Pine.
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From left: Appalshop staff member Leo Shannon talk in front of a collection of open reel tapes with NHR volunteers Luca Ackerman and Siri Linz during their recent deployment to Whitesburg, Kentucky, in November. Courtesy of Steve Pine. |
Between the flooding in late July and November 2022 deployment, NHR volunteers have facilitated virtual assessments with impacted institutions and fielded questions via phone and emails. FAIC staff members have remained in close contact with the Kentucky Arts Council to understand the needs on the ground. FAIC has also sent personal protective equipment and recovery supplies, including HEPA vacuums, to several institutions in Eastern Kentucky.
FAIC Staff, AIC Members Support Disaster Recovery Efforts in Florida After Hurricane Ian
FAIC Emergency Programs Coordinator Elaina Gregg (right) practicing “Save Your Family Treasures” demonstrations with FEMA colleague Laura Jordan during her recent deployment to Bradenton, Florida, following Hurricane Ian.
FAIC Emergency Programs Coordinator Elaina Gregg and AIC members Gwen Manthey, Angela Campbell, and Renee Anderson deployed to Disaster Recovery Centers in Florida in November to support the Save Your Family Treasures (SYFT) program following Hurricane Ian.
The SYFT program, led by Lori Foley and Nana Kaneko of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is administered through the Heritage Emergency National Task Force, a partnership of over 60 federal agencies and national service organizations, including FAIC, and is co-sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and FEMA. The goal of the SYFT program is to provide guidance to disaster survivors on how to salvage damaged treasured possessions.
Disaster survivors were encouraged to reach out to the National Heritage Responders through the NHR public helpline (nhrpublichelpline@culturalheritage.org) with questions regarding damaged family items, and to use the “Find a Professional” tool if they wanted to pursue conservation treatment for their items. We were thrilled to collaborate with FEMA and the Smithsonian through this effort.
50 Years of FAIC: Your Financial Support of Preservation is Needed Now More than Ever!
Members and supporters of AIC and FAIC are already playing an important role in strengthening the field of conservation, and for that we are most grateful. Being part of our community of practice helps support services we provide to you and colleagues, along with raising greater awareness and advancement of our field; this is why your personal support to FAIC is needed this year!
FAIC: In service to you for the past 50 years
AIC membership dues go directly to our member services and are not used to support FAIC programs. FAIC directly supports AIC members and the greater field of conservation in so many ways:
- FAIC offers professional development at subsidized prices to help you and your colleagues stay current with knowledge and techniques
- FAIC offers scholarships and grants to help you attend professional development events around the world, to support fellowship opportunities for early professionals, to improve diversity in the field, and to advance publications of conservation topics
- FAIC provides opportunities to connect with colleagues around the world through CoOL and the Global Conservation Forum
- FAIC resources like STiCH help mitigate and reduce the CO2 footprint of conservation and collections care
- FAIC introduces small and mid-size collecting institutions to conservation professionals in private practice through assessments and online resources (such as CAP and C2C Care) that can also help with resilience and mitigation of many factors including climate impact
Screenshot from the webinar Preparing for Extreme Weather: Fire and Hurricane.
- And, in the wake of natural disasters, we know how very important support from our community of practice can be for so many. FAIC brings conservation expertise to help save collections hit by disasters, including 2022’s Hurricane Fiona, Hurricane Ian, and summer flooding in Kentucky (see more about this under the Emergency Preparedness and Respond piece in this same section), and with anticipated needs for Puerto Rico and Florida, as well as future climate impacts.
FAIC is Ready to Help. Can We Count on Your Support?
We know that you have many charitable causes to consider when making a year-end contribution. That’s why we would especially appreciate your expanded support to include FAIC this year.
Your support will ensure that our programs continue to grow and serve the needs of conservation professionals, collections, and communities. Please help FAIC directly help our field and those who need our support for recovery and resilience to protect and preserve cultural heritage. You may make an online donation or recurring payment on our secure portal at www.culturalheritage.org/donate or mail your check to FAIC at 727 15th Street NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20005.
Please consider a $50 donation or any multiple you can give for 50 years of protecting cultural heritage and advancing our field.