Travel, Learn, and Get Hands-On Building Conservation Experience

Many thanks to Jamie Donahoe of the Heritage Conservation Network for sending along information about their 2007 workshops. Based in Boulder, Colorado, the HCN offers hands on building conservation workshops (all over the world) that bring participants together with local residents who are working to save their cultural heritage. Participants contribute significantly to projects while working with experts in the field of heritage conservation. Novice to expert – all are welcome.

The 2007 schedule includes a series of workshops that will enable participants to gain critical hands-on experience with different materials and conservation issues while contributing to preservation work at the sites. This year's sites and projects include:

Conservation Survey in the Monastery of San Giovanni Battista,
Serravalle, Vittorio Veneto, Italy – April 1-14, 2007

Traditional and Colonial Building Conservation in Ghana, Accra, Ghana
(in association with the School of Environmental Design at the
University of Georgia) – June 24 - July 7, 2007

Historic Finishes of the Old West, Virginia City, Montana (in
association with the Virginia City Institute for Preservation Research
and Technology) – July 9-13, 2007

Preservation Work at the Kornthal Parsonage, Jonesboro, Illinois (in
association with the School of Architecture - Southern Illinois
University Carbondale and the Kornthal Union County Memorial) – July
15-28, 2007

Saving the Stark House, Port Robinson, Ontario – September 23 - October
6, 2007

Workshop fees range from $425 to $2000 per person per week, depending on location. Participation in the Serravalle workshop is limited to mid-career professionals, but the other workshops are open to anyone interested in acquiring preservation skills and experience or in contributing their time and effort to the project.

Jamie (whom we hope to do a blog interview with sometime soon) notes that 2008 workshops will be located in Armenia, Albania, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom, providing great travel opportunities in conjunction with training.

For further information, please contact Judith Broeker, HCN’s Program
Director, at workshops @ heritageconservation.net, 303 444 0128. HCN's website, www.heritageconservation.net (also in sidebar list at right), offers much more information about the organization, its mission, workshops that have been conducted in the past, and 2007 workshops. Mark your calendars, visit the web site, and start saving now!