A three-day international workshop addressing the preservation, access and use of cultural heritage material samples archives, will be held at Évora, Portugal, from 13 June to 15 June 2022.
Many cultural heritage institutions around the world hold material samples archives comprising samples collected from heritage objects and sites, reference materials and replicas. These historic resources are non-renewable and have huge potential for future research and didactic purposes, but they are often little known, and their value under recognized. In addition, they pose very particular challenges concerning their physical safeguarding, access, and use. As a result, they are critically threatened. The Heritage Samples Archives Initiative (HSAI), launched by ICCROM in September 2020 brings together more than 25 institutions from around the world to promote the long-term survival and use of these collections. This workshop is held as part of the HSAI to highlight the value and vulnerability of heritage samples archives and seek concrete ways in which to safeguard and share the knowledge they contain. The workshop is organized by ICCROM and the University of Évora, and is generously supported by the Getty Conservation Institute, Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, Harvard Art Museums, and the Dresden University of Fine Arts.
