In celebration of 50 years of the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC), the National Heritage Responders (NHR) History Team is recognizing and honoring one of FAIC’s many significant contributions to the field of conservation. FAIC and NHR, along with national and international partner organizations, have developed and professionalized heritage protection and response.
In the spirit of the Monuments Men and Mud Angels, NHR is comprised of devoted volunteers with the mission to assist cultural institutions and collections affected by various types and sizes of emergency situations. FAIC and NHR’s histories are interwoven with cooperative institutional and personal relationships, sharing a common goal of successful disaster protection and response.
FAIC has provided a strong base for NHR’s activities through grants, staffing, and training. Given the significant increase in devastating climate events and social unrest, it is timely that FAIC provides the needed cooperative and organized training and response structure. FAIC establishes the framework for team deployments by documenting their work, providing remote support and emergency supplies, and offering relevant workshops and lectures before and after disasters. NHR team members, supported by FAIC staff, the Emergency Committee, and NHR Working Group, developed the Disaster Wiki and Disaster Recovery Tip Sheets, and disseminate information to colleagues and the public.
Consistent training began in early 2000s with AIC's Collections Emergency Response Team. Later renamed National Heritage Responders, the team includes conservators, archivists, collection managers and allied professionals, bringing together diverse and complementary backgrounds. Many programs have been created through the dedication of NHR members, contributing expertise through local, regional, tribal, state, federal, and international organizations.
Working cooperatively with first responders, community groups, and other volunteers, FAIC continues its educational commitment to protecting tangible heritage. NHR members are devoted to teaching their specialty at every opportunity, tailoring programming to address the specific needs, interests, and capabilities of regional and allied groups, organizations, sites, and the public. Together NHR and FAIC are core to forming and training national regional disaster groups; developing cultural resiliency programs, disaster plans, and training materials; and are expanding the NHR team to replace retiring members, grown from 100 to nearly 200 professional members.
During disasters, FAIC and NHR team members respond to minor and major catastrophic events of all types. Large scale, team-wide responses have addressed the needs of hundreds of institutions, including after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, 2012 Superstorm Sandy, 2017 Puerto Rico hurricanes, and 2022 Kentucky floods. NHR has salvaged all types of collections and developed Collections Recovery Centers to assist local communities in recovery of affected materials. Many NHR volunteers have developed continuing, supportive relationships with recovering institutions and individuals.
The NHR team’s passionate commitment has resulted in a unique and successful subspecialty, worth chronicling, especially as FAIC governance transitions and the NHR team expands. This presentation examines NHR’s history and current activities in conjunction with FAIC to improve cultural heritage resilience through community building, partner networks and advocacy.
