AIC's 51st Annual Meeting

Disasters, whether small- or large-scale, threaten both cultural heritage and its supporting infrastructure. Stewards who typically plan and refine interventions cautiously must respond immediately to alleviate impacts not only to heritage collections, but the structures that house them and the myriad people involved with the site and its surrounding community. The session will focus on the differing perspectives of the multiple individuals who are involved after a disaster affects historic resource(s), highlighting issues requiring collaboration, common challenges faced, gaps in disaster response and preparedness, and how we may be able to better address them. Case study presentations from allied professionals who have been involved with disaster response and cultural heritage (architectural conservator, material conservator, structural engineer, curator/facility manager) will start the session, followed by a moderated panel discussion with the presenters, and a final open Q&A/discussion with attendees. As a collaboration between the Association for Preservation Technology (APT) and AIC/FAIC, we intend this session to generate connections and gather information to guide future programming.