Association for the Conservation of the Cultural Patrimony of the Americas
(Asociación para la Conservación del Patrimonio Cultural de las Américas)

[ English versión ] [ Spanish version ]

The APOYO Newsletter:

Since 1990, APOYO has produced, printed and distributed a newsletter consisting of one or two issues a year. Currently it is the only publication on conservation issues in Spanish reaching such wide audience. It is co-edited and produced by Amparo R. de Torres and Ann Seibert, in collaboration with a group of volunteers. The volunteers identify and send to the editors material for newsletter publication such as articles, future events, training opportunities, and other news of interest.

Translations into Spanish are done by volunteers as necessary. Volunteers also process the incoming mail containing requests for names to be added to the database, and forward them to the International Center for the Study of Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) in Rome. Since 1994 to 2001, the printing and distribution of the newsletter was made possible by the support of the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education (SCMRE, formerly known as CAL).

NEXT: The APOYO Directory

 

 

 

 

The APOYO Directory:

A directory of individuals and institutions involved in the conservation and preservation of the cultural patrimony of the Americas was published in 1996 and in 1998. Currently it is under revision for publication in 2000.

This directory, the first one of its kind for Latin America, was the result of the cooperative project between the ICCROM and APOYO started in 1994. At that time the APOYO and ICCROM databases were merged and the Database Management Office of ICCROM assumed maintenance of the database.

This integrated and expanded database is used both to mail the Newsletter and to produce the Directory. Currently it
is under revision for new publication.

NEXT:The APOYO/CCI Poster Project

 

 

 

 

 

 

The APOYO/CCI Poster Project:

A translated English/Spanish version of a poster entitled "Framework for the Preservation of Museum Collections" was distributed by SCMRE, free of charge to the membership in 1999.
The poster was developed by the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) in 1994 and contains the preventive conservation methodology developed by the Preventive Conservation Services Division of the CCI. It is used to guide an institution in the process of doing an assessment of the agents of deterioration that threaten the collections.

These agents of deterioration are ranked in descending order from the most devastating and fastest acting to the ones that will give staff more time to act. The poster also outlines the steps that must be taken to prevent the deterioration. Donations to the Library of Congress of synthetic paper by Yupo Corporation of Virginia and the printing by Reese Press of Baltimore, Maryland made this project possible.

NEXT:APOYO Translation Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

APOYO Translation Activities:

APOYO's goal is to serve as a clearinghouse of information to avoid duplication of efforts in translating initiatives, since to produce a quality technical translation requires careful planning, much editing, and is very expensive.

APOYO has created a bibliographic information database of the material available in Spanish. Conservation material (mostly, preventive conservation) has been collected from many different sources in Latin America, the United States, and Europe. APOYO will produce an annotated bibliography of conservation material in Spanish, with information on how to obtain each publication, that will be published in the Newsletter. Hopefully it will be made available eventually to a larger audience through the Internet..

In addition, the APOYO translators have contributed their expertise in several translation projects for other groups such as the American Institute for Conservation, the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts, the National Archives and Records Administration, the National Park Service, the Smithsonian Institution, and Heritage Preservation in the USA, and the Centro Nacional de Conservación y Restauración de Chile in Chile.

The material translated and reviewed by APOYO has been used for teaching and other information dissemination initiatives by severalorganizations, among others the Getty Conservation Institute.

NEXT: Additional APOYO Activities

 

 

 

 

Additional APOYO Activities:

APOYO has worked closely with several organizations to make funding and travel bursaries available for qualified individuals to attend professional meetings. Over 100 professionals from Latin America have attended international conservation meetings in the USA and Canada.

The funding has been provided by the Getty Grant Program and the Getty Conservation Institute of the USA, the Vitae Foundation of Brazil, the Andes Foundation of Chile, and the Antorchas Foundation of Argentina.

 

APOYO has obtained funding from four important manufactures and distributors of conservation products to establish awards for Latin American institutions.

The Gaylord Award (US$1,500.00), the Metal Edge Award (US$1,500.00), the University Products Award (US$1,500.00) and The Museum Services Corporation Award (US$1,500.00) are given annually to institutions that have excelled in coping with difficult economic circumstances in caring for their collections. The awards are given in the form of material from their catalogues. The awards include the cost of transportation of the goods to the closest port or airport to the awardee.

 

 

APOYO's Future:

In its first twelve years APOYO's impressive accomplishments have been largely due to the generous volunteer efforts of the many dedicated individuals who believe strongly in its mission. The enthusiastic reception that it has received has validated its purposes.

However in the future it must seek to establish a firmer financial foundation and the cooperation of other associations in order to continue this important work toward furthering its primary goal: to remain fully committed to supporting the conservation and preservation of the material cultural patrimony of the Americas.

 

For more information please contact:
Amparo R. de Torres or Ann Seibert at:

P. O. Box 76932
Washington, D. C. 20013, USA
Tel: (202) 707-1120, Fax: (202) 707-1525
e-mail: ator@loc.gov

2/10/03