Middle East Photograph Preservation Initiative

The Arab Image Foundation, the Art Conservation Department at the University of Delaware, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Getty Conservation Institute are partners in the Middle East Photograph Preservation Initiative (MEPPI), a strategic initiative to promote the preservation and awareness of photograph collections in the broad Middle East, from North Africa and the Arab Peninsula through Western Asia. 


The initiative has three interconnected components.

• The MEPPI Survey: a collection survey to assess and identify significant photograph holdings across the Arab World, Turkey, Iran (Islamic Republic of) and Afghanistan
• The MEPPI Courses: a series of three courses that will train personnel responsible for the care of photographic collections in the region.
• The MEPPI Symposium: a symposium focusing on the photographic heritage of the broader Middle East for regional policy- and decision-makers.

MEPPI Abu Dhabi 2012 is the second of three courses.


Participants in the MEPPI Abu Dhabi 2012 must commit to taking part in all three phases of the course:

• An eight-day workshop that will include lectures, demonstrations, hands-on projects, collection visits, and case studies.
• An eight-month period of assigned practical work that participants carry out in their own institutions while remaining in contact with an instructor. These assignments will allow participants to apply the concepts and information presented during the workshop to their own collections. Completed assignments will be submitted periodically to the instructor through the MEPPI website. The instructor will mentor participants by providing advice, guidance and additional information to assist them in their work with their collections. The MEPPI website will also allow participants to share information with one another and to take part in joint assignments and projects. Participants can expect to spend from five to ten hours each month on practical work and distance mentoring with an instructor.
• A final four-day meeting where the participants and several of the instructors will share the results of their experiences and consider the potential next steps in advancing the preservation of their collections.

Venue and dates
The course will begin with a workshop that will take place from 11 to 19 of November 2012 at New York University Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). The practical work and mentoring will take place between December 2012 and July 2013. The final meeting of the participants will take place in late 2013 in a location to be determined.


Workshop Content
The workshop will provide an overview of the technical history of photographic processes with a particular emphasis on the characterization and identification of albumen, silver gelatin, and chromogenic colour print materials, glass- and film-based negatives. Other more rare photographic processes such as the daguerreotype will be introduced. Lectures interwoven by hands-on practica will be conducted by conservators Debra Hess Norris, Nora Kennedy and Tram Vo as well as scientist Bertrand Lavédrine from CNRS (Centre national de la recherché Scientifique, France). The importance of balancing preservation and access will be highlighted in discussions of establishing handling guidelines, improving storage and exhibition practices—including cold storage, environmental assessment and practical control measures, as well as mitigation from airborne contaminants and pollutants. Sessions on best practices for digitization and access will be led by Fr! anziska Frey of Harvard University Libraries. The importance of emergency preparedness, response and recovery will be emphasized. Methods for collections’ surveys and prioritizing for preservation will be touched upon in the interest of creating practical strategies for long-term preservation of collections.
Lectures and discussions on fund-raising, contemporary art, and the history of photography and contemporary art will be provided by Zeina Arida, Director of the Arab Image Foundation, and other invited speakers.
The workshop will be held in English with simultaneous translation available in Arabic. Some written course materials may only be available in English and/or French.


Cost
There are no fees for attending the workshop or for participating in the mentoring and follow-up meeting. Travel, lodging, and per diem for the workshop and final meeting may be subsidized based on demonstrated institutional financial need.
Funding requests will be reviewed individually.


Eligibility
MEPPI participants include staff whose duties involve the care of photographic collections in museums, libraries, archives or similar institutions. Such personnel may include curators, photographers, collection managers and custodians.
Applications are welcome from countries of the Levant, the Arab Peninsula and North Africa. Participants from Turkey, Iran (Islamic Republic of) and Afghanistan may also be included. Please note that the application process requires a signed statement from the director of the applicant’s institution indicating his/her complete support for full participation in all phases of the MEPPI.
Applicants requiring funding assistance will be asked to submit a letter stating their institution’s budgetary constraints.


To apply
Applications for MEPPI Abu Dhabi 2012 must be submitted no later than 27 May 2012.
Application forms: http://www.meppi.org/MEPPI-Abu-Dhabi-2012/applications
To obtain more information, please contact info@meppi.org.