Volume 12, Number 1, Jan. 1990, p.10

Central American Exchanges

The Smithsonian Institution's Office of Museum Programs and the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars are working together to encourage the exchange of information and ideas on collection conservation between U.S. and Central American museums. A small group of Central American museum professionals will be selected to participate in a three month Fulbright fellowship in "Collection Care and Conservation" beginning July 15, 1990. Selected fellows will focus primarily on the identification of techniques and procedures which might be used successfully in tackling conservation problems in Central American Museums. The program will consist of a two week needs assessment period at the Smithsonian followed by a ten week residency in a U.S. museum.

The group will consist of curators, conservators and others responsible for collection care in Central American museums. During the ten week residency, fellows will be seeking practical experience in working with collections in U.S. museums. At the end of their stay, they will return to the Smithsonian to participate in planning a workshop scheduled to take place in Costa Rica in 1991. Host staff from participating museums may also have an opportunity to participate in the planning and presentation of this program. The topic of the workshop will be "The Theory, Practice, and Ethics of Conservation and Collection Care."

Museums interested in obtaining more information about this cooperative program or in hosting a fellow should contact Gayle Edmunds at the Office of Museum Programs, Smithsonian Institution; (202) 357-3101.