Training the Next Generation
Threats to Heritage
The erasure of craft techniques is one of the biggest threats to heritage, giving urgency and purpose to World Monuments Fund (WMF) training programs. For WMF, preservation means investing directly in people, giving them the skills and the means to improve their quality of life. By preparing a new generation of caretakers, we can be assured that there is someone to look after the world’s shared heritage long after WMF’s work ends.
Conservation Training in the U.S.
WMF became a leader in conservation training when it launched the first-ever preservation arts curriculum in the U.S. at the Brooklyn High School for the Arts in 2000. Subsequent U.S. programs strengthened the pipeline for employment and greater diversity in the preservation field. In 2015, the highly successful Bridge to Crafts Careers (B2CC) program was created by WMF in partnership with the Woodlawn Conservancy, which manages the historic Woodlawn Cemetery, and the International Masonry Institute (IMI) to teach underrepresented young adults in New York City masonry restoration. Training programs offered at Woodlawn and Green-Wood Cemetery, which joined B2CC in 2018, continue to feed budding craftspeople into the stonemasonry trade.
After finishing the program, participants are encouraged to take the apprenticeship exam for the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 1 Union. Those who pass are offered a three-year, paid apprenticeship that provides an hourly wage of $26.36 plus benefits and can lead to long-term employment. With assistance from local social services agencies, B2CC has an 80% job-placement rate among graduates. In 2020, B2CC expanded its training offerings to historic landscape preservation in partnership with the Woodlawn Conservancy, The Door, the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, and the Davey Tree Expert Company.
Capacity Building
Capacity building is a vital component of WMF’s field work and skill development among underserved populations. In 2017, WMF launched the first capacity building program designed for Syrian refugees and local Jordanians. Based in Mafraq, Jordan, with the support of the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund, the program provides a critical service to displaced Syrians, many of them young and seeking a livelihood. It also extends training in stone masonry to local Jordanians, who share some of the same needs for employment. These trainings have become a model for a program addressing similar challenges in Tripoli, Lebanon that was introduced in April 2020.
Related Projects
Phnom Bakheng
Phnom Bakheng, the state temple of the first Khmer capital at Angkor, is one of the world’s greatest architectural treasures.
Building Conservation Capacity in Syria and Jordan
Ta Som Temple
The Khmer temple of Ta Som, located at Angkor Archaeological Park, was built at the end of the twelfth century during the reign of the powerful Buddhist King Jayavarman VII.
Qianlong Garden Conservation Project
The Qianlong Garden was built by the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912) to serve as a part of his retirement complex for use following his 60-year reign.
Churning of the Ocean of Milk Gallery Conservation Project
Part of Angkor Wat temple complex at Angkor Archaeological Park, the Churning of the Ocean of Milk Gallery represents a crowning achievement of Khmer artistry.