Building Bridges: A Symposium on Global Cultural Heritage Preservation

Hosted by the Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee
Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee Logo

Building Bridges: A Symposium on Global Cultural Heritage Preservation
Smithsonian Castle Commons
October 23–24, 2018

How can the United States better help protect and preserve culture around the world? The Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee (CHCC) presents Building Bridges: A Symposium on Global Cultural Heritage Preservation, an event dedicated to exploring this question and cultivating an open dialogue about cultural heritage preservation between government and non-government organizations, the private sector, and the university and research community.

Building Bridges will take place October 23–24 with a series of presentations, lightning talks, moderated panels, breakout discussions, and Q&A sessions. The symposium will provide a platform to learn more and engage in conversations to facilitate and bridge collaboration across agencies and organizations. At the close of the two days, a panel discussion open to the general public will discuss U.S. foreign policy and interagency collaboration efforts in cultural heritage protection and preservation.

Organized by the CHCC Public Awareness and Partnerships Working Group and hosted by the Smithsonian Institution, the forum will address issues of public awareness, crisis response, cultural heritage trafficking, funding, international preservation efforts, and interagency cooperation.  

About the CHCC

The Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee (CHCC) is an interagency committee dedicated to coordinating U.S. government efforts to protect and preserve cultural heritage at risk from political instability, armed conflict, or natural disasters. Chaired by the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, the CHCC was established in 2016 under the Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act (read the full text of the legislation regarding the Committee here).

CHCC member agencies include: Department of State, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of the Interior, Department of Justice, Department of the Treasury, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Smithsonian Institution, and U.S. Agency for International Development.

For A More Detailed Agenda Click Here
Agenda is Subject to Change
 

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

8:30 - 9:15 AM Sign In and Coffee Refreshments

9:15 AM Welcome

  • John Davis, Provost and Under Secretary for Museums, Education, and Research, Smithsonian Institution

  • Heather Nauert, Spokesperson, U.S. Department of State       

10:00 AM Morning Discussion: Emergency and Crisis Response

  • Cultural Property Protection and U.S. Obligation Under the Hague Convention

    • Mark Swayne, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability and Humanitarian Affairs, Department of Defense 

    • Timothy Varley, Chief, Asia/Africa Branch, Operational Environment Analysis, Defense Intelligence Agency 

    • James Jabinal, Deputy Director, Marine Corps Civil Military Operations School

  • Protecting Cultural Heritage in Emergencies   

    • Richard Kurin, Distinguished Scholar and Ambassador-at-Large, Smithsonian Institution 

    • Patty Gerstenblith, Secretary, U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield; Distinguished Research Professor of Law, DePaul College of Law 

    • Fr. Columba Stewart, OSB, Executive Director, Hill Museum and Manuscript Library, St. John’s University

12:00 PM Lunch

1:15 PM Afternoon Discussion: Law Enforcement and Anti-Trafficking

  • Process and Prosecution of Cultural Heritage Cases         

    • KT Newton, Assistant US Attorney, Philadelphia 

    • Tim Carpenter, Supervisory Special Agent, Art Crime Team, Federal Bureau of Investigation 

    • Dan Brazier, Special Agent, Cultural Property, Art and Antiquities, Homeland Security Investigations 

    • Chris Robertson, Branch Chief, Commercial Targeting and Analysis, Customs and Border Protection 

  • Financing of Licit and Illicit Trade and Cultural Property

    • Tim Carpenter, Supervisory Special Agent, Art Crime Team, Federal Bureau of Investigation 

    • Dan Brazier, Special Agent, Cultural Property, Art and Antiquities, Homeland Security Investigations 

    • Ann Brickley, Trial Attorney, Department of Justice

5:00 PM End of Day 1

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

8:30 AM Coffee Refreshments and Welcome Back

  • Jon Parrish Peede, Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities 

  • Mary Anne Carter, Acting Chair, National Endowment for the Arts

8:55 AM Morning Discussion: Public-Private Partnerships

  • Success Stories of Public and Private Partnerships

    • Brent Leggs, Director, African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund at the National Trust for Historic Preservation

  • Public-Private Partnerships in Action         

    • Brent Bjorkman, Director, Kentucky Museum and Kentucky Folklife Program

    • Guha Shankar, Senior Folklife Specialist, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

    • Daniel Reid, Executive Director, Whiting Foundation 

    • Jane Zimmerman, Executive Director, American Research Center in Egypt

11:45 PM Lunch

12:30 PM Afternoon Discussion: Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee

  • Presentation by the Cultural Antiquities Task Force of the CHCC and Q&A

    • Catherine Foster, Program Director, Cultural Antiquities Task Force, Foreign Affairs Research Analyst, Cultural Heritage Center, U.S. Department of State 

    • Michael Conlon, Unit Chief, U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations

    • Chris Robertson, Branch Chief, Commercial Targeting and Analysis, Customs and Border Protection 

  • Presentation by the Technology Working Group of the CHCC and Q&A

    • Jake Archer, Special Agent, FBI Art Crime Team 

    • Additional speakers from: CHCC Technology Working Group 

  • Presentation by the Public Awareness and Partnerships Working Group of the CHCC and Q&A

    • Aviva Rosenthal, Senior Advisor, Office of International Relations, Smithsonian Institution 

    • Mary Cook, Senior Program Manager, Cultural Property, Art and Antiquities, Homeland Security Investigations Office of International Operations, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

    • Cari Enav, Director, Cultural Heritage Center, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State

    • Clifford Murphy, Folk & Traditional Arts Director, Multidisciplinary Arts, National Endowment for the Arts

2:00 PM Closing Remarks

2:15 PM End of Symposium

Closing Panel Open to the Public

4:00 PM A Discussion on Cultural Heritage Preservation and Foreign Policy        

  • Richard Kurin, Distinguished Scholar and Ambassador-at-Large, Smithsonian Institution 

  • Marie Royce, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State

  • Current and former U.S. ambassadors to the Balkans, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Near East regions

5:10 PM Light Refreshments

To see invitation that was distributed to the public, please click here.

Symposium Facilitator

Angela T. Spinazzè, Principal and Founder, ATSPIN consulting

Speaker list will be updated on a continual basis as speakers are confirmed.

  • Brent Bjorkman, Director, Kentucky Museum and Kentucky Folklife Program
  • Dan Brazier, Special Agent, Cultural Property, Art and Antiquities, Homeland Security Investigations
  • Ann Brickley, Trial Attorney, Department of Justice
  • Mary Anne Carter, Acting Chair, National Endowment for the Arts 
  • Michael Conlon, Unit Chief, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations
  • Mary Cook, Senior Program Manager, Cultural Property, Art and Antiquities, Homeland Security Investigations Office of International Operations, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  • John Davis, Provost and Under Secretary for Museums, Education, and Research, Smithsonian Institution
  • Cari Enav, Director, Cultural Heritage Center, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State
  • Catherine Foster, Program Director, Cultural Antiquities Task Force, Foreign Affairs Research Analyst, Cultural Heritage Center, U.S. Department of State 
  • Patty Gerstenblith, Secretary, U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield; Distinguished Research Professor of Law, DePaul College of Law
  • James Jabinal, Deputy Director, Marine Corps Civil Military Operations School
  • Richard Kurin, Distinguished Scholar and Ambassador-at-Large, Smithsonian Institution
  • Brent Leggs, Director, African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund at the National Trust for Historic Preservation 
  • Clifford Murphy, Folk & Traditional Arts Director, Multidisciplinary Arts, National Endowment for the Arts 
  • KT Newton, Assistant United States Attorney, Philadelphia
  • Jon Parrish Peede, Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities
  • Chris Robertson, Branch Chief, Commercial Targeting and Analysis, Customs and Border Protection
  • Aviva Rosenthal, Senior Advisor, Office of International Relations, Smithsonian Institution
  • Marie Royce, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State
  • Guha Shankar, Senior Folklife Specialist, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
  • Fr. Columba Stewart, OSB, Executive Director, Hill Museum and Manuscript Library, St. John’s University
  • Mark Swayne, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability and Humanitarian Affairs, Department of Defense
  • Timothy Varley, Chief, Asia/Africa Branch, Operational Environment Analysis, Defense Intelligence Agenc
  • Jane Zimmerman, Executive Director, American Research Center in Egypt

A Discussion on Cultural Heritage Preservation and Foreign Policy

Date and Time
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
4:00 – 5:30 PM

Location
Smithsonian Institution Castle Commons
1000 Jefferson Drive SW, Washington D.C., 20560

Open to the public. Seating is limited and on a first-come first-served basis.

Please RSVP.

Also available via webcast: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/si-public

Yes, please use the RSVP button at the top of this page (and at the bottom of the page on mobile).

  • The Smithsonian highly encourages the use of public transportation.
  • The closest metro station is the “Smithsonian” stop, using the exit to the National Mall. This station is accessible by the Blue, Silver, and Orange lines.
  • The Smithsonian has no public parking facility for access to the National Mall. Street parking and public parking garages are available and can be identified on this map.

You can access the Smithsonian Castle by using this map.

We will also have signs and staff members available to direct you to the area. 

  • Lunch is included (also why we request that you RSVP), and beverages (i.e., coffee, tea, water) will be provided throughout the day.
  • Please feel free to bring your own snacks.
  • The Smithsonian Castle Café also has food for purchase.

Unfortunately, no. As space is limited, this is an invitation-only event. However, if you are unable to attend, please email SmithsonianCHCCEvent@si.edu with your suggested replacement.

You are welcome and encouraged to take photos throughout the Symposium.

We welcome posts on social media and will be using the following:

•    Hashtags: #CulturalHeritage #CHCCBuildingBridges
•    Twitter: @HeritageAtState @ECAatState @GlobalSI
•    Facebook: @USAFCP @ExchangeProgramsatState @SmithsonianGlobal
 

Anything you may need to take notes, your business cards, lots of questions and ideas, and a positive attitude.

You can e-mail SmithsonianCHCCevent@si.edu with any questions, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Building Bridges: A Symposium on Global Cultural Heritage Preservation
Smithsonian Castle Commons
October 23–24, 2018
(webcast)