Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation Grants
World Monuments Fund received AFCP grants for seven of its projects - both new and ongoing - including renewed funds for Phnom Bakheng temple at Angkor Archaeological Park, in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Since 2004, WMF has received over $3.2 million from the U.S. government to conserve Phnom Bakheng. Additional projects funded through the new AFCP grants include Judson First Baptist Church, in Myanmar, Bunce Island, in Sierra Leone, Kua Ruins, in Tanzania, and Takiyyat Ibrahim al-Gulshani, in Egypt.
Building Conservation Capacity in Syria and Jordan
A 12-month program providing 30 Syrian refugees and Jordanians with masonry skill training kicked off in October. When the time comes, their technical capacity will be an important tool for the restoration of Syria’s heritage sites.
Mughal Gardens of Agra
Life is blooming again at the Mughal Gardens of Agra in India, where water management features were put in place and historically-accurate plant species were reintroduced.
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Extensive conservation of the church's iconic Edicule, a pilgrimage destination for those who long to pray at the tomb of Christ, was completed in just one year after three Christian communities came to a consensus on its restoration plan. The project was completed just prior to Easter ceremonies, shown here, with unsightly shoring that had been present on the structure for 70 years removed. The restoration was made possible thanks to a leadership gift from WMF trustee, Mica Ertegun, and additional support from WMF trustee, Jack Shear.
Ofune-hoko Machiya
At the famed Gion Festival in Kyoto, Japan, residents unveiled their Shijo Ofune-hoko Float and its newly restored home, Ofune-hoko Machiya.
Chancellerie d’Orléans
Conservation of the salvaged interiors of the Chancellerie d’Orléans, one of the most celebrated buildings of 18th century France, pushed ahead in Paris. They will eventually be reinstalled in a new home, accessible to the public for the first time in nearly 100 years.
Shwe-nandaw Kyaung
Restoration work continued at teakwood monastery Shwe-nandaw, in Mandalay, Myanmar, with an aim to strengthen capacity building and public outreach. WMF began a partnership with the Technological University of Mandalay in which students are learning about conservation and helping with the documentation and assessment of the dragon-like ‘nayar’ that are attached to the monastery’s veranda.
Wat Chaiwatthanaram
Four new conservators-in-training began work at Thailand’s iconic Wat Chaiwatthanaram temple as part of a new initiative that aims to improve site-based opportunities for individuals interested in the care of monuments.
Túcume Archaeological Site
Peruvian Minister of Culture Salvador del Solar visited Túcume Archaeological Site to announce the initiation of work at Huaca I, where erosion has exposed the site to heavy rains. Túcume is the largest site from the ancient Lambayeque culture with the highest concentration of monument architecture and the best expressions of mural art.
Arch of Janus
Following implementation of a conservation plan, the great Arch of Janus, a key feature of the Forum Boarium in the heart of ancient Rome, underwent significant cleaning, evident in the distinct color difference of the west façade, pictured here. Work will continue to complete restoration of the arch in full.
2018 World Monuments Watch
The 2018 World Monuments Watch was announced, including 25 sites that face daunting threats or present unique conservation opportunities. Pictured is Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church, one of the Alabama Civil Rights Sites recognized on the 2018 Watch, and at its steps, the beginning of the Selma to Montgomery March in 1965. The historic march, led by Martin Luther King Jr., alerted the country to the need for a national Voting Rights Act.
2017 Hadrian Gala
The 2017 Hadrian Gala honored two champions of conservation: Deborah Lehr, recipient of the Hadrian Award, whose organization, the Antiquities Coalition, advocates for safeguarding antiquities under threat from conflict and extremism; and famed American artist Frank Stella, recipient of the Watch Award, whose activism on behalf of modern buildings saved the A. Conger Goodyear House.
Bridge to Crafts Careers Program
Fifteen new graduates - young people from New York City - completed training in the critical heritage art of masonry through the Bridge to Crafts Careers Program at Woodlawn Cemetery, in the Bronx, New York. All were offered jobs in their new field upon graduation. The program is set to expand in 2018, its fourth year.
Chankillo
Chankillo Archaeological Site reached an important milestone with the public presentation of its conservation management plan, a crucial step in the process of nominating the ancient astronomical observatory as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Such recognition would solidfy Chankillo's position as one of the most outstanding cultural sites in the world, resulting in greater investment and stewardship of the site.
Angkor Archaeological Park
Eleven conservation technicians were recognized for their special commitment to Angkor Archaeological Park, where WMF employs 110 local Cambodians to restore Preah Khan and Phnom Bakheng temples. Combined, these eleven technicians represent more than 200 years of dedication to Angkor.
CRAFT Educational Program
Four students received a master’s degree in conservation from Tsinghua University as an extension of WMF's CRAFT training program, designed to meet critical conservation needs in China. The program uses the Qianlong Garden Conservation Project in Beijing's Forbidden City as a laboratory for students to learn the conservation practices that will be needed to protect this treasured site and others in the country.
Hablemos de La Habana Workshop
In partnership with Friends of Havana, a workshop was organized with international experts and local planners to proactively address growing concerns about development pressures, insufficient local zoning, and landmark regulations as they relate to Havana's cultural heritage. The conference's published proceedings will serve as the foundation for a multi-year collaboration in Havana between World Monuments Fund and local partners.
Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela
Conservation work was completed at Beta Gabriel Rafael and begun at Beta Golgotha-Mika’el - two of 11 rock-hewn churches within the complex in Lalibela, Ethiopia. The site was one of WMF's earliest projects in the 1960s; in 2007, WMF and UNESCO began a partnership to address the site's conservation, management, and presentation through local training and capacity building.
Modern Century
A digital advocacy campaign was launched to generate awareness and engagement around modern architecture and its unique conservation needs. The campaign broke records across WMF's social and digital channels and will expand in 2018.
Wentworth Woodhouse
The 18th century home, the largest in the United Kingdom, was purchased by a preservation trust following advocacy efforts by the 2016 World Monuments Watch and other community stakeholders. After its sale, the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust announced a twenty-year restoration plan that will be implemented while keeping the building open to the public.
This year, we were able to make a significant impact in communities and at their treasured places around the world, thanks to your support.
Now, our focus turns to work in the year ahead, in partnership with heritage champions like you. Together, we can ensure our world's places of meaning will exist for generations to come.
Special thanks to our leadership donors who have made the projects included in this slideshow possible:
Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, American Express, Anonymous, Bottega Veneta, British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund, The Brown Foundation, Inc. of Houston/Mrs. Nancy Brown Negley, Richard Broyd, Charities Aid Foundation of Canada, The DM Foundation, Ford Foundation, The Freeman Foundation, The Florence Gould Foundation, Hecksher Foundation for Children, The International Music and Art Foundation, The J.M. Kaplan Fund, Inc., Virginia James, Mrs. Betty Wold Johnson, Ralph E. Ogden Foundation, The Selz Foundation, The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, and The Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust.
