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International Course on Stone Conservation

View of the Forum, Rome
 
Enlarge A view of the Forum, Rome. Photo: Rand Eppich, GCI

The GCI is pleased to announce the 17th International Course on Stone Conservation to be held at ICCROM in Rome, April 13–July 1, 2011 and co-organized by ICCROM and the GCI in partnership with the UNESCO Venice Office. This marks the first time since its inception that the course will take place at ICCROM providing participants direct access to its laboratories and library. The course will also take advantage of the distinguished architectural heritage of Rome and its legacy of stone conservation practice.

The International Course on Stone Conservation has long served a vital educational role in the conservation profession by offering an accessible and intensive format in which to learn theoretical and practical methodologies for stone conservation. It has also provided a constructive and intimate forum for international professionals to meet and exchange ideas about the conservation practices and challenges in their home countries. The 2011 course will build upon the rich history and experiences of the previous courses and will expand to address the evolving needs of practicing conservation professionals.

The GCI's commitment to this course aims to help fill a need for stone conservation training, to improve stone conservation practices internationally, and to create a network of well-informed conservation professionals who can continue to draw upon the expertise of one another. A long-term goal of the GCI is to develop and disseminate reference and teaching materials related to stone conservation education.

Course Description and Methodology
In content and structure, the course has been developed to address the following topics and skills as they pertain to stone conservation:

  • conservation theory and principles;
  • stone mineralogical and physical characteristics;
  • stone as a building material—use and construction;
  • mechanisms of decay—material and structural;
  • methods of recording for documentation and analysis;
  • methods of analytical investigation;
  • planning and selection of conservation interventions;
  • maintenance and preventive conservation;
  • multi-disciplinary teamwork in conservation;
  • developing and managing a stone conservation project;
  • regional issues in stone conservation.

The course will be conducted through precourse reading, classroom lectures and discussions, group work, participant presentations, laboratory research, fieldwork exercises, and site visits. Throughout the course, an emphasis will be placed on applied methodologies and practical applications through problem based learning. Participants will be given ample opportunities to test and apply the theories and lessons taught in the readings and in the classroom to actual conservation scenarios. For an overview of the course content, see the SC09 course curriculum (PDF, 12pp., 1.3MB). Modifications to the content and sequence for SC11 should be anticipated.

Instructors
The instructors will be an international group of recognized heritage conservation professionals who will represent a diverse array of perspectives, based on their specialized expertise.

Participant Selection
The course is designed for a maximum of twenty participants and is open to conservators-restorers, architects, archaeologists, conservation scientists, engineers, and other professionals involved in stone conservation, preferably with a minimum of five years practical working experience in the field.

In selecting participants for the 2011 course, preference will be given to heritage conservation professionals in the public sector, trainers of conservation professionals, and those in a position to disseminate the knowledge gained during the course to a wider audience. As the course will be conducted in English, demonstrated English-language proficiency is a requirement.

Application
Application materials and course details are available on the ICCROM Web site.

For further inquiry, please contact: stonecourse11@iccrom.org

Project Partners
ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property)
Getty Conservation Institute
UNESCO Venice Office- Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe

GCI Team Members
Susan Macdonald, Head, Field Projects
Kathleen Dardes, Head, Education
Kecia Fong, Project Specialist, Education
Luann Manning, project coordination

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Last updated: September 2010