Grants Awarded

A component of MOSAIKON

Descriptions of the projects funded by the Getty Foundation

A MOSAIKON training participant removes mortar on a mosaic in Tipasa, Algeria

Photo: Conservation and Restoration Workshop of the Arles Antiquities Museum

The MOSAIKON initiative is dedicated to improving the care and presentation of mosaics of classical antiquity in museums and in situ in the Middle East and North Africa. For its part as a MOSAIKON partner, the Foundation focused on the training of individuals responsible for the care of mosaics, capacity building for museum professionals, and strengthening the network of those individuals across the Mediterranean. Following is a list of our grants awarded for the initiative.

The British School at Rome, Italy
The British School at Rome received support to organize a week-long workshop in 2013 at the Italian sites of Herculaneum and Ercolano focused on protective shelters for mosaics at archaeological sites. The workshop introduced site managers, archaeologists, architects, and preservation professionals from North Africa and the Middle East to the design and maintenance of shelters for in situ mosaics.
Grant support: €78,000 (2012)

Centro di Conservazione Archeologica
A major partner in MOSAIKON's training efforts, the Centro di Conservazione Archeologica (CCA) is a Rome-based conservation organization led by Dr. Roberto Nardi, one of the world's foremost experts in mosaics conservation. With grant support, CCA organized an intensive training program starting in 2010 that resulted in sixteen restorers from Syria, Tunisia, and Jordan completing in-depth courses on ancient mosaic techniques, the planning and execution of basic conservation treatments, and the preparation of condition reports and conservation documentation. A few years later, a second grant allowed CCA to continue and customize the training program for Libyan restorers, with additional courses offered to restorers from Jordan, Tunisia, and Syria.

Following the success of these programs, CCA offered advanced instruction to a smaller group of restorers looking to augment their skills. The training included courses in the maintenance and preventive conservation of in situ mosaics; the detaching of large, complex mosaics from concrete backing and re-laying them on a more suitable material; planning and budgeting; and the advanced pedagogical skills needed to teach the next generation of restorers. By the time the advanced training culminated in 2018, mosaics technicians from Jordan, Libya, Syria, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco had gained the valuable experience they needed to become trainers themselves back in their home countries.
Grant support: €798,000 (2010), €1,600,000 (2013), €230,000 (2017), and $245,000 (2018)

CICRP Belle de Mai
The CICRP (Centre Interregional de Conservation et Restauration du Patrimoine) based in Marseille, France received a grant for an intensive training program for Algerian, Lebanese, and Egyptian mosaic conservation technicians. Two courses were held in Arles, France at MDAA (the Atelier de conservation et restauration du musée départemental Arles antique) and one held in Byblos, Lebanon. The training brought together a dozen restorers for several sustained modules of intense coursework that included an overview of mosaic history and techniques, mosaic terminology, documentation, the study and treatment of several lifted Roman mosaics, and site visits to nearby museums.

In 2018, CICRP received a second grant in support of a month-long intensive training course at the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Tipasa, Algeria. Course activities included setting up a new conservation studio; moving lifted mosaics on concrete, lime, and plaster and wood support; and transferring mosaics from historic supports to new honeycomb backing.
Grant support: €516,700 (2012), €15,000 (2018)

Fondazione Internazionale per la Conservazione del Mosaico;
University of Cyprus, Nicosia

The Fondazione International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics (ICCM) is the international professional group dedicated to the field of mosaics conservation. MOSAIKON has played a critical role in strengthening ICCM's efforts to provide a network for mosaics specialists in the greater Mediterranean to discuss approaches, methods, and treatments. Prior to ICCM becoming a standalone foundation in 2015, grants to the committee were awarded to its host organization, the University of Cyprus (2009-2014). Initial grants supported the updating of ICCM's membership database and an improved website and newsletter (produced in French, Arabic, and English).

Additional grants enabled mosaics conservation professionals, mainly from North Africa and the Middle East, to attend the organization's triennial conferences. Grants also supported two convenings of regional MOSAIKON stakeholders that including Directors Generals of Antiquities Authorities and senior conservation experts. The final convening took place in 2019 and brought stakeholders to Rome where they showcased recent projects within their respective countries, acknowledged the expertise of newly-trained professionals, and offered ideas for continued collaboration using resources produced through various MOSAIKON programs.
Grant support: University of Cyprus, Nicosia: five totaling €892,500 (2009-2014); ICCM: three totaling €302,000 (2017-2018)

International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM)
A key MOSAIKON partner, ICCROM is based in Rome, Italy and is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the conservation of cultural heritage around the world. It has received a number of Getty grants in support of its training programs for mosaic restorers and general work advancing the care of mosaics. An initial grant in 2008 supported a MOSAIKON planning meeting that brought stakeholders from twelve Mediterranean countries together to identify the main challenges facing mosaics conservators in the region. A subsequent grant funded a pilot workshop for museum professionals from North Africa and the Middle East to learn how best to care for the mosaics in their collections.

Other grant-supported training workshops—one in Byblos, Lebanon and one in Tipasa, Algeria—provided equipment and materials to participants receiving training in documenting, handling, storing, and restoring lifted mosaics. ICCROM also received funding to support resources and convenings that benefitted the field at-large. One such project resulted in the first-ever Arabic translation of key texts related to the care and conservation of mosaics, with the online publications also serving as important resources for MOSAIKON professionals.
Grant support: seven totaling €709,000 (2008-2018)

Israel Antiquities Authority
In collaboration with the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus, the Israel Antiquities Authority is organizing a bilateral networking and skills-building program for site managers, archaeologists, and technicians from Israel and Cyprus who are tasked with the care and conservation of mosaics. Two advanced meetings will sharpen participants' theoretical knowledge and hone their diagnostic skills for preserving archaeological mosaics. At the first gathering in Jerusalem, attendees will examine and prepare 1,500-year-old mosaic fragments, visit several archaeological sites, and learn how to diagnose and treat mosaic deterioration. The second gathering at the archaeological site of Nea Paphos in Cyprus will focus on the conservation and documentation of in-situ mosaic floors and the management of archaeological sites with mosaics.
Grant support: €45,000 (2020)

King's College London
In 2010, King's College London received support to organize two five-day workshops on mosaic conservation for site managers, archaeologists, and technicians in Libya, a country with many significant Greek, Roman, and Punic mosaics. The workshops introduced best practices to those responsible for the care of mosaics. Libya's political transformations of 2011 required organizers to adjust their plans, and in 2013 they successfully completed the workshops and identified candidates to receive follow-up training through other MOSAIKON programs.
Grant support: £64,000 (2010)

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