Since September 2010, more than 5,000 works collected are under treatment at the rescue center, thanks to a dynamic team and trained for this purpose, eight full-time professionals, under the direction of the Marie-Lucie Vendryes, museologist. The two containers are completely released last December and works are sorted, cleaned, documented and stored. The damaged paintings are quarantined, pending the restoration work. On March 15, 2011, the team completed the rescue of paintings and works on paper.

At present, after the prioritization of the most important pieces, the treatment of irons cut out (sculpture), is performed by a team of several assistants and two objects conservators : Stephanie Hornbeck and Anaïs Gailhbaud. Dozens of works (paintings and art on paper) severely damaged, are being restored by the respective art conservators Kristin Gísladottir (paintings) and Bernard Colla (works on paper).

Meanwhile, the cleaning of paperwork continues under the supervision of the conservator of paper B. Colla. The architectural study of the new reserves of the Centre d'Art is completed, now it remains to organize the execution on the same site of that institution. Rescue of public works of art. This third special project was launched at the end of January in order to recover architectural elements and sculptures from public places or buildings, saved by the Institute for the Protection of National Heritage (ISPAN) for restoration. Among the relevant works we can cite: the low reliefs of Cuban Sculptor Drabanet and a sculptural reproduction of the Act of Independence recovered from the ruins of Legislative Palace, busts and plaques of metal salvaged from the National Palace, the statue "Adam et Eve s’enfuyant du Paradis" from the Place d'Italie, the wall of the Haitian artist Jean Claude Garoute (Tiga), the statue of the "Paix" at the Place Geffrard, the "Monument à l'Empereur du Pont-Rouge" etc... Other operations of this type are conducted in the provinces, particularly in Jacmel and Leogane.

The following activities are in progress: recovery and transport of elements identified by ISPAN, acquisition, development and packaging of containers for storage of the items recovered according to agreed standards in the conservation of cultural property, construction of wooden or metal case, and acquisition of packaging material suitable for storing objects in a safe condition, cleaning and cataloging of these items following the system established by the Centre for Rescue of Cultural Heritage (CSBC).


Article by HL/ HaitiLibre / ISPAN