ABSTRACT
Conservation training in global communities is about partnerships, identifying sustainable and local skills and materials, and above all respecting the cultural owners. While the cultures, climates, languages, material artefacts and institutions vary, the goals and needs are the same – to train in practical preventive care and textile conservation practices, build staff capacity, improve the methods and conditions for protecting cultural heritage and stimulate national policies for preservation. Working in situ and in collaboration with the stewards of culture has lifelong impacts; it fosters ongoing professional relationships, creative solutions to challenging problems and a flourishing exchange of knowledge and methods. Drawn from case studies in Bhutan, Algeria, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos, this case study proposes an approach for teaching both theories and practices that honour culture, religion and geography in order to creatively develop localized conservation solutions, while deepening skill sets and personal specializations.
