Te Papa National Services Te Paerangi Thursday 9 December 2004 A Conservator's Perspective   Marian Kaminitz Marian Kaminintz is the Head of Conservation, National Museum of the American Indian

On-line Video Available 384kbps    marian-384.asx 128kbps    marian-128.asx 56            marian-56.asx

The Lecture was chaired by Jennie Harre Hindmarsh  duration 0-44-30

In September of this year the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. opened its doors to the public. The National Museum of the American Indian is the sixteenth museum of the Smithsonian Institution. It is the first national musueum dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, litearature, and arts of Native Americans. Established by an Act of Congress in 1989, the museum works in collaboration with the Native people of the Western Hemisphere to protect and foster their cultures by reaffirming traditions and beliefs, encouraging contemporary artistic expression, and empowering the American Indian voice.

Marian Kaminintz has held the position of Head of Conservation at the Natonal Museum of the America Indian, Smithsonian Institution, since 1991. She receied a M.S. in the Conservation of Artistic and Historic Works from the University of Delaware / Winterthur Museum Program in Art Conservation in 1984. From 1988 to 1998 she was also Adjunct Professor of Conservation at New York University's Conservation Centre, teaching a course in the conservation of organic ethnograhic and archaelogical objects. She served as Assistant Conservator in the Anthropology Department at the American Museum of Natural History, New Yock from 1985 to 1991 and as an Andrrw W. Mellon Fellow at the pacific Regional Conservation Centre, Bishop Museum in Honululu, Hawaii from 1984 to 1985. She is the Coordinator for the Ethnographic Working Group of ICOM-CC.

The National Museum of the American Indian comprises three facilities, each design frollowing consultations between museum staff and Native peoples. In all of its activities, the National Musuem of the American Indian acknowledges the diversity of cultures and the continuity of cultural knowledge among indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere and Hawai'i, incorporating Native methodologies for the handling, documentation, care, and presentation of collections. NMAI actively strives to find new approaches to the study and representation of the history, materials, and cultures of native peoples.

In her seminar Marian discusses the opening of the National Musuem of the American Indian and consultations with Native American communities.

Recorded at the Air Zealand Concourse Room, Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington on Wednesday 3 November 2004. This video is viewable in Windows Media Player ,  Real Player. or Mplayer under Linux or Os-X. Copies are also available on DVD, Video-CD, CD-ROM and VHS tape.