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Activity: Save Marcus Aurelius
Partners
- ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property)
- Istituto Centrale del Restauro (ICR)
Participants
Students age 7-12.
Aim
- To make students aware of the conservation processes involved in preserving cultural heritage;
- to help students understand what deterioration looks like;
- to encourage them to suggest solutions for preserving cultural heritage;
- to emphasize that there is no perfect solution for preserving cultural heritage, as it will eventually deteriorate completely;
- to underline that every conservation decision undertaken by professionals must balance a wide variety of issues.
Project description
In 1985, ICCROM invited two groups (a school class divided in two) of 10 year-olds to visit the bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius while it was undergoing restoration at the Istituto Centrale del Restauro laboratory. Both groups learned about the historical and artistic significance of the statue. However, only one group received detailed information about the restoration project, and the conservation activities involved in stabilizing and protecting the statue.
After their tours, each group was asked to draw a picture about the statue and what they had learned. The group that received only historical information drew very static pictures. However, the group that received both the conservation and historical information drew much more dynamic pictures. They wanted to protect the work; several students depicted the statue under a protective dome.
Main achievements
This activity revealed that students tend to regard cultural heritage as stable and permanent, as a direct result:
- students were interested in conservation and learning more about it;
- the course changed their perceptions of the fragility cultural heritage.
updated on:
14 September, 2006 |
