2023 HEART Announcement
The SCRI and HENTF team are excited to announce that HEART 2023 will be held in-person in Washington DC from December 4-8, 2023. The call for applications is now open. Deadline to apply is Thursday, September 28 at 11:59 PM EDT. For more information on the program, how to apply, and other information, please see below:
If you have any questions, please email hentf@si.edu.
2021 Virtual HEART Week
A huge thanks to all who attended Virtual HEART week! All recordings of the week’s sessions are now available via the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative’s YouTube Channel.
After careful consideration of the continued health risks posed by COVID-19, the Heritage Emergency and Response Training (HEART) coordination team decided not to host an in-person HEART program this year. However, in its place, we hosted a week of informative programming dedicated to increasing understanding of emergencies and disasters that affect cultural institutions and historic sites.
Kicking off the week of December 6 was an informational session about the history of HEART and its creation by the Heritage Emergency National Task Force. Three graduates highlighted how HEART has helped them in their work. The rest of the week, daily keynotes featured experts in the fields of emergency management, heritage protection, and current disaster research.
Monday, December 6
2:00–3:00 PM EST
Stories from the HEART: Heritage Emergency and Response Training in Action
This session will feature a brief introduction to the HEART program and its mission, followed by case studies by three graduates of the HEART program, and concluding with Q&A from the audience.
Tuesday, December 7
1:00 PM–2:00 PM EST
Using Volunteers in Times of Disaster
Dr. Samantha Montano, Assistant Professor of Emergency Management, Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Volunteers are an important resource before, during, and after disaster. In fact, FEMA calls them the “backbone of disaster recovery.” Yet we often see volunteers underutilized as plans have not been created ahead of time for how to manage them. Understanding how they can most effectively be used to the benefit of the institution and the community is an important component of being prepared for a disaster.
Wednesday, December 8
1:00 PM–2:00 PM EST
The Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico to the rescue of the artistic and cultural heritage of Puerto Rico
Marta Mabel Pérez, Executive Director, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico
A journey through the experiences of the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico facing various emergencies and assuming its leadership as a cultural institution through its response plans, work team and alliances.
Thursday, December 9
1:00 PM–2:00 PM EST
Cultural Heritage & Climate Change: Disaster Planning, Adaptation, and Resilience
Sarah Sutton: CEO, Environment and Culture Partners
Cultural institutions around the world are affected by climate change. Sites of all sizes to prepare and plan to respond to impacts such as inundation from surface and coastal waters and wind-driven storm events, and increased threat of heat stress and wildfires. Taking the first step can be daunting but responses can be integrated into everyday work and can learn from institutions already developing their plans.
Friday, December 10
1:00 PM–2:00 PM EST
Social media and disasters affecting cultural heritage
Dr. Pakhee Kumar, Lecturer in Sustainable Heritage and Data Analysis, University College London
Using social media in a disaster context be a challenging task. If used timely, it can increase awareness of the situation, facilitate coordinated response and reduce the time lag between disaster and action. This talk will address two key questions: How do people respond to cultural heritage affected during disasters on social media? How can we efficiently analyze information posted on social media? The talk will conclude with some recommendations for organisations to harness the power of social media during disasters.
Questions? Contact the Heritage Emergency National Task Force at hentf@si.edu. Please note that all recordings of the week’s sessions will be made available via the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative’s YouTube Channel in early 2022.
HEART graduates: Are you looking for the other educational events during this week? Please email hentf@si.edu for more information.
Looking for other training content? Check out our Resources page for manuals, guides, and content that we use in our programs.
Previous Webinars
Launched in 2018, the Heritage Emergency and Response Training (HEART) webinars provide important follow-up information and should complement the material participants acquired in person as part of the HEART program. The following recorded webinars are available to all interested heritage emergency professionals. New recordings will be added to the library here and on our YouTube channel.
These programs are made possible by the generous support of:
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this training do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
