The Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) has released a list of protocols for museums to help protect artworks or archaeological objects that are currently at risk of destruction. “Protocols for Safe Havens for Works of Cultural Significance from Countries in Crisis” applies to works threatened not only by violent conflict or acts of terrorism — a growing concern, as ISIS has made clear — but also by natural disasters. The ongoing Syrian Civil War, however, seems to have served as the impetus for this issuing, with AAMD President Johnnetta Cole condemning the intentional damage as “reprehensible acts of violence and brutal vandalism.”
