--NYU Sponsors Conference On Strategies to Protect Cultural Sites from
Damage and Destruction, June 5th

--International Culture, Museum, and Terrorism Experts, including
Architect Daniel Libeskind and Terrorism Expert Brian Michael Jenkins
NEW YORK (May 14, 2003) - A cadre of international authorities on law,
art, culture, architecture and terrorism - among them architect Daniel
Libeskind, terrorism expert Brian Michael Jenkins, Iraqi art and
archaeology scholar McGuire Gibson and international law specialist
Patty Gerstenblith - will discuss how to preserve and protect cultural
sites from destruction, whether caused by military attack, terrorist act
or environmental calamity at a milestone conference at New York
University.

Sponsored by Programs in the Arts at New York University's School of
Continuing and Professional Studies [NYU SCPS], "The Certainty of
Uncertainty: Preserving Art and Culture in the 21st Century" will
consider strategies for the protection and preservation of cultural
sites, objects and audiences, and ways in which artists and architects
can and will continue to exercise their creativity in the face of, or as
a response to, peril.

The three-day meeting of artists and architects, cultural historians,
museum administrators, government officials and legal and security
experts will take place Thursday, June 5 through Saturday, June 7, 2003,
with daytime sessions beginning at NYU's Lipton Hall [D'Agostino Hall,
110 West 3rd Street] on Friday morning. They are complemented by special
evenings at St. Bartholomew's Church [109 East 50th Street, New York
City] on Thursday, June 5th and the Museum of Arts and Design [40 West
53rd Street] on Friday, June 6th. [EDITORS: SEE LIST OF CONFERENCE
EVENTS AND PRESENTERS BELOW]

The conference focuses on the many facets of protecting cultural sites
around the world. Among the speakers are: Brian Michael Jenkins, the
international terrorism expert, on the terrorists' specific targeting of
cultural sites; Martin Roth, Dresden State Art Museums managing
director, on environmental perils to collections; Jan Hladik, UNESCO
programs specialist, on the protection of culture in armed conflict; and
Siobhan O'Neil, New York Sate Office of Public Security, on the face of
terror and protection of culture, structures, and audiences.

In light of recent history, the ransacking of Baghdad's museums and the
ensuing controversy over who should bear responsibility for failure to
protect these cultural treasures will be analyzed. DePaul University
law professor and art expert Patty Gerstenblith will address "From
Bamiyan to Baghdad: The Need for Protection of Cultural Heritage" and
McGuire Gibson, noted Near Eastern archeology professor from the
University of Chicago will consider, "Witness to Destruction: The
Looting of Iraq's Past."

These discussions are balanced by contemplations of architecture, such
as Daniel Libeskind's lecture on "Memorializing the Past by Building the
Future," and considerations of the relationship between audiences and
art, such as that by Ara Guzelimian, senior director and artistic
advisor for Carnegie Hall, on "Making Music at a Time of Uncertainty."
Additionally, one panel considers vital elements including insurance,
shipping, loss and recovery, while another examines the protection of
visitors, the security of collections, and structural stability and
solidity.

The conference also includes lectures on the safeguarding of culture and
art for the enrichment and education of future generations: Yehudit
Inbar-Kol, director, Museums Division,Yad Vashem, on making history
tangible through collections; Glenn Lowry, Museum of Modern Art
director, on MoMA's future; and Brian P. Kennedy, National Gallery of
Australia director, on "Diversity of Audience, Variety of Artifact: The
Australian Challenge."
"We need only look at the destruction of the World Trade Center towers,
last year's devastating floods in Dresden and, most recently, the
looting of Baghdad's museums as evidence that sites - be they of
cultural or architectural significance - are vulnerable to damage or
destruction," says Lisa Koenigsberg, director of NYU SCPS Program in the
Arts and organizer of the annual conference.

"Future instances of such violence are increasingly likely to fall upon
symbolic, psychologically meaningful targets rather than traditional
military ones. Cultural sites of all kinds, often located in urban
environments-from museums, historic sites, national parks to McDonald's,
a symbol of American culture-fall within this purview. Terrorist or
criminal actions or environmentally destructive forces (whether a
seismic blast or biological warfare) targeting centers of culture should
no longer be seen as unthinkable but must be planned for in a
coordinated fashion," Koenigsberg continues.

"Art in an Age of Uncertainty," NYU's first conference (June 2002) on
the subject, broached the reality of artistic and cultural facilities as
the target of terrorist actions. This year's conference continues this
public discussion by examining the defense of culture as important in
and of itself and as a case in point for larger mission-specific
undertakings.


PUBLIC INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION:Those wishing to attend the 2003
"The Certainty of Uncertainty: Preserving Art and Culture in the 21st
Century" conference may do so online at www.scps.nyu.edu/uncertainty or
by calling (212) 998-7171 [please refer to conference number SCPS07].
After May 23rd, call (212) 998-7130.