World Monuments Watch Day

Some thirty sites on five continents (see below) will participate in Watch Day events on selected dates through October 15, 2012. From Argentina to Poland, and from Madagascar to Japan, local communities have designed activities that range from workshops in traditional building techniques, to programs for schoolchildren, blessings, festivals, concerts, and more. (See attached list of participating sites.) WMF, which invited the 2012 Watch sites to take part in the program, has provided all participants with an activity kit containing classroom materials, children’s activity pages, downloadable logos for use on banners or T-shirts, and small grants to support events and publicity.

World Monuments Fund President Bonnie Burnham states, “Heritage sites are critically important to the economy, identity, and daily lives of the local communities in which they are located. Moreover, as eloquent monuments to human civilization and culture, they are also of global importance. WMF hopes that the Watch Day events will highlight the urgent need to conserve and care for these irreplaceable treasures.”

Watch Day participants will record their activities on videotape, and WMF will edit the results into a dynamic short video highlighting the diverse connections between the monuments and the people who live with them. The video will be featured at a number of events in December.


* World Monuments Fund is the leading inde¬pendent organization devoted to saving the world’s most treasured places. For 47 years, working in more than 90 countries, WMF’s highly skilled experts have applied proven and effective tech¬niques to the preservation of important architectural and cultural heritage sites around the globe. Through partnerships with local communities, funders, and governments, WMF inspires an enduring commitment to stewardship for fu¬ture generations. Headquartered in New York, WMF has offices and affiliates worldwide. www.wmf.org, www.twitter.com/worldmonuments, and www.facebook.com/worldmonuments.

The biennial World Monuments Watch was launched in 1996 with a goal of calling international attention to cultural heritage around the globe threatened by the forces of nature and the impact of social, political, and economic change. For many historic sites, inclusion on the Watch provides an opportunity to raise public awareness, foster local participation in preservation, leverage resources for conservation, advance innovation and collaboration, and demonstrate effective solutions. Most importantly, the Watch tells compelling stories of human aspiration, imagination, and adaptation by highlighting our shared heritage and its promise for the future.

Since its inception, the World Monuments Watch has provided support for more than 600 sites. In the process, it has become a powerful vehicle for understanding and addressing the range of challenges confronting the field of heritage conservation today. Sites on the 2012 World Monuments Watch have each developed a program of activities for their own Watch Day, promoting local engagement while celebrating the universality of our shared heritage.

July 13 A school visit to the Archaeological Park and Ruins of Quiriguá, Guatemala
August 14 An archaeology day for local schools at Pucará de Tilcara, Argentina
August 18 Jizobon Children’s Festival at Kamanza-cho Choi, one of the Kyoto Machiya Townhouses, Japan
August 25 A “Clean Sweep Rally” at the Orange County Government Center, United States
August 25-26 A parade and exhibition celebrating the Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca, Peru
September 8 A community event at the Ruins of the former Cathedral Church of St. Michael, Coventry, United Kingdom
September 8 A “Harbor Watch Day” in the Charleston Historic District
September 8 A drawing marathon at the New York Studio School, United States, and an exhibition of the results September 17-23
September 8-9 A celebration at Santa Rosa de Lima, one of the Paeces Chapels of Tierradentro, Colombia
September 12 A professional workshop and children’s activity day at Oshki, Turkey
September 13 Site visits and heritage awareness programs on Saint Helena
September 17-21 A conservation workshop and community celebration at the Parish Church of San Juan Bautista de los Remedios, Cuba
September 21 A celebration of the architect Amancio Williams at the Casa sobre el Arroyo, Argentina
September 21 An open house and exhibition at Mind’s Eye, Cayman Islands
September 21 A community event with historical reenactments, painting, and music at the St. Paraskewa Church, Poland
September 22 A mosaic workshop with local school children at Stobi, Macedonia
September 23 Public celebration and exhibition in Jacmel, Haiti
September 26 A community work day (naya) at Walpi Village, United States
September 26 A heritage awareness, music, and crafts program at Balaji Ghat, India
September 26 A conservation field school at Manitoga, USA with students from the Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design
September 29 A community celebration of the Gingerbread Neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti
October 3 A public assembly in the Barrio del Cabanyal-Canyamelar, Valencia, Spain
October 3 Children’s programs in the Historic Center of Salvador de Bahia, Brazil
October 5-9 Festivities at the Parish Church of San Dionisio, Dominican Republic
October 6 Public and school program and film festival in City of La Plata, Argentina
October 6-7 Painting program, children’s walk, and photo exhibition in the Historic Havelis of Bikaner, India
October 12 Public inauguration of the newly conserved and relocated sculptures of the Ruta de la Amistad, Mexico
October 13 A storytelling competition for school children at Wangduechhoeling Palace, Bhutan
October 13 A heritage awareness day in Desa Lingga, Indonesia
October 13 An exhibition, tours, competitions, tree planting, and an Eco-Bazaar at the Jardim Botânico de Lisboa, Portugal
October 13 An exhibition and float in the Sawara Festival highlighting restoration efforts at East Japan Earthquake Heritage Sites