I finished teaching preservation of ivory this morning and graded the students on their condition reports and object re-housing projects completed yesterday while I was in Dohuk. I can’t believe how attached I have become to the students here after only 1 week. They are so dedicated and hard working and so hungry for knowledge. Today was the last day of classes for the module, and dignitaries arrived from as far away as Baghdad to attend the presentation of the certificates to the students. They are all so proud. I gave a short speech at the ceremony and then was interviewed by the local press. The graduation of the first class from the Iraqi Institute for Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage is truly a momentous occasion.
This evening I was invited to a talk on Islamic metalwork by a German scholar. There always seems to be something going on here organized by the ex-pat community.
I must pack now and don’t regret that I did not have any time for shopping. I will take back feelings and memories that no amount of money can buy.
Signing off from Erbil, Iraq.
Terry
Terry Drayman-Weisser is a guest blogger here on Culture Comment, during her trip to Iraq. She is the director of conservation and technical research, at the Walters Art Museum, and travels to Iraq to assist with conservation efforts there.
Gary Vikan, director of the Walters Art Museum since 1994, has been with the Baltimore institution for more than 20 years. A native of Minnesota, Gary received his B.A. from Carleton College in 1967 and his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1976 before working as Senior Associate for Byzantine Art Studies at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C.