The 2009 class of US/ICOMOS International Interns have completed orientation and are heading out to begin their internships. The interns arrived in Washington, on May 26 and spent the remainder of the week in meetings with preservation organizations and agencies, touring local sites and museums, and getting to know one another.
Orientation began on Wednesday, May 27 at the US/ICOMOS office, located in the National Building Museum. Donald Jones, US/ICOMOS Director of Programs, welcomed the interns to Washington, described the International Exchange Program, and provided an overview of the week’s agenda.
Following a catered lunch at the US/ICOMOS office, several business matters were concluded, and Heather MacIntosh (Executive Director, Preservation Action) met with the interns and described her organization’s activities. The interns had the remainder of the day to themselves, reconvening at 6pm for a welcome dinner at the Thunder Grill in Washington’s historic Union Station.
The following day, the interns visited the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in the Old Post Office Building. John Fowler, Executive Director of the Advisory Council and Chairman of the US/ICOMOS Board of Trustees, described the role of the Federal Government in historic preservation in the United States. After a visit to the top of the Old Post Office Tower and a lunch at the old Ebbitt Grill next to the White House, the interns then met with Troy Thompon at his office with SmithGroup to learn about the private sector’s role in preservation projects.
On Friday, the group visited the National Trust for Historic Preservation and met with Paul Edmondson, the National Trust’s General Counsel and David Fields, who runs the National Trust’s summer intern program. Following lunch in the courtyard of the Tabard Inn, the interns then set about taking care of last minute errands before flying out the next day to their host locations.
With funding significantly down this year, both for US/ICOMOS and its various partner organizations, the 2009 program is smaller than in recent years, hosting seven interns.
Robert Brooks will intern with INTACH in India;
Jessica Golebiowski and Gareth Morgan will intern with Falmouth Heritage Renewal in Jamaica;
Amanda Loughlin will intern with the Transylvania Trust in Romania;
Kate Willis will intern with the Stockholm City Museum in Sweden;
Barbara Zay will intern with the Galway City Council in Ireland; and
Csaba Bartha of Romania will intern with the National Park Service’s HAER program in Washington, DC.