Wikileaks - CXLVIII

30032 4/4/2005 11:46 05BUCHAREST818 Embassy Bucharest UNCLASSIFIED This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BUCHAREST 000818

SIPDIS

ECA/P/C - MARIA P. KOUROUPAS, ECA/P/C - GRACHEL KUBAITIS

E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECIN, KPAO, OEXC, SCUL, biographic information, museum, cultural heritage SUBJECT: AMBASADORIAL FUND FOR CULTURAL PRESERVATION FY-2005 PROPOSAL

REF: A) STATE 007967; B)TAUBER/KUBAITIS EMAILS

1. Post appreciates ECA/P/C indulgence. This is the formal request for the project discussed in Ref B emails. Charge has seen and approved this request.

2. GRANTEE: The Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum (NVM) Address: 28, Kiseleff Bv., sector 1, Bucharest, Romania Phone: 011 4021 222.91.10 Fax: 011 4021. 222. 90. 68 E-mail: muzeul-satului@xnet.ro

3. PROPOSAL SUMMARY:

The NVM proposes the creation of the Dimitrie Gusti Digital Library of Ethnographic Images to house and preserve photographs and negatives on film and glass dating from the period 1928 - 1936. More than 10,000 of these images, taken of people, artifacts, and architectural objects, were created during that period by the Sociological School of Bucharest under the scientific supervision of Professor Dimitrie Gusti, a highly respected Romanian scholar in this field. This invaluable photographic treasure is currently stored in the new headquarters building of the NVM, which unfortunately posseses inadequate storage and conservation materials, insufficient to prevent their continued decay. Hence, this program will provide facilities for safe storage of the existing images and digitization so that they may be viewed via internet by scholars and the general public.

4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT AND PARTICIPANTS, INCLUDING THE TIME FRAME FOR COMPLETION:

The project includes the following phases:

-- 10 March 2005 - 15 April 2005: Selection and determination of best methods and materials to be used for the preservation of different types of archival materials (photos, slides, glass-negatives). This step is currently underway in order to save time during the grant period;

-- 15 April 2005 - 31 August 2005: Curator and staff of NVM complete final cataloging notes/captions for each picture to be displayed on website;

-- 1 July 2005 - 30 November 2005: Digital scanning/enhancement of the image archives. Simple scanning can be done by NVM staff; enhancement/repair will be done by experts at National Film Institute;

-- 1 July 2005 - 31 December 2005: actual physical placement of the more than 10,000 photos, film negatives and glass negatives in archival appropriate archival storage;

-- 1 December 2005 - 28 February 2006: creation of the software for the web-based digital library of the images and loading of the images into the library.

Participants in Project:

-- Dr. Georgeta Stoica - General Manager of NVM; -- Dr. Architect Iuliana Ciotoiu - Project Manager; -- Anca Sarbu - Curator of the Archive; -- Anca Mitran - Conservator; -- Engineer Marius Neagu - Programmer.

5. AND 6. INDICATION OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CULTURAL OBJECTS AND THE URGENCY OF THE PROJECT:

During the period 1928-1936, the Romanian sociologist Dimitrie Gusti began a program of rural training in basic hygiene and preventive health care for children and adults. At the same, he became aware that the encroachments of modernity were already transforming the rural culture in ways that threatened the disappearance of its uniquely Romanian material culture. Under his tutelage, students and colleagues began photographing people, objects, and architecture all over Romania. He convinced the King to fund creation of a Village Museum where examples of homesteads from throughout the country could be exhibited and preserved. This was a fortuitous project. Subsequent war, privation, and communist distortion suppressed or destroyed many folkways -- from "acceptable" panpipe music to the conduct of corn harvest festivals. Only "official peasants" and state-approved material culture were permitted for 40 years.

The NVM inherited the thousands of photos and field notes that survived from Gusti's pre-war collection. These images have been stored with care, but they are in conditions that are contributing to their deterioration. Although we cannot say how quickly the photos and negatives will decay beyond useful value, it is clear that many will need cleaning, conservation, and computer enhancement as part of the digitization process if the public and scholars are to benefit from their use.

7. and 8. IMPACT OF THE U.S. CONTRIBUTION AND BENEFIT TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF U.S. FOREIGN POLICY OBJECTIVES

The NVM is a building a truly world-class complex of both exhibits and archives. The exhibits include not only the traditional homestead buildings collected over the past 50 years, but also over 50,000 objects from traditional dress to games, from food preparation equipment to folk art. Under the Museum's auspices, younger artisans are trained in traditional techniques to preserve/restore the buildings for posterity. And, at the Embassy's urging, the Museum stepped up its search for international partners with which to conduct joint programs and find new sources of donor assistance. For example, the NVM will help the Embassy host a regional seminar in June designed to develop synergies and cross-border projects with sister museums throughout S.E. Europe.

We share the Museum's sense of urgency to preserve these images before they suffer further damage. First, this project serves our overall interest in furthering mutual understanding by making readily available to everyone in the U.S. -- scholars, students, and those contemplating tourism here -- some of the most evocative images of the real Romania. Some 40 percent of the population still makes their living from the land. Although some modernization has taken place, a surprising amount of ancient tools and habits survive that still charm the visitor. Finally, the ready access to this visual memory can help stimulate interest among Romania's young people to take greater interest in the truth about their nation's past -- including the contributions of minorities whose distinctive subcultures are also captured in the Gusti photo library. At a time when young people find it "uncool" to be interested in "peasant culture," the value of preserving these images can't be overestimated.

9. RESUME OF THE PROJECT DIRECTOR

Name: Iuliana Ciotoiu

Born: July 4, 1954, Bucharest, ROMANIA

Education: Architect, graduated from The Ion Mincu Institute of Architecture, Bucharest

Academic title: Doctor of Architecture

Positions: Architect for the Village Museum 1977 - 1990; Chief of Department for Documentary Archives and Databases 1990 - present

Foreign languages French good English good

Activities: 27 years of involvement in several museum activities and projects including:

-- Research on rural vernacular architecture (Chief of Projects);

-- Research and documentation on rural/sustainable tourism;

-- Collections management for documentary archives; heritage databases; and exhibitions.

-- Publications: 32 studies and papers presented or printed in Romania; 8 papers presented at international meetings; 1 paper published abroad ("Romanian Traditional Architecture" prepared for the Smithsonian Folk life Festival and published by the Smithsonian Institution, 1999, Washington);

Several internships and seminars in France, Netherlands, and one in the U.S. under the auspices of the Getty Trust;

10. DETAILED BUDGET:

Individual conservation envelopes for photos and glass negatives of varying sizes for 10,000 items: $6,500

Conservation storage furniture - 4 specialized storage shelf units designed for ideal climate controlled storage: $4,000

One programmable, high resolution scanner cable of printing on several media, including film: $3,000 Microsoft Software licenses for digital imaging and editing (paid by the NVM); Software programs (e.g. Photoshop, Corel Draw): $1,400 Repair and restoration of damaged images conducted by experts at the National Film Institute: $3,600

Personnel costs for scanning, digital imaging and editing, as well as translation into English of the photo captions for the website: $2,500 Internet Service Provider - paid by NVM Project promotion - paid by NVM

TOTAL REQUESTED FROM USG: $21,000

11. OTHER FUNDING SOURCES: NVM budget

12. Name, telephone, fax number and e-mail address of Post/commission action officers: CAO, Mark Tauber, voice(4021) 210-16-03, fax(4021) 210-03-96; tauberms@pd.state.gov; and Isabella Alexandrescu, Cultural Assistant, tel: voice(4021) 210-1603 ext, 108; email: alexandrescui@state.gov. DELARE