Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative

Our latest report documenting impact to cultural heritage in Ukraine between February 2022 and November 2025: https://bit.ly/42iJDE8

Our data shows that memorials and monuments along with places of worship are the categories of sites most frequently sustaining potential damage.

This work is the result of collaboration between MCI-SCRI, Penn Cultural Heritage Center, University of Maryland Center for International Development and Conflict Management, the Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab (CHML) at the Virginia Museum of Natural History, and НеМо: Ukrainian Heritage Monitoring Lab.

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Pre‑registration for this in-person event in Washington D.C. and the Call for Abstracts are open through April 17th!

Join practitioners, researchers, and emerging professionals from cultural institutions across the DC region for this inaugural two‑day event on November 9-10, 2026 focused on preparedness, response, and resilience in cultural heritage emergencies.

🌐 Check out our website for details: https://s.si.edu/4vbIJ9N

We were honored to be part of this event and to share information about working with our dedicated Ukrainian colleagues.

On our final day of , participants turn their eyes to the future. They began the morning honing their crisis communication skills. They then engaged with capacity building organizations to discuss mobilizing resources and conducting effective outreach. These skills will return with them to their home communities.

We would like to thank our HEART cohort and their organizations for participating in this program and for their commitment to protecting the objects and stories of their communities for this generation and the next.

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The goal of the HEART program is to increase understanding of disaster preparedness and response strategies to protect heritage under threat from disaster. Learn more: https://s.si.edu/3VpRagQ

Day Four is a busy one as the participants are using what they have learned in a day-long practical exercise.

We take this moment to acknowledge the hard work of the 24 heritage stewards and emergency management professionals from 18 states and 2 territories who have joined us at the Smithsonian this week.

Heritage Emergency and Response Training (HEART) We cooperate with communities, government agencies, philanthropic organizations, cultural institutions, professional associations and non-profits to save heritage in the most responsive and effective ways.

This afternoon was HEART’s traditional Salvage Day! Participants immersed themselves in a hands-on exercise focused on object handling and stabilization methods for collections impacted by water emergencies.

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Day Three of HEART! The cohort spent the morning applying what they’ve learned during a risk mitigation walk-through of several exhibits at National Museum of the American Indian. Staff shared their daily checks and how they coordinate with facilities and security to keep the public and collections safe.

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Day Two for the participants emphasized different aspects of preparedness and response. They visited our colleagues at The Library of Congress to learn about its collections emergencies procedures. Back in the classroom they heard from the Smithsonian’s Preparedness and Response in Collections Emergencies team and participated in a session on the Incident Command System.

Day One for the Heritage Emergency and Response Training (HEART) participants is underway! 24 heritage stewards and emergency managers braved the snow to join us at the Smithsonian. Today the cohort took a deep dive into risk and assessment topics to enhance their preparedness skills.

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