October 11, 2006

 

Cori Wegener

Just a quick post to draw attention to one of the less-sung heroines of the effort to save Iraq's heritage: Minneapolis Institute of the Arts curator Cori Wegener, who was in Baghdad as a major in the US Army Reserve in the early days of the Iraq War. I had the privelege of meeting her at last year's Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale in Chicago. I was reminded of her while going through my hiatus backlog and noticing that she gave a lecture (Artdaily.com). Needless to say, she has an interesting story to tell. Minter: "'In regard to the museum, I’m not optimistic. But I am hopeful.' She cites the collection and the staff as her primary reasons for hope. 'But it’s all about stability and their ability to reopen the museum to the public.'" I'd love to hear her thoughts on what has happened since that interview in 2004... Minter: "Even more ambitiously, she wants to establish an international organization of combat conservators." I wonder what became of that great idea?

References
• A. Minter, "The Art of War. A Minnesota reservist is the U.S. military’s only professional curator. Meet the Minneapolis Institute of Arts’ Corine Wegener, Iraq war hero," in The Rake. Secrets of the City (Minnesota), August 2004
• L. Mack, "Iraqi artifacts were her call to duty," in Star Tribune (Minnesota), August 22, 2004
• "Shelburne Museum Offers Lecture on Looting," in Artdaily.com, online, [July 16, 2006]
• "Weekly Highlight. Thursday 03. Museum Pieces," in Seven Days. Vermont's Alternative Webweekly (Vermont), online, [August 2, 2006]

(photo courtesy of Corine Wegener)



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