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Iraq Antiquities Advocate Honored at Annual SAFE Benefit - Honoree brings a human face to an issue needing a champion
The non-profit organization Saving Antiquities for Everyone (SAFE) today announced that this years honoree will be Dr. John Malcolm Russell to be presented at SAFE?s annual benefit Thursday, October 14th. Dr. Russell will be honored for his recent work to save the vulnerable archaeological sites in Iraq. He will share his personal account in a formal presentation at the benefit.
New York (PRWEB) September 8, 2004 -- Called a "real life Indiana Jones" by the Boston Globe, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Russell is Chairman of the Critical Studies Department and a Professor of Art History at the Massachusetts College of Art. But unlike the movie character, Dr. Russell is an advocate for the proper excavation and study of cultural property. Author of four books and numerous articles in the field of archaeology for both scholarly and popular journals, Dr. Russell is also the recipient of the James R. Wiserman Book Award and the Arthur Kingsley Porter Prize. He served as a member of the UNESCO cultural mission to Iraq in May 2003 and Deputy Senior Advisor and Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Culture for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq until June 2004.
A presentation by Dr. Russell will focus on current efforts to secure and preserve archaeological sites and historic landmarks in Iraq within the wider context of cultural heritage preservation worldwide. In addition to the presentation, the SAFE benefit will feature food prepared by cookbook author and master chef Myra Kornfeld. Proceeds from the fundraiser will go towards SAFE?s projects in education, public service announcements, advertising and advocacy.
Cindy Ho, SAFEs Founder and Executive Director remarked, Dr. Russell brings enormous energy and a human face to an issue that needs a champion of his caliber. His commitment to raising public awareness makes him the perfect choice as SAFEs first honoree."
More Information
SAFEs annual benefit will take place on Thursday, October 14th in New York. The event will be held at 380 West 12th Street New York, NY beginning at 6:30PM. Members of the museum, education and collecting community with an interest in archaeology, antiquities and ancient studies as well as advertising and media are expected to join SAFE in honoring Dr. Russell.
For ticket reservations and more information, please contact Rebecca Rushfield at 718-575-2702 or rrushfield@savingantiquities.org.
About SAFE
Saving Antiquities for Everyone (www.savingantiquities.org), the volunteer group dedicated to raising public awareness of the importance of preserving cultural heritage worldwide, was founded in April 2003 in response to the ransacking of the National Museum of Iraq. SAFE is a nonprofit group of professionals in communications, media, and advertising working together with experts in the academic and museum community. By educating the public to these concerns, SAFE hopes to encourage everyone to protect our shared history. SAFE is sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), a 501(c) (3) corporation. Any contributions made to the Foundation on behalf of SAFE are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.SAFE has no political affiliations.
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