Month: March 2025

Rescuing the Past: Honoring Cori Wegener’s Lifelong Commitment to Cultural Heritage

Posted on by Parker Blackwell

In crisis scenarios, one does not need to be a cultural heritage expert to make a difference—cultural destruction is an interdisciplinary issue that demands cross-sector cooperation.

On March 25, the Penn Cultural Heritage Center honored an individual whose well-rounded career exemplifies a multifaceted approach to protecting heritage under threat. Cori Wegener, founder of the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield and former director of the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative, has leveraged her unique career trajectory—spanning the Army Reserve and museum sector—to safeguard heritage at risk. Notably, she played a key role in the aftermath of the 2003 looting of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad.

Cori Wegener is among six courageous individuals featured in Nancy Moses’ newly released book, The Rescuers: The Remarkable People Who Saved World Heritage. In it, Moses highlights the careers of exemplary heritage practitioners dedicated to rescuing tangible, intangible, and natural cultural heritage on the brink of destruction.

Drawing from these case studies, Moses concludes that protecting cultural heritage ultimately depends on swift and decisive action. Addressing global threats to cultural heritage requires collaboration among archaeologists, law enforcement, policymakers, military personnel, and museum professionals.

Events such as this provide valuable opportunities to exchange ideas and strengthen networks. Director of Programs Helena Arose was honored to participate in this discussion. As the Antiquities Coalition continues to lead efforts in policy research, public outreach, and strategic partnerships, we remain eager to connect with scholars and practitioners who share our commitment to safeguarding cultural heritage.

Stay tuned for more updates on our initiatives and collaborations.

Find a copy of The Rescuers: The Remarkable People Who Saved World Heritage, here.

Learn more about the Penn Cultural Heritage Center, here.

AC Think Tank Re-releases Inaugural Policy Brief on Holding Antiquities Traffickers Accountable

Posted on by Parker Blackwell

Nearly ten years have passed since Attorney Ricardo A. St. Hilaire wrote “How to End Impunity for Antiquities Traffickers: Assemble a Cultural Heritage Crimes Prosecution Team.” 

In 2016, St. Hilaire cautioned, “by prioritizing repatriations over indictments, the federal government’s ‘seize and send’ policy has failed to curb a vast black market industry.” 

To hold antiquities traffickers accountable for their crimes, St. Hilaire’s policy brief explores how the Department of Justice (DOJ) could take a leadership role in the global fight against the illicit antiquities trade by appointing designated prosecutors to pursue criminal cases against smugglers, corrupt dealers, and their accomplices. 

Still, to this day antiquities traffickers rarely face prosecution, conviction, or imprisonment—despite U.S. law enforcement’s steadily rising success in stopping looted and stolen artifacts at the border. Attorney St. Hilaire’s solution to this issue is as relevant as ever. 

Access the Rereleased Policy Brief on Scholastica, here.

Read an exclusive interview with the author on the AC Think Tank Blog.

Provenance Research as a Legal Imperative: AC Joins Experts to Discuss Restitution and Justice

Posted on by Parker Blackwell

On Tuesday, February 25, 2025, Executive Director Tess Davis joined leading legal experts in a critical conversation on the role of provenance research in addressing the legal and ethical challenges of cultural restitution. Hosted online by the American Society of International Law (ASIL), the event, The Legal Dimension of Provenance Research: International, Comparative, Indigenous, explored how provenance research serves as a foundation for enforcing cultural property laws and righting historical injustices.

The roundtable brought together experts in law, heritage, and restitution to provide critical insights into how provenance research is shaping today’s legal landscape. The discussion highlighted emerging legal frameworks and precedents and explored how institutions can proactively engage in responsible collecting and restitution efforts.

Provenance research—the investigation of an object’s ownership history—is more than just a scholarly endeavor. It is an essential tool in the legal framework that governs the return and restitution of cultural objects, particularly in cases of:

AC Executive Director Tess Davis spoke to the legal and reputational risks institutions face when acquiring or holding objects with unclear or suspect provenance. As recent high-profile cases have demonstrated, failure to conduct rigorous provenance research can entangle museums, auction houses, and collectors in lawsuits and international criminal investigations. Davis remarked,

“Proving authenticity, good title, and provenance or the chain of ownership are all critical to  ensuring antiquities and other high-risk cultural objects are not just legally but ethically acquired. This safeguards cultural heritage, but it also protects the vast majority of legitimate collectors, dealers, and museums.”

Beyond institutional concerns, the discussion also highlighted how provenance research plays a crucial role in protecting American consumers and markets from criminal activity enabled by illicit antiquities flows.

The global trade in stolen and looted cultural property has been linked to terrorist financing, organized crime, and money laundering, posing significant security risks. By ensuring that artworks and antiquities enter the market through legal and ethical channels, provenance research helps disrupt illicit networks and safeguard the integrity of both cultural institutions and financial systems.