ICOM International Council of Museums - International Institute for ...

OXÍMORON LAB. IV TH AND PTOLOMEO I STGabriela Morales Larraya - UruguayAbstract“OXÍMORON lab. IV th and PTOLOMEO I st - Conservation and Restoration of CulturalHeritage” is the name of a research and development project that the University of theUruguayan Republic (UdelaR) has decided to support in 2005. This institutional andfinancial aid is provided by the university commission for scientific research (CSIC). Iam a professor at the University Institute of Arts and this work is my academicresponsability. The most significant objective of this project is “ to create an AcademicUnit or Department, inside the University, to work on the subject of National Culturalheritage with particular and special interest in the task of its conservation.”The aim for the future is to develop different purposes: teaching (human resources areestimated as extremely important), research and technical assistance to otherInstitutions when needed.It is important to take into account that there is no place at the University (nor at thepublic one, UdelaR, neither at the private ones existing in the country), in which tostudy or to work on these subjects. You can not study Museology, Conservation orissues referred to Cultural Heritage at the University in Uruguay. On the other hand ourNational Cultural Heritage is managed and handled by museums or other institutions,public and private ones, that are not related to the University. Any kind of associationhas been established yet in order to deal with these topics.For these, among some other reasons, CSIC took into consideration the project andunderstood that this is a work area that is inherent to the University and in which theUniversity Institution had been in omission [Evaluation report signed by Mr. Pro-Rectorof Investigation and President of CSIC, Prof Enrique M. Cabaña, in 2005.It is known that there is a huge difference between this situation and others existing inregional countries as Argentine or Brazil: graduate and post graduate courses fortraining personnel for museums or specific staff to held with cultural properties,museums themselves belonging to Universities, for example. This paper intends toprovide to anyone attending the 29 th ICOFOM and 15 th ICOFOM LAM ANNUALMEETING: “Museology and History - A Field of knowledge” a first approach to theUruguayan situation in this very complex matters considering the actual situation of themuseums and other institutions related with Cultural Heritage and the possibleaffiliation with the University. The propose is to explain the whole project, the work thathas been done and the projections that the Cultural Heritage Academic Unit is buildingfor the future; in order to think and discuss with other specialist colleagues andconsequently be able to make better decisions.d o n d e e s t á m i p u p i l a n o e s t á o t r ao r t e g a y g a s s e t353