US embassy cable - 05BUCHAREST818

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BUCHAREST 000818 
 
SIPDIS 
 
ECA/P/C - MARIA P. KOUROUPAS, ECA/P/C - GRACHEL KUBAITIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECIN, KPAO, OEXC, SCUL, biographic information, museum, cultural heritage 
SUBJECT: AMBASADORIAL FUND FOR CULTURAL PRESERVATION 
FY-2005 PROPOSAL 
 
REF: A) STATE 007967; B)TAUBER/KUBAITIS EMAILS 
 
1.  Post appreciates ECA/P/C indulgence.  This is the 
formal request for the project discussed in Ref B emails. 
Charge has seen and approved this request. 
 
2. GRANTEE: 
The Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum (NVM) 
Address: 28, Kiseleff Bv., sector 1, Bucharest, Romania 
Phone: 011 4021 222.91.10 
Fax: 011 4021. 222. 90. 68 
E-mail: muzeul-satului@xnet.ro 
 
3. PROPOSAL SUMMARY: 
 
The NVM proposes the creation of the Dimitrie Gusti Digital 
Library of Ethnographic Images to house and preserve 
photographs and negatives on film and glass dating from the 
period 1928 - 1936.  More than 10,000 of these images, 
taken of people, artifacts, and architectural objects, were 
created during that period by the Sociological School of 
Bucharest under the scientific supervision of Professor 
Dimitrie Gusti, a highly respected Romanian scholar in this 
field. This invaluable photographic treasure is currently 
stored in the new headquarters building of the NVM, which 
unfortunately posseses inadequate storage and conservation 
materials, insufficient to prevent their continued decay. 
Hence, this program will provide facilities for safe 
storage of the existing images and digitization so that 
they may be viewed via internet by scholars and the general 
public. 
 
4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT AND PARTICIPANTS, 
INCLUDING THE TIME FRAME FOR COMPLETION: 
 
The project includes the following phases: 
 
-- 10 March 2005 - 15 April 2005: Selection and 
determination of best methods and materials to be used for 
the preservation of different types of archival materials 
(photos, slides, glass-negatives).  This step is currently 
underway in order to save time during the grant period; 
 
-- 15 April 2005 - 31 August 2005: Curator and staff of NVM 
complete final cataloging notes/captions for each picture 
to be displayed on website; 
 
-- 1 July 2005 - 30 November 2005: Digital 
scanning/enhancement of the image archives.  Simple 
scanning can be done by NVM staff; enhancement/repair will 
be done by experts at National Film Institute; 
 
-- 1 July 2005 - 31 December 2005: actual physical 
placement of the more than 10,000 photos, film negatives 
and glass negatives in archival appropriate archival 
storage; 
 
-- 1 December 2005 - 28 February 2006: creation of the 
software for the web-based digital library of the images 
and loading of the images into the library. 
 
Participants in Project: 
 
-- Dr. Georgeta Stoica - General Manager of NVM; 
-- Dr. Architect Iuliana Ciotoiu - Project Manager; 
-- Anca Sarbu - Curator of the Archive; 
-- Anca Mitran - Conservator; 
-- Engineer Marius Neagu - Programmer. 
 
5. AND 6. INDICATION OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CULTURAL 
OBJECTS AND THE URGENCY OF THE PROJECT: 
 
During the period 1928-1936, the Romanian sociologist 
Dimitrie Gusti began a program of rural training in basic 
hygiene and preventive health care for children and adults. 
At the same, he became aware that the encroachments of 
modernity were already transforming the rural culture in 
ways that threatened the disappearance of its uniquely 
Romanian material culture.  Under his tutelage, students 
and colleagues began photographing people, objects, and 
architecture all over Romania.  He convinced the King to 
fund creation of a Village Museum where examples of 
homesteads from throughout the country could be exhibited 
and preserved.  This was a fortuitous project.  Subsequent 
war, privation, and communist distortion suppressed or 
destroyed many folkways -- from "acceptable" panpipe music 
to the conduct of corn harvest festivals.  Only "official 
peasants" and state-approved material culture were 
permitted for 40 years. 
 
The NVM inherited the thousands of photos and field notes 
that survived from Gusti's pre-war collection.  These 
images have been stored with care, but they are in 
conditions that are contributing to their deterioration. 
Although we cannot say how quickly the photos and negatives 
will decay beyond useful value, it is clear that many will 
need cleaning, conservation, and computer enhancement as 
part of the digitization process if the public and scholars 
are to benefit from their use. 
 
7. and 8. IMPACT OF THE U.S. CONTRIBUTION AND BENEFIT TO 
THE ADVANCEMENT OF U.S. FOREIGN POLICY OBJECTIVES 
 
The NVM is a building a truly world-class complex of both 
exhibits and archives.  The exhibits include not only the 
traditional homestead buildings collected over the past 50 
years, but also over 50,000 objects from traditional dress 
to games, from food preparation equipment to folk art. 
Under the Museum's auspices, younger artisans are trained 
in traditional techniques to preserve/restore the buildings 
for posterity.  And, at the Embassy's urging, the Museum 
stepped up its search for international partners with which 
to conduct joint programs and find new sources of donor 
assistance.  For example, the NVM will help the Embassy 
host a regional seminar in June designed to develop 
synergies and cross-border projects with sister museums 
throughout S.E. Europe. 
 
We share the Museum's sense of urgency to preserve these 
images before they suffer further damage.  First, this 
project serves our overall interest in furthering mutual 
understanding by making readily available to everyone in 
the U.S. -- scholars, students, and those contemplating 
tourism here -- some of the most evocative images of the 
real Romania.  Some 40 percent of the population still 
makes their living from the land.  Although some 
modernization has taken place, a surprising amount of 
ancient tools and habits survive that still charm the 
visitor.  Finally, the ready access to this visual memory 
can help stimulate interest among Romania's young people to 
take greater interest in the truth about their nation's 
past -- including the contributions of minorities whose 
distinctive subcultures are also captured in the Gusti 
photo library.  At a time when young people find it 
"uncool" to be interested in "peasant culture," the value 
of preserving these images can't be overestimated. 
 
9. RESUME OF THE PROJECT DIRECTOR 
 
Name: Iuliana Ciotoiu 
 
Born: July 4, 1954, Bucharest, ROMANIA 
 
Education: Architect, graduated from The Ion Mincu 
Institute of Architecture, Bucharest 
 
Academic title: Doctor of Architecture 
 
Positions: Architect for the Village Museum 1977 - 1990; 
Chief of Department for Documentary Archives and Databases 
1990 - present 
 
Foreign languages   French    good 
                    English   good 
 
Activities: 27 years of involvement in several museum 
activities and projects including: 
 
-- Research on rural vernacular architecture (Chief of 
Projects); 
 
-- Research and documentation on rural/sustainable tourism; 
 
-- Collections management for documentary archives; 
heritage databases; and exhibitions. 
 
-- Publications: 32 studies and papers presented or printed 
in Romania; 8 papers presented at international meetings; 1 
paper published abroad ("Romanian Traditional Architecture" 
prepared for the Smithsonian Folk life Festival and 
published by the Smithsonian Institution, 1999, 
Washington); 
 
Several internships and seminars in France, Netherlands, 
and one in the U.S. under the auspices of the Getty Trust; 
 
10. DETAILED BUDGET: 
 
Individual conservation envelopes for photos and glass 
negatives of varying sizes for 10,000 items: $6,500 
 
Conservation storage furniture - 4 specialized storage 
shelf units designed for ideal climate controlled storage: 
$4,000 
 
One programmable, high resolution scanner cable of printing 
on several media, including film: $3,000 
Microsoft Software licenses for digital imaging and editing 
(paid by the NVM); Software programs (e.g. Photoshop, Corel 
Draw): $1,400 
Repair and restoration of damaged images conducted by 
experts at the National Film Institute: $3,600 
 
Personnel costs for scanning, digital imaging and editing, 
as well as translation into English of the photo captions 
for the website: $2,500 
Internet Service Provider - paid by NVM 
Project promotion - paid by NVM 
 
TOTAL REQUESTED FROM USG: $21,000 
 
11. OTHER FUNDING SOURCES:  NVM budget 
 
12. Name, telephone, fax number and e-mail address of 
Post/commission action officers: CAO, Mark Tauber, 
voice(4021) 210-16-03, fax(4021) 210-03-96; 
tauberms@pd.state.gov; and Isabella Alexandrescu, Cultural 
Assistant, tel: voice(4021) 210-1603 ext, 108; email: 
alexandrescui@state.gov. 
DELARE