16 participants from the MEPPI alumni cohort attended the first Environment, Exhibition and Storage of Photographs workshop, an advanced workshop part of MEPPI Phase II workshops. It took place at the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, on 9-20 November 2015.

MEPPI Phase II workshops which included series two Environment, Exhibition and Storage of Photographs, and three Digitization of Photographs workshops were offered between the second half of 2015 and through 2016.  Both workshops built upon the foundation of information and skills acquired by participants during their first MEPPI course, letting them expand their knowledge in topics fundamental to the preservation of their institutions’ photograph collections.

The Environment, Exhibition and Storage of Photographs provided additional training and experience in preventive conservation, with a particular emphasis on the storage and exhibition of photographs. Topics covered were environmental impacts on photographs; condition assessments; environmental monitoring and control options; selecting and creating enclosures; cold storage; planning a small storage facility, preservation concerns of exhibition; concerns of exhibition, packing and shipping, lighting; mold management.

Workshop teaching involved lectures, case studies, practical exercises, discussions and visits to photograph collections.

Sessions were lead by instructors Nora Kennedy, Bertrand Lavédrine, and Tram Vo. The workshop also included a public lecture on the role of photography in oral history, which took place 17 November, 6:30 pm at the Issam Fares Institute Auditorium, AUB. The event included a discussion and screenings on the role of photography in oral history with case studies on AUB’s Neighborhood Initiative’s Ras Beirut Project by Maria Abunnasr, and the Palestinian Oral History Archive presented by Hana Sleiman. The event included a screening of “Jours Tranquilles en Palestine” (1998), directed by AIF co-founder Fouad Elkoury and Sylvain Roumette.

The following course material are available for download:

• Schedule for Environment, Exhibition and Storage Workshop in Beirut (2015), available in English and Arabic
• Bibliography for Environment, Exhibition and Storage Workshop in Beirut (2015)
• Session Outlines for Environment, Exhibition and Storage Workshop in Beirut (2015)