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The Middle East Photograph Preservation Initiative (MEPPI)

A strategic drive to promote the preservation and awareness of photograph collections in the broad Middle East, from North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula through Western Asia.
Instructors Debra Hess Norris and Bertrand Lavédrine with participants at the MEPPI Workshop, Amman, Jan. 2014. Photo by Abdulrahman Alghabiri
 

The Middle East Photograph Preservation Initiative (MEPPI) is a strategic, multi-year effort to build the capacity of individuals and institutions in the care and preservation of photograph collections. 

MEPPI is a 3-part initiative led jointly by the Arab Image Foundation, the Art Conservation Department at the University of Delaware, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Getty Conservation Institute.

MEPPI Survey: a collection survey to identify and assess significant photograph holdings across the Arab World, Turkey and Iran.
MEPPI Courses: a series of courses and workshops to train institutions responsible for the care of photographic collections in the region.
MEPPI Symposium: a symposium focusing on the photographic heritage of the broader Middle East for regional policy and decision-makers. 
 
MEPPI Phase I: from 2009 until early 2015, MEPPI provided training in the care of photograph collections to professionals from sixteen countries, while also stimulating the formation of a network for information exchange and mutual support throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

MEPPI Phase II: two advanced two-week Environment, Exhibition and Storage of photographs workshop and three four-day Digitization of photographs workshop are offered between the second half of 2015 and early 2017. Both workshops will build 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 project is supported by a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and additional funding from the Getty Conservation Institute.