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World Heritage USA supports the work of the U.S. National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS-USA), an organization that is part of a global network dedicated to preservation of the world’s cultural heritage. Our activities provide a gateway for U.S. citizens to experience and participate in international heritage conservation programs and activities and for the international community to learn about the rich and diverse heritage of our nation. In doing so, we uphold and advance the broad goals of ICOMOS, the World Heritage Convention, and the preservation of cultural heritage globally.
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‘Chaco Culture National Historical Park’ World Heritage (1987)
NPS Photo- D. Davis

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Calling all past International Exchange Program participants!

Shielding our eyes from the bright sunlight, we watched as the tall wooden wick in the center of the rick was lit and left to burn, eventually transforming its contents into a powder of quicklime. Later, using a wheeled cart, we brought materials to our work area and mixed together…

Register today for the 2026 Symposium Tours!

As part of the Symposium experience, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in curated tours that highlight the depth and diversity of heritage across the region. These optional excursions are designed to extend conversations beyond the conference setting and into the places where history is interpreted, preserved, and actively experienced. Register…

2026 Annual Symposium: Shared Heritage, Shared Future- Program Guide

2026 Annual Symposium: Shared Heritage, Shared Future: Preservation, Stewardship, and the Next Generation Wednesday, July 8, 2026 11:30 AM – Re-enactment of the first reading to the public of the Declaration of Independence. On Independence Square. Free. Not affiliated with our event, but attendees are encouraged to attend.  2:00 PM…
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In honor of Women's History Month, the Monuments Toolkit at World Heritage USA hosted the webinar Women as Stewards of Heritage. Moderated by Program Director Diana Hernandez, we were honored to be joined by Dr. Georgette Grier-Key, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Eastville Community Historical Society; Izel Lopez, Deputy Director of the Texas Tribal Buffalo Project; and Sehila Mota Casper, Executive Director of Latinos in Heritage Conservation. Together, these three visionaries are expanding the very definition of heritage, centering the knowledge, leadership, and living memory of African American, Indigenous, and Latiné women in the work of historic preservation today.
YouTube Video VVVxVnVURkpIalNia0s1djgxUFk1ajhnLm83dTl2SUU1T0FJ

Women as Stewards of Heritage

World Heritage USA 29 views March 23, 2026 12:51 pm

On December 1st, ICOMOS-USA USA hosted its Annual Meeting. During this meeting, we approved of a new slate of Officers and Trustees, reflected on the work we accomplished over the last year, discussed new challenges to historic preservation and cultural heritage, and outlined our goals for 2026! TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome Remarks - Douglas Comer, President of ICOMOS-USA 05:00 Officers and Board of Trustees Election - Destry Jarvis, Vice President of ICOMOS-USA 12:03 Advocacy and Binational Nominations - Destry Jarvis, Vice President of ICOMOS-USA 18:42 Recap of 2025: Accomplishments, Prospects, and Challenges - Douglas Comer, President ICOMOS-USA 28:29 Outreach and Development - Arianna Startt Zakrzewski, Chief Operating Officer 32:33 International Exchange Program - Charles Musiba, IEP Committee Chair and Katelynn Cunningham, Program Coordinator 37:51 Emerging Professionals - Luka Nedzebala, Focal Point of ICOMOS Emerging Professionals Working Group and Vice Chair of ICOMOS-USA Emerging Professionals Committee 39:36 - Monuments Toolkit Project - Cequyna Moore, Monuments Toolkit Director 43:16 Closing Remarks - Douglas Comer, President of ICOMOS-USA 47:24 Closing Remarks - Milford Wayne Donaldson, Incoming President of ICOMOS-USA World Heritage USA supports the work of ICOMOS-USA, an organization that is part of a global network dedicated to preservation of the world’s cultural heritage. Support our continued mission to promote the conservation of World Heritage! Become a Member: https://worldheritageusa.org/membership/ Make a Donation: https://usicomos.app.neoncrm.com/forms/donate Follow World Heritage USA! Website: https://worldheritageusa.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worldheritageusa/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/worldheritageusa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorldHeritageUSA/
YouTube Video VVVxVnVURkpIalNia0s1djgxUFk1ajhnLlhJRGhzLUt1VjZ3

Annual Meeting 2025

World Heritage USA 247 views December 7, 2025 11:39 am

Changing the monuments landscape is not a new or American idea. The practices of removal, relocation, and reinterpretation have been used by other countries throughout all of history. This webinar examines these processes from Brazil as we seek to understand what the United States can learn from these historic processes.
YouTube Video VVVxVnVURkpIalNia0s1djgxUFk1ajhnLnd6cXFZRDBLbjUw

International Approaches to Monument Removal, Relocation, and Reinterpretation

World Heritage USA 72 views September 26, 2025 3:30 pm

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Statue of Liberty National Monument World Heritage Site (1984)

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World Heritage USA
2 days ago

What happens when Indigenous researchers respond to a Western museum calling a codex a "living ancestor"? In this season finale and our first episode entirely in Spanish, Dr. Omar Aguilar Sánchez, Mixtec archaeologist and founder of Colectivo Nchivi Ñuu Savi, and Mtro. Gibránn Becerra Álvarez, archaeologist and member of Voladores de Cuetzalan del Progreso, bring the voices that Part 1 was missing. They speak from their communities about codices as living heritage, rematriation, ongoing colonial processes, and why the definitions of "monument" and "cultural heritage" need to be rethought from the voices of the peoples themselves.
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¿Qué pasa cuando investigadores indígenas responden a un museo occidental que describe un códice como un "ancestro vivo"? En este final de temporada y nuestro primer episodio completamente en español, el Dr. Omar Aguilar Sánchez, arqueólogo mixteco, fundador y director del Colectivo Nchivi Ñuu Savi, y el Mtro. Gibránn Becerra Álvarez, arqueólogo e integrante de Voladores de Cuetzalan del Progreso, traen las voces que faltaban en la Parte 1. Nos hablan desde sus comunidades sobre los códices como patrimonio vivo, la rematriación, procesos coloniales vigentes, y por qué las definiciones de "monumento" y "patrimonio cultural" necesitan ser repensadas desde las voces de los pueblos. ... See MoreSee Less

What happens when In
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World Heritage USA
2 weeks ago

The latest episode of The Monumental Project is out now. Listen to "Monuments in Museums, Part 1: The Amoxtli Tezcatlipoca" at www.buzzsprout.com/1949299/episodes/19132897 ... See MoreSee Less

The latest episode o
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World Heritage USA
3 weeks ago

Are you trying to make a difference in your local monuments landscape? The Monuments Toolkit has released a Practical Guide to Local Government Engagement to help you get started. Check it out at worldheritageusa.org/monumentstoolkit/publications/ ... See MoreSee Less

Are you trying to ma
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World Heritage USA
4 weeks ago

Check out the latest episode of The Monumental Project, "Creative Extremism: A Conversation with Michelle Browder."
www.buzzsprout.com/1949299/episodes/19053945 ... See MoreSee Less

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World Heritage USA
1 month ago

Check out the latest case study from the Monuments Toolkit on the Sacred Red Rock: worldheritageusa.org/monumentstoolkit/publications/sacred-red-rock-council-grove-kansas/ ... See MoreSee Less

Check out the latest
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World Heritage USA
1 month ago

Read the latest case study from the Monuments Toolkit on the Vel R. Phillips monument in Madison, Wisconsin: worldheritageusa.org/monumentstoolkit/publications/vel-r-phillips-madison-wisconsin/ ... See MoreSee Less

Read the latest case
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World Heritage USA
1 month ago

Check out, "Protecting Freedmen's Town, Part 2: Preservation with Freedmen's Town Conservancy," now, anywhere you listen to podcasts or at www.buzzsprout.com/1949299/episodes/18977495. ... See MoreSee Less

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World Heritage USA
2 months ago

Check out the latest blog post from the Monuments Toolkit on our website or Substack: worldheritageusa.org/federal-manipulation-of-the-monuments-landscape/ ... See MoreSee Less

Check out the latest
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2 months ago

2026 Annual Symposium: Shared Heritage, Shared Future: Preservation, Stewardship, and the Next Generation

The ICOMOS-USA 2026 Symposium will bring together leading voices in preservation, policy, and cultural heritage July 8–10, 2026, in Philadelphia at a pivotal moment for the field. Grounded in the theme Shared Heritage, Shared Future, the program will explore how heritage is defined, interpreted, and protected across communities, across generations, and across borders.

From the growing recognition of intangible heritage to the evolving role of the United States on the global stage, the symposium offers a timely opportunity to engage with the ideas and people shaping what comes next. Be part of the conversation! Register now! usicomos.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F39735 ... See MoreSee Less

2026 Annual Symposiu
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