The Memory Keepers Workshop Series

The Memory Keepers Workshop Series is a five-day intensive program dedicated to the art and ethics of cultural preservation.
Designed for students, museum professionals, archivists, and community heritage advocates, the series offers both theoretical insight and hands-on experience in protecting the tangible and intangible threads of history.

Each workshop explores a crucial aspect of preservation — from restoring fragile manuscripts to digitizing oral histories — blending craft, technology, and care.
Participants will learn not only how to conserve, but why preservation matters: to honor the voices, stories, and artistry that shape our shared human story.

The 2025 theme, “From Touch to Code: Translating Memory Across Mediums,” explores how traditional conservation practices can coexist and evolve alongside digital innovation.

Day 1 — The Ethics of Preservation

• Opening Lecture: “Why We Preserve” — Dr. Helena Kovács, Ancestra Trust
• Workshop: Understanding Material Heritage — From Textiles to Paper
• Discussion Panel: Balancing Restoration and Authenticity

Day 2 — Restoration in Practice

• Workshop: Manuscript Conservation & Handling Fragile Documents
• Demonstration: Preserving Textiles and Organic Materials
• Hands-On Session: Cleaning and Stabilization Techniques

Day 3 — The Digital Archive

• Lecture: Digitization Standards for Cultural Heritage
• Workshop: 3D Scanning & Digital Modeling of Artifacts
• Practical Lab: Metadata and Cataloging for the Future

Day 4 — Voices of Memory

• Workshop: Oral History Collection — Techniques & Ethics
• Field Activity: Recording Community Testimonies
• Evening Discussion: Cultural Storytelling in the Modern World

Day 5 — Integration & Reflection

• Collaborative Group Project: Creating a Mini “Living Archive”
• Participant Presentations & Feedback Session
• Certificate Ceremony & Closing Address: “Becoming a Keeper of Memory”