50 Years Since UNESCO: New Great Lectures Series and Student Exhibition Honor World Heritage Sites, Cultural Preservation

PHILADELPHIA—On the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites, the Penn Museum is dedicating its signature Great Lecture Series—as well as a studentcurated exhibition—to highlight these world wonders: from archaeological sites, religious architecture, monumental sculptures, and paintings to natural formations, urban landscapes, and engineering marvels.

Led by faculty from the University of Pennsylvania, the Penn Museum’s 2022-23 Great Lecture Series will focus on a selection of these valuable places—both natural and manmade—and explore how UNESCO designates its sites, as well as what effects the designation has on the culture that surrounds them. Now in its 14th year, the in-person lectures will be held in Harrison Auditorium, with an option for live streaming.

The first Great Lecture is on Wednesday, October 12, 2022 at 6:00 pm. In India and the World Heritage Convention at 50, Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) Professor Dr. Lynn Meskell will highlight UNESCO sites, the complexities of World Heritage, and communal conflicts at properties like the Taj Mahal.

The Great Lectures continue each month, with topics such as:

• The Birthplace of the Buddha and Other Failures
• Becoming an UNESCO World Heritage Site
• World Heritage in South Africa's Cradle of Humankind
• Histories of Historic Preservation in the United States
• Teotihuacan: Rome of the Ancient Americas
• North American Mounds as World Heritage
• Marshland of Cities: Lagash and its Neighbors ca. 2500 BCE

The last lecture in the series will take place on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 6:00 pm. In Saving the Archaeology and Monuments of Lower Nubia, Dr. Josef Wegner, Curator of the Egyptian Section, will discuss the Penn Museum’s role among the international efforts to preserve Lower Nubia’s archaeological heritage.

General admission for a single in-person lecture is $15; virtual access is $5. A series subscription to all nine in-person lectures offers savings at $125. Virtual series subscriptions are available for $40. To register, click here.

Now on view at the Penn Museum is Heritage in Our Hands: UNESCO 50 Years Later. An interactive exhibition that introduces multiple perspectives on cultural preservation, it uncovers the complex histories behind five UNESCO sites and the ways in which various approaches to heritage—including ever-changing definitions—can complement or compete with one another. It also highlights how communities near these sites have a notable impact on traditions, preservation, and tourism.