This month’s #HangoutWithAPOYOnline is with APOYOnline volunteer Cristina Lara Corrêa:
1) I believe that a person as consolidated and well-known in the field of preservation as you needs no introduction, but I would like you to briefly comment on your trajectory from your own vision and experience:
Since I was a little girl, the most diverse artistic manifestations attracted me, as well as involvement with people with vigorous and curious experiences, for their stories and memories, for the relationships between different family members, friends or colleagues. I loved appreciating the sentimental value they gave to certain objects or stories told at home when contextualizing them.
I had the privilege of enjoying theaters, concerts, cinemas and family circles from a very young age. What enchanted me the most was sharing dance, movement, music and arts through the women in my family. That’s how, at the end of elementary school, in addition to dancing, I started attending art history courses and sought specific training. I studied in national and international institutions that allowed me to appreciate and get closer to the smallest details that matter and immateriality are capable of unraveling. And so I remain, always and only in preventive conservation, a curious learner, in order to promote accessible and simple learning for any being.
2) How would you define the current moment in the field of Latin American preservation in a few words?
I believe that in the last 25-30 years the field of museology and preservation has grown and professionalized. Interest multiplied as we realized our power to unite and share knowledge. Without the slightest doubt, APOYOnline played a fundamental role in providing access to scientific articles and bibliographic references in Portuguese and Spanish in addition to the usual ones, participation in congresses and fruitful exchanges of knowledge between technicians and professionals in the field. Without a doubt, the available resources of information technology have brought infinite possibilities for us to dialogue and build reflections with the purpose of applying and disseminating them.
3) What do you expect for the Latin American preservation field in the next 30 years?
I hope we can maintain and preserve what we have in a careful way, because soon our “memory” will tell us about our personal, social and political history. Despite being an area of limited resources, the collective strength of those who believe in preservation of cultural heritage is a great driver of lasting actions.
4) Could you indicate three publications that guided your career within the field of preservation?
Certainly the material carefully made available by APOYOnline https://apoyonline.org/pt_BR/, the Sociomuseology school of thought at Universidade Lusófona de Lisboa https://museologia-portugal.net/ and the CCI – Canadian Institute of Conservation https:/ /www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute.html are sine qua non references for the field of preservation.
5) What message would you like to give to young people working in the field of preservation?
I hope we can be reflections of our memories, a sounding board for our experiences and shared knowledge. May we collectively facilitate knowledge in an unbiased manner and accessible language with humility and resilience. Welcome to this enchanted universe!
