Herb Stovel to receive international conservation award

by Amy Guest

Herb Stovel, associate professor at Carleton’s School of Canadian Studies, will receive the ICCROM Award for heritage conservation from the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property.

Nominated by UNESCO, Stovel will receive the award on Nov. 9, 2011 in Rome. It is the most prestigious international award in conservation.

Widely acknowledged to be one of the foremost experts in the conservation field, Stovel is credited with developing many of the key principles and doctrinal texts by which conservation is carried out in Canada and abroad.

He obtained a Bachelor’s of Architecture at McGill University in 1972 and a MSc in Environmental Conservation from the Heriot-Watt University/Edinburgh College of Art in 1978. In 1982, he received a Diploma in Scientific Principles of Conservation from ICCROM in Italy.

Prior to his appointment in 2004 as Coordinator for the Heritage Conservation Programme at Carleton, Stovel spent six years as Director of ICCROM’s Heritage Settlements Unit.

He has managed the 35 historic properties owned by the Ontario Heritage Foundation, acted as director of education for Heritage Canada’s Main Street program and directed the oldest and largest post-graduate conservation program in Canada at the University of Montreal.

He is best known for his innovative initiatives in the conservation field, including international debates on authenticity which led to the adoption of the Nara Document. He also revived international discussions on risk preparedness for cultural heritage, which led to the creation of the International Committee of the Blue Shield in 1996.