MADABA - The new Institute for Mosaic Art and Reconstruction (IMAR) was inaugurated last week, an important step in transforming the way the Kingdom protects its treasures.
IMAR aims to educate 1,000 experts in its first five years, looking to attract students, artists, architects, engineers and tourists from around the world.
Jointly funded by USAID/Siyaha and the Italian government, and supported by the Department of Antiquities (DoA), the institute replaces the Madaba Mosaics School.
The Italian government and the Department of Antiquities opened the school in 1992 to train artists capable of restoration and conservation of the Kingdom's mosaics. Due to regulations and a lack of funding, however, it was scaled back to a basic vocational school for high school students.
"The students did not have the scientific background or skills to access archaeological sites," USAID/Siyaha component leader Joseph Ruddy told The Jordan Times last week.
Between 1994 and 2006, the school, which featured two modest classrooms and studios, trained young people in basic mosaic work. With limited knowledge in cutting and assembling stones, graduates became low-skilled commercial mosaic artisans rather than experts capable in restoration. This resulted in a flooded market, with Madaba artisans working for survival rather than enjoying a steady career.
Acknowledging the school's failures, the DoA and mosaic expert Franciscan Father Piccirillo sought support for upgrading the school into an institute that produced graduates who can move on to work on archaeological sites.
Their call was soon answered; USAID/Siyaha offered $1 million, and the Italian government contributed an additional 800,000 euros to transform the struggling school into a world-class institute.
In his address at the ceremony, Italian Ambassador Gianfranco Giorgolo reaffirmed Italy's support for the institution and mosaic preservation throughout the region.
He also praised the work of Father Piccirillo, calling him "one of the best ambassadors Jordan has ever had."
Highlighting the difficulty in finding regional experts to provide basic care and restoration to the country's mosaics, DoA Director General Fawwaz Khraysheh said the institute was part of the department's duty to conserve and present Jordan's heritage.
With accreditation from the Yarmouk and Balqa universities, IMAR will have four mainstream programmes.
The first is a two-year diploma course in mosaics accredited by Balqa University, while the second is a higher diploma in mosaic restoration and conservation, accredited by Yarmouk University, which will allow bridging to the archaeology programme.
The third track will focus on continuing professional development (CPD). Short CPD courses will target Madaba residents - schoolchildren, workers, the local community, as well as tourists, who will stay in Madaba and take a basic course in mosaic construction.
The master classes, the final track, will target graduates and experts from the region and around the world to share expertise and mosaic research.
According to Ruddy, the institute is unique in that it will be a public institution privately managed by a board of directors. This will allow it to maintain financial autonomy and accept donations from third parties, while receiving sponsorship and patronage from the government.
"This is very good for Madaba," said Bassam Twal, chairman of the Madaba Tourism Association.
"The institute will bring in tourists from abroad who will stay in Madaba, eat in Madaba restaurants. Being the only institute of its kind in the region, it will place Madaba on the international map," he told The Jordan Times.
In transforming the school into an institute, the USAID/Siyaha and Italian-backed project will build new lecture rooms, an auditorium and other supporting facilities adjacent to the existing school.
Renovations will also include a research communication centre to coordinate with institutions across the world, and an interpretative centre for mosaic production and conservation.
Mosaic restoration in the Kingdom has seen several setbacks over recent years, including a lack of materials, rising costs in shipping equipment from abroad, sewer leakage in the Madaba archaeological park, destruction caused by acid rain, and deterioration due to lack of basic maintenance.
IMAR, the first mosaic institute in the region, will be instrumental in saving the country's treasures, Khraysheh told The Jordan Times last week.
He expressed hope that graduates will go on to preserve historic mosaics in the rest of the region.
The institute, which will induct its first class of 15 students on October 7, will undergo expansion early next year to be ready for the first full class in the fall of 2008.
By Taylor Luck
© Jordan Times 2007
