Long
range initiatives and constant growth characterize
the work of this entity dedicated to Chilean cultural
heritage's valuation, recovery, conservation and
promotion.
In its seventh Annual
Members Assembly, held at the beginning of December
at the Diplomatic Academy (Santiago's downtown),
the Chilean Cultural Heritage Corporation made a
balance of its administration during the year. The
growth can be seen in the project's quantity and
relevance, which raised in an 80 per cent comparing
to the previous period, and the amount of sponsors
that took advantage of the Cultural Donations Law.
The patrimony education work developed through the
edition and distribution of texts addressed to children,
was one of the aspects most highlighted by Cecilia
Garcia-Huidobro and Carlos Aldunate, Corporation's
vice-president and president. They both talked about
the importance of promoting in children the appreciation
of patrimony, starting at a personal and family
level, as a first step to shape citizens that can
be conscious of national heritage value.
"The chest of my treasures", written for
students of fourth and fifth grade, has been used
in rural and urban schools of Santiago, Talagante,
Chiloe, Antofagasta and Codegua. Also, "Treasures
to keep" was especially designed to be used
by intern kids in hospitals of Santiago and Valdivia.
The author of both books, Beatriz Garcia-Huidobro,
is a teacher and works as the Corporation´s
Projects Chief.
Other important works, because of its projection
and size, are the illumination of several religious
temples, the restoration of the San Francisco Church
ceiling, Iquique's cultural heritage cadastre, the
formation of the Friends of Museum Federation and
the creation of the cultural heritage site www.nuestro.cl
(www.chileanheritage.com, in its English version),
placed on the Entel Internet website.
The Corporation traditionally celebrates its annual
assemblies in patrimonial buildings and chose this
time the Andres Bello Diplomatic Academy. This palace
was built in 1888 by Arturo Edwards to be his residence,
becoming later the headquarters for the Liberal
Party and the "September Club". In 1974,
it was bought and restored by the Foreign Affairs
Ministry, for the formation of Chilean diplomats
and the organization of the most important international
meetings.
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