A panel of experts that advise the U.S. government on cultural-property matters had its charter renewed by the U.S. Department of State.
The Cultural Property Advisory Committee is an 11-member task force that reviews requests from foreign governments for agreements or emergency actions on imports of "designated archaeological and/or ethnological material," according to the June 15 announcement, then shares its recommendations with the DOS.
The committee also "considers proposals to extend existing agreements and emergency actions, carries out ongoing review of current import restrictions and provides reports of its findings and recommendations to the Department of State," according to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (BECA).
Members are chosen by presidential appointment and include "two members who represent the interests of museums; three members who are expert in archaeology, anthropology, ethnology or related fields; three members who are expert in the international sale of cultural property; and three members who represent the interest of the general public," according to BECA.
The current members of the committee include Steven Bledsoe, Ricardo A. St. Hilaire, Rachel Fulton Brown, Karol Wight, Joan Breton Connelly, J. D. Deming, Anthony Wisniewski, Mark C. Hendricks and David Tamasi. The executive director is Allison Davis; Stefan Passantino chairs the committee.
