Cornerstones, New Mexico: US/ICOMOS Internship

Sylvia Arroyo
San Francisco, Panama

completed a 2004 US/ICOMOS Internship with

Cornerstones Community Partnerships
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

"One of my favorite parts of the internship was participating in the community workdays.  There were many different people, all working with the same purpose: to restore a historic building, whether it was a church or an old hacienda."

Sylvia Arroyo
2004 US/ICOMOS
Intern from Panama

Sylvia Arroyo conducted her internship in New Mexico with Cornerstones Community Partnerships, a long-time partner of the US/ICOMOS International Intern Program.  Cornerstones is a non-profit organization that works with communities to restore historic adobe structures across the southwestern United States.  Cornerstones uses methods such as community workdays, presentations, hands-on experiences, and intergenerational teaching to help with different projects.  Throughout her internship, Sylvia had the opportunity to participate in a number of these activities.

Sylvia was primarily involved with documenting (through research and drawings) the San Miguel Chapel, the oldest church in the United States.  One of Sylvia's favorite programs was the community workdays, which gave her the opportunity to make mud/lime plaster for restoring adobe buildings.  She also enjoyed giving presentations to various groups.

 

This internship was sponsored by Cornerstones Community Partnerships
with additional support from private donors.

Top: Sylvia Arroyo mixes mud/lime plaster.
Bottom: San Miguel Church. 

The US/ICOMOS International Intern Exchange Program is funded by a variety sources.  Each of the host organizations in the U.S. contribute funds that cover a substantial portion of the costs for interns from overseas.  Grants from private foundations and individual donors support the internships for U.S. preservationists traveling overseas, with additional support from some of the overseas host organizations.  The 2004 overseas internships were supported by the Dorothy-Ann Foundation, Marpat Foundation, Keepers Fund for Historic Preservation, Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Trust for Mutual Understanding, and contributions from numerous individuals.