Project OverviewThis project examines the first 50 years of the non-profit organization Save Venice, Inc. (SVI), including its mission, achievements, challenges, identity, and membership.

Through collection and analysis of archival records, published materials, and oral interviews, we will document how SVI has worked to preserve and protect Venice’s artistic patrimony.

Project TimelineSummer 2014: initial research/bibliography

Fall 2014: gather archival sources in MA

Winter 2015: conduct oral interviews

Spring 2015: draft first article

Summer 2015: analyze NY documents

Fall 2015: additional oral interviews

Winter 2016: write second article

Spring 2016: draft book proposal

AcknowledgmentsI am grateful to the following:- Megan Shea, my research assistant

and a UML Emerging Scholar in 2014-15;

- Frederick Ilchman, Chair of Save Venice Boston;

- Peter Fergusson and other members of the SVBoston Board;

- Luis Falcòn and the FAHSS Dean’s Office

A HISTORY OF SAVE VENICE, INC: 1966-2016Christopher CarlsmithDepartment of History

Prepared 2/2/2015

Quick Facts about Save Venice, Inc.• Founded 1971 in Wellesley, MA by John

McAndrew and colleagues in response to the catastrophic flood of Nov. 1966 in Italy.

• SVI conducts fundraising and educational activities to promote and conserve art/architecture in Venice

• $20M raised; 400 works of art restored; SVI is the leading private committee for Venetian conservation

• Headquarters in NYC; chapters in Boston and Los Angeles; permanent office in Venice

Jacopo de Barbari, Venetia (1500) [Woodcut]; this Renaissance map shows the Grand Canal snaking through Venice as well as the Giudecca Island, merchant ships, and the sea god Jupiter. The essential form of Venice has not changed in hundreds of years, even as its population has fallen by more than 70%.

What historical and contemporary sources will be used for this history of SVI?• Minutes of the SVI Board in Boston and New York; office correspondence; financial statements;

party invitations; newsletters; • Oral interviews of SVI officers and senior members• Materials published by SVI including restoration files, tour guides, annual reports, treasure hunts.

What will be the output of this project?• We hope to write 1-2 articles about the early history of SVI (1966-1976, 1977-1999) as well as a

book manuscript that explores both a detailed chronology and the broader themes of the organization.

What are the preliminary findings?• SVI began as one of many sub-committees of the International Fund for Monuments in 1966; it

became an independent, all-volunteer organization focused exclusively on Venice in 1971; it vastly expanded its fundraising capacity in the 1990s;it currently funds about 30 projects

• SVI has always endured a natural tension between lavish parties and gala trips to raise funds, and the scholarly mission of preserving the cultural patrimony of Venice.

• Supporters and critics of SVI feel passionately about the organization; while the founders are now deceased, many early supporters live on.

Acqua alta (flooding) in Venice, 1966; chest-high water inundated most of Venice, including Piazza San Marco, shown here. Venice is built on a series of small islands, some of which are barely above sea level.

Acqua alta (flooding) has increased substantially in Venice in recent years, affecting not only tourists but the buildings and very foundation of Venice itself.