Save Venice is proud to have active Chapters in California and Boston that take part in the mission of Save Venice Inc. and also host a series of activities and events in their local areas. Each Chapter raises funds for its own restoration projects in Venice.

The Boston Chapter of Save Venice is entirely volunteer-based, and is supported by many loyal friends and donors.

Save Venice itself was founded in 1971 in Massachusetts by a group of concerned citizens, led by Wellesley College Professor John McAndrew and his wife Betty, and Harvard Professor Sydney J. Freedberg. They took action in response to the terrible damage caused by the flood of November 1966. Originally, this organization was part of the Venice Committee of the International Fund for Monuments, but in 1971, board members met in Wellesley and formed a new tax-exempt organization, Save Venice Inc.

The Boston Chapter has been actively involved in preserving works of art and architecture. Current projects include frescoes by Paolo Veronese and the Funeral Monument of Livio Podacataro in the church of San Sebastiano. Recent projects include emergency maintenance of Carpaccio’s Supper at Emmaus, the Diziani ceiling canvases in the Scuola del Vin, tombstones in the New Jewish Cemetery on the Lido, Tintoretto’s Birth of St. John the Baptist in the Church of San Zaccaria, Triumph of Mordechai on the ceiling of San Sebastiano, and the Pilastri Acritani in Piazza San Marco. Major painting restorations within the Gallerie dell’Accademia include Giorgio Vasari’s Allegory of Charity, the Saint Helen Polyptych by Michele di Matteo, Tintoretto’s Deposition of Christ, and Titian’s Pietà.

Although the headquarters of Save Venice Inc. was transferred to New York City in the mid-1980s, the Boston Chapter maintains a full schedule of events and activities each academic year. These include three lectures every spring on aspects of Venetian art and culture, and an Annual General Meeting in the early autumn. This meeting is combined with a short lecture on an aspect of Venetian culture, influence, or current events. The Boston Chapter also raises funds for art restoration through benefit dinners, parties, concerts, and trips. Local supporters of Save Venice take pride in a long-standing affection of Bostonians for Venice, dating to the 19th-century, a fondness reflected in the architectural styles of many buildings throughout the city and superlative museum collections. The Boston Executive Committee welcomes your inquiries, suggestions, and donations.

For more information you may also contact the Boston Chapter at savenbos@yahoo.com or follow us on Facebook .