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About the IIC |
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The Institute and its purpose
Throughout the world, people are increasingly aware of their heritage as a mark of cultural identity, as well as a manifestation of civilized society and something which brings pleasure and enriches lives. They are concerned to preserve that heritage, and they recognize that conservation professionals are essential to that task. For more than 50 years The International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works has promoted the knowledge, methods and working standards needed to protect and preserve historic and artistic works throughout the world.
IIC members belong to an international community of professionals who aim to provide the highest possible level of care for the world's cultural heritage. They know that they must be aware of the latest thinking and research, and keep in touch with developments and with colleagues worldwide. Membership of IIC is essential for all practising and aspiring professionals in this field.
A list of the current Council and Officers can be found here.
Membership
IIC membership is open to everyone with an interest in conserving the world's heritage: to conservators and restorers, to conservation scientists, architects, educators and students, and to collection managers, curators, art historians and other cultural heritage professionals. Membership enables you to keep abreast of technical advances and to remain in contact with colleagues worldwide through IIC's publications (Studies in Conservation, Reviews in Conservation and News in Conservation), this website with its newsblog, the biennial conferences and the national groups.
The members' part of this website provides an index of all IIC members, and free download of articles from Studies in Conservation and Reviews in Conservation as well as downloadable PDFs of News in Conservation and back numbers of some of the Congress preprints.
There are four categories of membership: Student, Individual and Institutional members, as well as Fellows who have been elected by the existing body of IIC Fellows.
For more information about membership of IIC, including current subscriptions and application forms, please click here.
Publications
Members receive IIC journals free of charge. They also benefit from concessionary rates both on the Institute's own publications and on titles in the Butterworth-Heinemann Series in Conservation and Museology.
Studies in Conservation is the premier international journal in its field. Published four times a year, it contains original, peer-reviewed papers on advances in conservation, including both practical and scientific aspects, together with the latest research on historic materials and methods of fabrication. It also presents authoritative reviews of the latest publications in the field. Every paper includes a summary in English, French, German and Spanish.
Reviews in Conservation is an annual journal which surveys key areas of conservation and technical examination and encapsulates the current state of knowledge on selected subjects, with extensive bibliographies. The Editorial Board includes leading conservators and scientists from around the world.
Every two months, members receive IIC's newest publication, News in Conservation, which carries news and articles about IIC and its members, advertises appointments, internships and fellowships, and lists events and publications for sale.
Congresses
Every two years, IIC mounts a major international conference on a topic of current interest. These meetings are designed to bring together like-minded specialists, to summarise and debate the latest technical progress, and to present recent advances and research. The peer-reviewed and edited papers form an essential part of the permanent conservation literature. Recent venues have included Ottawa (Preventive Conservation), Copenhagen (Archaeological Conservation), Dublin (Painting Techniques), Melbourne (Tradition and Innovation), Baltimore (Works of Art on Paper) and Bilbao (Modern Art, New Museums). The next conference is in London in 2008.
Regional Groups
A number of national groups use the IIC name and logo. Currently, these are active in The Netherlands, Austria, France, Japan, Greece, Spain, Italy and Scandinavia.
The Keck Award
The Keck Award, generously endowed by Sheldon and Caroline Keck, is presented every two years at the IIC Congress to the individual or group who has, in the opinion of the Council, contributed most towards promoting public understanding and appreciation of the accomplishments of the conservation profession.
The Forbes Lecture
The Forbes lecture is delivered at every congress.
Honorary fellows
The International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC) is a company limited by guarantee registered in England (No. 481522). Full information regarding the Institute's aims and objectives can be found in the Memorandum of Association (pdf) and Articles of Association (pdf). The Institute is a registered charity (No. 209677) and registered for VAT (No. GB 241 0811 10).