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April-May News in Conservation issue is out now!
IIC 2024 Lima Congress: call for proposals

We are delighted to issue the call for proposals for the IIC 30th biennial Congress: Lima, Peru. Our theme is 'Sustainable Solutions for Conservation: New Strategies for New Times'.  

Young Professionals Forum 2023

New Training Programme 2023 - Emerging Skills for Heritage Conservation

All papers published in our sector leading journal Studies in Conservation are available online free to IIC members along with downloads of News in Conservation and Book Reviews.
conservator hands with gold angel
Joining IIC means becoming a member or Fellow of a global, unifying and independent organisation with Learned Society status, where we share passion, knowledge and ideas.
We bring together people from around the world through our intellectually stimulating congresses and enquiry led Dialogues and events tailored to capture the imagination and curiosity of students and emerging professionals.
Through donations and the ongoing generosity of our members, we are able to offer prizes and awards for excellence as well as grants that enable cultural heritage professionals attend our training and events.

IIC Community: connecting our members around the world

News in Conservation

Click on the magazine below to read the April-May issue. Sign up to receive each new issue in your email in the footer of this page.

Announcements
News and Events
This workshop series aims to provide conservators with the practical and theoretical tools to design effective...
Find here the call for abstracts of the forthcoming volume in Conservation360º series devoted to multiband imaging...
Thai lacquer art builds on a rich history that is not often well documented or accessible to other parts of the world due to language and geographic barriers. Hence in November 2022, the Heritage Conservation Centre (HCC), Singapore, held a workshop on Thai lacquerware decorative techniques.
Young Professionals Forum 2022 Proceedings

Access here the proceedings of Young Professionals Forum 2022.

Watch the recording of the event that happened in July 2022 <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JjbrpIq9mLtHa-qENykmf5QxT5s_BaaO/view">...

“We were excited to support this programme for a third edition in 2022 focusing on emerging skills within the profession - our contribution to workshop proceedings focused on digital skills with pubic engagement and online outreach of heritage conservation globally. IIC was also pleased to support 23 scholarships with additional funding from Willard Conservation, with many more IIC student and early career members participating online around the world, from Argentina to Uganda. The feedback and benefits have been immense and we are looking forward to working with partners again in 2023”.
Sarah Stannage, IIC Executive Director

Fellows are senior members of the profession who are elected by the existing body of Fellows. Click IIC Fellowship to find out more about the criteria for fellowship, including an application form. Membership period: 01-07-2022 - 30-06-2023

Please note: This rate is payable only by those who, after the full nomination and election process has been successfully completed, have been successfully elected as Fellows of IIC .

Early Career membership is open to everyone in the first five years post-graduation who is taking their first steps in conservation, heritage science or a related profession.

Membership period: 01-07-2022 - 30-06-2023

Individual membership is open to everyone who is interested in conservation.

Membership period: 01-07-2022 - 30-06-2023

This membership rate has been introduced to help those with a lifetime of expertise to continue contributing to IIC. It is open to existing Fellows who have retired from gainful employment.

Membership period: 01-07-2022 - 30-06-2023

Institutional subscription is intended for museum and galleries, libraries and archives, conservation schools, research institutes and commercial firms operating in heritage conservation-restoration.

Student membership is for those enrolled in a full-time programme of education, training or work experience under the supervision of a professional conservator.

Membership period: 01-07-2022 - 30-06-2023

This membership rate has been introduced to help those with a lifetime of expertise to continue contributing to IIC. It is open to existing Individual Members who have retired from gainful employment.

Membership period: 01-07-2022 - 30-06-2023

This add-on package for the Institutional subscription enables you to add an additional five people to the community platform.

Andrew Lins 2010. Photo credit: Thomas J. Tague, Jr.

Andrew Lins lived a full and exemplary life, and it is with sadness that we share the news of his death on Christmas Day at age 74. Andrew was a conservator of decorative arts and sculpture at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) from 1979 and chair of the Conservation Division from 1997 until his retirement in 2015. Under his leadership, the department underwent several expansions, significantly increased its focus on scholarly research, and established what became a state-of-the-art scientific research laboratory. As an internationally recognized expert in metals and corrosion, Andrew consulted on numerous important restorations of historical landmarks in Philadelphia and beyond, such as the Liberty Bell Center (Philadelphia, USA) and Lincoln Memorial (Washington DC, USA). He was beloved by many conservators and scientists for his warmth, integrity, and generosity.

Painted portrait of Peter Rockwell. Image courtesy of the artist, Jimmy Kennedy.

By Jerry Podany and Thomas Roby

Peter Rockwell, a sculptor and the youngest of three sons of artist Norman Rockwell, died at his home in Danvers, Massachusetts on Thursday, February 6, 2020. Although predominantly known as an artist who worked in stone, Peter was also a renowned expert and scholar in the historical techniques of stone sculpting from antiquity to the modern era.

HCC is the repository and conservation facility for the management and preservation of Singapore’s National Collection. The artworks and artefacts are part of the National Collection and comprise of 19th-21st century socio-historical, cultural, ethnographic, modern and contemporary artwork materials, mainly from the Southeast Asia region. The appointee will carry out conservation assessments, documentation and treatments on artworks and artefacts according to HCC’s procedures, instructions and guidelines for exhibits, loans and events for The Gallery.

Deadline:
30 Nov 2019

The post includes carrying out Paintings Conservation on historic and contemporary paintings including frames and sharing experience with other Conservators and Trainees.

Deadline:
15 Sep 2019
Dr. Robert Feller in the laboratory of the Mellon Institute's Research Center on the Materials of the Artist and Conservator. Image courtesy of Paul Whitmore

By Paul Whitmore

The art conservation world lost a towering figure with the passing on August 3, 2018, of Dr. Robert L. Feller in Pittsburgh, PA, at the age of 98. Dr. Feller, Bob to his friends, devoted his life to providing the scientific research essential to the advancement of conservation practice. He was a pioneer and the leading practitioner of the emerging discipline of art conservation science research.

Malcolm Gillespie (1944-1918). Photo courtesy of Lee Holland

By Graham Voce

We are sad to record the passing of Malcolm Gillespie, artist and designer, who was for over ten years an important and valued part of the IIC team.

Malcolm became involved with IIC to work on News in Conservation and produced many editions with the IIC paper’s editors, continuing to do this after the publication transitioned from a paper to an electronic format. Malcolm also designed many other items of IIC print work and was involved in the implementation of the recent IIC visual identity developments, helping to make sure that IIC continues to present an effective and modern face to the world in the ways we interact with members and the public, across electronic and print formats.

Apart from IIC, Malcolm also worked with many publications for the United Kingdom’s Institute for Conservation (Icon) and was the lead designer on Icon’s magazine Icon News for many years.

We are pleased to say that we have been able to freeze membership fees at last year's rates. Your Membership fee is due on 1st July. If you haven't renewed your membership already, please renew now by logging in to your account.

Read on to find out more about the year ahead.

Akira Horiuchi, Ig Nobel Prize winner for medical education, 2018. Photo Alexey Eliseev.

On September 13 in CAMBRIDGE, MA, USA, the 2018 Ig Nobel Prizes, honoring achievements that first make people laugh, and then think, were awarded at Harvard University's historic Sanders Theatre tonight before 1,100 spectators in a ceremony filled with paper airplanes, hearts, and ten-trillion dollar bills.

This was the 28th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony. Most of the new winners journeyed to Harvard — at their own expense — to accept their Prizes. Each winning team also received cash — a ten-trillion dollar bill from Zimbabwe.

The Ig Nobel Prizes were physically handed to the winners by genuine Nobel laureates. The laureates in attendance include Eric Maskin (economics, 2007), Wolfgang Ketterle (physics, 2001), Oliver Hart (economics, 2016), and Michael Rosbash (physiology or medicine, 2017).

Promotional poster for Namibian Heritage Week. Image courtesy of the Museums Association of Namibia (MAN).

The National Museum of Namibia first decided to start an annual Museum Day. With help from the Museums Association of Namibia (MAN) who partnered with the Museum, this day was spread throughout all fourteen regions of the country. The day was extended to a week-long celebration when the National Heritage council and other stakeholders joined in, officially making the celebration Namibian Heritage Week. This year, Namibian Heritage Week 2018 was held from 17-23 September.

The Heritage Week Team, made up of Namibia’s major heritage institutions, worked together to create a campaign encouraging Namibians to celebrate, visit, and protect the country’s natural and cultural heritage. This year’s theme was “Turuganeni Kumwe” which means “Let’s work together” in Rukwangali.

By Julian Bickersteth and Sharra Grow

One of the highlights of the IIC Turin Congress was the Point of the Matter dialogue jointly presented by ICCROM and IIC, “Culture Cannot Wait: Integrating Cultural Heritage First Aid with Humanitarian Assistance in Crises”. The collaboration between IIC and ICCROM (the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property) provided an opportunity to renew a long standing MOU between the two organisations.

These two peak bodies in the conservation world are both products of The Second World War, which resulted in such a massive and widespread destruction of cultural property that a great international interest in their protection spurred the formation of several organizations and institutions.

IIC

IIC Council Members and IGIIC at the council meeting in Turin this past September. Image by Sharra Grow

By Julian Bickersteth

The IIC Council met for two days prior to the Turin Congress at the offices of the IIC Italian group in Turin, IGIIC.

Members of the Congress local organising committee from IGIIC joined for part of the meeting as did IIC's News in Conservation editor, Sharra Grow and ICCROM's Catherine Antomarchi. Apart from considering and endorsing 9 new Fellows to go to the membership for approval, Council used much of the time to consider the strategic direction of the Institute, responding to the new IIC Strategic Plan 2018-2021. This had been prepared and was presented by the Executive Director Sarah Stannage.

The masterclass participants, 20│21 Staff, and teachers Maria Chatzidakis, Will Shank and Pedro Soares Neves. Image taken by Marta Palmeira.

Review by Grazia Cavanna

This masterclass was organized by 20│21 Conservação e Restauro de Arte Contemporânea and was held in Porto, Portugal on 14th and 15th of June 2018. The workshop was led by two major street art conservation experts: Maria Chatzidakis, lecturer at T.E.I. of Athens and co-founder of Street Art Conservators (St.A.Co), and Will Shank, independent conservator and curator, co-founder and co-chair of Rescue Public Murals.

Street art and urban creativity is a complex and interesting theme that is gaining importance in different fields connected with visual arts including art production, aesthetics, city planning, urban culture, cultural studies, propriety, copyright, and of course conservation.

These are exciting times at IIC with so many changes and upcoming events. This year we have gained an Executive Director, we are preparing to launch the redesigned website with our fresh new branding, we have a new Instagram feed, and on top of it all, we are also preparing for the 2018 IIC Congress in Turin this September. It is enough to make one forget to renew their IIC annual membership by the 1st of July! Well, I suppose I am also new, at least in this role as Editor of News in...
2016 - 2017 Annual review front cover

The latest issue of IIC's Annual Review, for 2016 - 2017, published at the 2018 Annual General Meeting, is available from the IIC web-site here. This was presented at the 2017 Annual General Meeting and is the first in a new series of reviews to present IIC's activities and engagement throughout the past year. We hope you enjoy this latest issue of the new way of conveying news about IIC's current activities and future plans.