International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works

Last updated
International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC)
Founded1950
Headquarters London, United Kingdom
Affiliations Learned society
Website www.iiconservation.org

The International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC) is a global organisation for conservation and restoration professionals with over two thousand members in over fifty countries. IIC seeks to promote the knowledge, methods and working standards needed to protect and preserve historic and artistic works throughout the world.

Contents

Organisation and governance

The current Council of the institute (2019-2020) is:

Officers:

Ordinary Members of Council


IIC's Council attempts to reflect the geographical and professional balance of the worldwide conservation profession. Council members, including the secretary-general and treasurer, are volunteers, as are the editors of Studies in Conservation and IIC's Congress preprints. The institute has a permanent secretariat in London with a staff of three.

IIC co-operates closely with other organisations in the field, notably the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property and the Committee for Conservation of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) as well as national and regional conservation groups.

IIC is a learned society and is also registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. [2]

Background

In 1930, the International Museums Office of the League of Nations held a conference in Rome on the examination and conservation of works of art. Following this meeting, the Museums Office issued a series of publications on the subject. In 1932 a technical journal of conservation studies, Technical Studies in the Field of the Fine Arts, [3] was established by the Fogg Museum (Harvard University), under the managing editorship of George L. Stout. It continued publication until 1942.

The work of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program and the repatriation of art treasures after World War II brought together experts from Europe and the United States. They proposed the revival of Technical Studies and the formation of an international body of conservators to continue the interchange of information on the care and conservation of works of art. Between 1946 and 1948 a series of meetings was held to discuss these proposals. Foremost among those involved in the meetings were George L. Stout, W.G. Constable (Boston), Ian Rawlins (London), and Paul Coremans (Brussels).

In December 1948 at a meeting of the ICOM Commission on the Care of Paintings in London, it was announced that a new international institute for conservation was about to be incorporated with offices in London and that its interests would be the scientific and technical study of the subject. [4]

Early history

On April 27, 1950, the International Institute for the Conservation of Museum Objects (which acquired its present name in 1959) was incorporated as a limited company in the United Kingdom. [5] Its aims were "to improve the state of knowledge and standards of practice and to provide a common meeting ground and publishing body for all who are interested in and professionally skilled in the conservation of museum objects”. [4] The institute was to be concerned with:

The office was established with the help of a grant from the Nuffield Foundation. London was chosen as the "midpoint" between the United States and continental Europe. Office space was provided free by the Trustees of the National Gallery (London). The Institute moved to its own independent offices in 1968.

The membership was to consist of Fellows who were to be persons highly qualified in (or in positions of great authority in) conservation and Associates who were to be "persons anxious to promote the objects of the Institute". Later a category of Institutional Members was introduced.

When the IIC was founded in 1950, the Founder Fellows were George L. Stout, Rutherford J. Gettens, Richard Buck, W.G. Constable, Murray Pease, Ian Rawlins, Harold Plenderleith, Sir Wallace Akers, Helmut Ruhemann, and Paul Coremans. Others who joined in that first year included Arthur van Schendel, René Sneyers, and Sheldon and Caroline Keck. George Stout became the IIC's first president, with Harold Plenderleith its treasurer and Ian Rawlins its secretary-general. [4]

The IIC membership grew quickly. In October 1952 there were 62 members (38 of them Fellows) with 64 candidates for associate membership in process of election; by March 1952, there were 167 members (50 of them Fellows). [6]

Membership

Publications & Communications

In May 1952, the first issue of the IIC Newsletter appeared; this later became the IIC Bulletin and in turn was succeeded in 2007 by News in Conservation. In October 1952, Studies in Conservation began publication. IIC Abstracts, an international journal of abstracts of the technical literature and the forerunner of Art and Archaeology Technical Abstracts, was first published in 1955. With changing editorship, it ran for five volumes ending with Vol.5, no.4 (Autumn 1965). In 2000, the first volume of the annual Reviews in Conservation was published and this was published until Vol. 10 in 2009..

Studies in Conservation

Studies in Conservation [8] is a peer-reviewed academic journal, produced eight times a year, on the conservation of historic and artistic works. Studies in Conservation publishes original work on a range of subjects including, but not limited to, advances in conservation practice, novel methods of treatment, preventive conservation, issues of collection care, conservation history and ethics, examination methods for works of art, new research in the analysis of artistic materials or mechanisms of deterioration, and conservation issues in display and storage.

Reviews in Conservation

Published annually from 2000 until 2010, Reviews in Conservation has now been incorporated into Studies in Conservation. [8]

News in Conservation

News in Conservation is published electronically every other month. [9] It aims to provide a place where opinions, news, and information can be shared and discussed. Free to the general public for download from the IIC web-site, News in Conservation contains news from the IIC Council and regional groups, as well as job vacancies, conference listings, and notices, along with a mixture of news stories, features, interviews, and other articles relating to all aspects of conservation in every issue.

Social Networking

IIC operates a lively Facebook page and Twitter and LinkedIn presence as well as a discussion group on LinkedIn. These allow for the rapid sharing of conservation news and events and, at LinkedIn, an active discussion forum for conservation issues and topics

Biennial Congresses

In 1961, with the help of a grant from the Gulbenkian Foundation, the IIC held its first international conference. That meeting, in Rome, was attended by 150 people, and the papers were published by Butterworths under the title Recent Advances in Conservation. [10] Subsequently, conferences have been held at two- or three-year intervals with published preprints on a topic of current interest. Past conferences are:

Student & Emerging Conservator Conferences

In 2011 IIC instigated its Student & Emerging Conservator Conference series. These events are aimed at helping recent graduates and those still studying conservation to develop their skills and gain valuable career insights. They offer invaluable networking opportunities and panel discussions with webcasts, studio visits and a lively social programme.

The first conference in this series was

This was followed by:

Regional groups

IIC's Regional Groups began in 1958. Regional Groups are independent associations affiliated or associated with IIC. A Regional Group is required to adhere to the aims and objectives of the IIC as expressed in the Memorandum of Association. Its by-laws must be approved by the IIC Council and its officers should be members of IIC. The first Regional Groups formed were the IIC-United Kingdom Group (now Icon, the Institute of Conservation) and the IIC-American Group (now the American Institute for Conservation). There are currently Regional Groups in Scandinavia, Austria, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, and Spain.

Sustainability and Environmental Guidelines

Positioning Statement

Following Our Common Future: Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (1987), also known as 'The Brundtland Report', and Stephen Dovers, former Director of the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University, the IIC understands sustainability to comprise seven 'Interlocking Crises': Biodiversity Loss; Climate Change; Global Security; Pollution and Wastes; Population; Poverty and Development; and Resource Use. [11] [12]

IIC  Environmental Sustainability Statement and Carbon Analysis

IIC aims to decrease its carbon footprint as far as practicably possible. 2030 is the deadline for Scope 1 and 2 emissions with Scope 3 emissions for 2050. [13]

IIC and ICOM-CC Joint Declaration for Environmental Guidelines

A joint declaration on environmental guidelines between the International Institute for Conservation (IIC) and the International Council of Museums, Committee for Conservation (ICOM-CC) was published in September 2014, following discussion at the ICOM-CC Melbourne Conference (September 15–19, 2014) and IIC Hong Kong Congress (September 22–26, 2014). The declaration covers: [14] [15]

IIC, ICOM-CC and ICCROM Joint Commitment for Climate Action

This agreement between the International Institute for Conservation (IIC), the International Council of Museums - Committee for Conservation (ICOM-CC) and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) organizes an international coalition to make changes and act towards sustainability and net zero initiatives. [16]

MoU with Climate Heritage Network

IIC has signed an MoU with the Climate Heritage Network to help mitigate issues related to climate change. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conservation and restoration of cultural property</span> Process of protecting cultural property

The conservation and restoration of cultural property focuses on protection and care of cultural property, including artworks, architecture, archaeology, and museum collections. Conservation activities include preventive conservation, examination, documentation, research, treatment, and education. This field is closely allied with conservation science, curators and registrars.

The International Council of Museums (ICOM) is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to museums, maintaining formal relations with UNESCO and having a consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Founded in 1946, ICOM also partners with entities such as the World Intellectual Property Organization, Interpol, and the World Customs Organization in order to carry out its international public service missions, which include fighting illicit traffic in cultural goods and promoting risk management and emergency preparedness to protect world cultural heritage in the event of natural or man-made disasters. Members of the ICOM get the ICOM membership card, which provides free entry, or entry at a reduced rate, to many museums all over the world.

The Institute of Conservation(Icon) is the professional charitable body, representing and supporting the practice and profession of conservation. It has around 2500 members worldwide, including professional conservators, scientists and teachers involved with the care of heritage objects and buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conservator-restorer</span> Professional responsible for the preservation of artistic and cultural artifacts

A conservator-restorer is a professional responsible for the preservation of artistic and cultural artifacts, also known as cultural heritage. Conservators possess the expertise to preserve cultural heritage in a way that retains the integrity of the object, building or site, including its historical significance, context and aesthetic or visual aspects. This kind of preservation is done by analyzing and assessing the condition of cultural property, understanding processes and evidence of deterioration, planning collections care or site management strategies that prevent damage, carrying out conservation treatments, and conducting research. A conservator's job is to ensure that the objects in a museum's collection are kept in the best possible condition, as well as to serve the museum's mission to bring art before the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conservation and restoration of metals</span> Material preservation activity

Conservation and restoration of metals is the activity devoted to the protection and preservation of historical and archaeological objects made partly or entirely of metal. In it are included all activities aimed at preventing or slowing deterioration of items, as well as improving accessibility and readability of the objects of cultural heritage. Despite the fact that metals are generally considered as relatively permanent and stable materials, in contact with the environment they deteriorate gradually, some faster and some much slower. This applies especially to archaeological finds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George L. Stout</span> American museum director (1897–1978)

George Leslie Stout was an American art conservation specialist and museum director who founded the first laboratory in the United States to study art conservation, as well as the first journal on the subject of art conservation. During World War II, he was a member of the U.S. Army unit devoted to recovering art, the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives section (MFAA), a.k.a. "The Monuments Men."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conservation technician</span>

A conservation technician is a specialist in conservation methods pertaining to cultural property, and who may work in museums or public or private conservation organizations. A technician may also work in conjunction with other collection staff, such as a registrar (museum) or collection manager.

The Association of North American Graduate Programs in the Conservation of Cultural Property, best known for its acronym ANAGPIC, is an annual student conference held by the North American conservation graduate programs where students present lectures of the highest caliber, sharing their research, leadership, and training with peers and faculty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Conservation Guild</span>

The Washington Conservation Guild (WCG) is a non-profit organization of conservation and cultural heritage professionals. The WCG serves as a resource for learning about the care of cultural heritage collections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Objects conservator</span>

An Objects conservator is a professional, working in a museum setting or private practice, that specializes in the conservation of three-dimensional works. They undergo specialized education, training, and experience that allows them to formulate and implement preventive strategies and invasive treatment protocols to preserve cultural property for the future. Objects conservators typically specialize in one type of material or class of cultural property, including metals, archaeological artifacts, ethnographic artifacts, glass, and ceramic art. Objects conservation presents many challenges due to their three-dimensional form and composite nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conservation scientist</span>

A conservation scientist is a museum professional who works in the field of conservation science and whose focus is on the research of cultural heritage through scientific inquiry. Conservation scientists conduct applied scientific research and techniques to determine the material, chemical, and technical aspects of cultural heritage. The technical information conservation scientists gather is then used by conservator and curators to decide the most suitable conservation treatments for the examined object and/or adds to our knowledge about the object by providing answers about the material composition, fabrication, authenticity, and previous restoration treatments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Textile conservator</span>

A textile conservator is a conservator-restorer charged with the care, treatment, research, and preservation of textiles. Issues addressed by a textile conservator are generally related to the field of textile preservation, and include damage caused to textiles by: light, mold and mildew, insects, cleaning, surface cleaning, washing, mounting for display, and storage. Variations in textile types and "the diversity of the textile conservator's work makes it a very rewarding profession". Textiles are among the most fragile artifacts, as they are susceptible to damage from atmospheric pollutants, moisture, biological organisms, and environmental changes and care varies with size, shape, material, and condition issues, all of which a textile conservator must be well versed.

Edward Waldo Forbes (1873-1969) was an American art historian. He was the Director of the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University from 1909 to 1944.

The European Confederation of Conservator-Restorers' Organisations (E.C.C.O.) is a European non-governmental professional organisation aimed at safeguarding cultural heritage through the use of conservation-restoration techniques.

The Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials (AICCM) is Australia's national membership organisation for conservation professionals. Its members are mainly professional conservators, conservation students and cultural heritage member organisations in the Australian and Pacific region. It provides services for members and resources for the public and associated cultural heritage organisations and liaises with other professional associations including the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), the Australian Society of Archivists and Australian Museums and Galleries Association.

Peter Cannon-Brookes is a British art historian, with a special interest in Czech sculpture, and a curator who founded the journal Museum Management and Curatorship.

Museum environment issues include temperature, humidity, light, atmospheric pollutants, and dust, which are typically controlled in buildings that contain collections of cultural and scientific significance. These environmental factors are all 'agents of deterioration' that cause damage to objects, as they play a role in deterioration pathways such as oxidation, hydrolysis, cross-linking and chain scission.

Elisabeth West FitzHugh was a Lebanese American conservation scientist. She was a fellow of the American Institute for Conservation and the International Institute for Conservation.

Sheldon Waugh Keck and Caroline Martin Kohn Keck were American paintings conservators. Married in 1933, they contributed to the development of techniques in the conservation and restoration of paintings during the 20th century.

References

  1. Heritage conservation in Hong Kong
  2. "Charity overview". Charity-commission.gov.uk. Retrieved 2012-04-03.
  3. Packard, Elisabeth C.G. George Stout and the Art Technical Sections of the AAM annual meetings in the 1930s and 1940s. Part II.
  4. 1 2 3 Gettens, Rutherford J. IIC: an international association of conservators. Museum News (American Association of Museums) 47, no. 10 (1969 Jun), pp. 11-14.
  5. The international journal of museum management and curatorship 1, no. 2 (1982 Jun), pp. 159-161.
  6. Brooks, Hero Boothroyd. A Short History of IIC: Foundation and Development. IIC (2000), ISBN   0-9500525-3-1
  7. Anon. The International Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. The International Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship 1, no. 2 (1982 Jun), pp. 159-161.
  8. 1 2 "Studies in Conservation | International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works". Iiconservation.org. 1999-02-22. Retrieved 2012-04-03.
  9. "Browse News in Conservation | International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works". Iiconservation.org. 1999-02-22. Retrieved 2012-04-03.
  10. Recent Advances in Conservation: Contributions to the IIC Rome Conference, 1961 (1963)
  11. United Nations, Sustainable Development (1987). "Our Common Future: Report of the Commission on Environment and Development" (PDF). United Nations: Sustainable Development. pp. 3ff.
  12. Dovers, Stephen (1996). "Sustainability: Demands on Policy". Journal of Public Policy. 16 (3): 303–4. doi:10.1017/S0143814X00007789. S2CID   154592150.
  13. "Environmental Sustainability and Carbon Analysis | International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works". www.iiconservation.org. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  14. Bickersteth, Julian (1 March 2016). "IIC and ICOM-CC 2014 Declaration on environmental guidelines". Studies in Conservation. 61 (sup1): 12–17. doi: 10.1080/00393630.2016.1166018 . ISSN   0039-3630. S2CID   193509888.
  15. Pagliarino, Amanda (26 May 2019). "Environmental Guidelines". Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  16. "IIC, ICCROM, and ICOM-CC agree Joint Commitment for Climate Action in Cultural Heritage | International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works". www.iiconservation.org. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  17. "MoU with Climate Heritage Network | International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works". www.iiconservation.org. Retrieved 2022-11-16.