UPDATED April 2024
It’s that time of year again where we look forward to filling our calendar with the best events and not to be missed conferences for conservators for the year. And 2024 doesn’t disappoint; IIC’s annual conference, this year in Lima, Peru is set to be the destination event of the year as well as looking forward to smaller yet equally valuable events hosted by ICON in London and the CONUL Conference in Belfast. We suspect there will be more added to this list as some of our usual events haven’t yet released their dates, so stay tuned to our socials for details of when we add more to the calendar.
Which events will you be attending?
Textiles: Conservation and Community
When: Friday 10th May 2024
Where: The symposium will take place at The Art Worker’s Guild Hall, London on Friday 10th of May 2024, with live and recorded hybrid access through Zoom.
The Icon Textile and Ethnography Groups are pleased to host the “Textiles: Conservation and Community” symposium. Textiles play a significant part in the values and traditions of specific world cultures, but also of local industries and identities. Maintaining the link between textile objects and the people, traditions, knowledge, and practices that they represent or embody can go a long way to improving collections care and object understanding. This symposium aims to discuss the care, conservation, and use of textiles that play a special part in keeping traditions alive.
Find out more here.
CONUL Conference 2024
When: 29-30 May 2024
Where: IIC Belfast, Northern Ireland
CONUL, is a consortium of the main research libraries in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Its mission is to develop and improve the library and information services of the CONUL members and its users through the exchange of experience and the organisation of cooperative activities.
This two-day residential conference considers the broad challenges facing academic and research libraries in Ireland.
The 2024 conference theme, Libraries as Changemakers serves as an invitation to explore the dynamic role that libraries play in driving positive transformation. This theme will allow for lively discussions and sharing of groundbreaking ideas for libraries to become powerful forces for change in our evolving world.
The conference welcomes participation from all staff within CONUL member libraries, including library directors. Furthermore, it is also open to staff from non-CONUL libraries, including Technological Universities and Institutes of Technology, and is progressively attracting international delegates from research libraries beyond Ireland.
Find out more and book your place here.
8th Architectural Finishes Research Conference
When: 29 May - 1st June 2024
Where: Amsterdam / Online
Specialists from around the world in the field of historic Architectural Finishes Research (AFR) will meet in Amsterdam from 29 May through 1 June for the eighth international AFR conference. This four-day international event will be a platform to exchange ideas and new developments in the interpretation, preservation, documentation, and management of historical finishes. We will also seek common ground leading to improved communication and a mutual understanding between the various stakeholders of historic sites where such finishes are preserved. This conference promises to be an ideal opportunity to nurture a more professional and cohesive global Architectural Paint and Finishes Research community.
The organizing partners invite everyone invested in the preservation and study of historic architectural finishes to take part in this international event, share the latest research, learn from each other, and help build a strong, global AFR community.
Find out more and book your place here.
Icon 2024 Conference: Conservation for Change
When: 2-3 July 2024
Where: Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, South Kensington, London SW7 2AR
Join Icon at the impressive Royal Geographic Society for two packed days of inspiring keynote speakers, discussions, case studies and much more.
The conference titled ‘Conservation for Change’, will enable us to come together and explore how conservators can effect change within the sector and wider society as we engage, embrace and educate on the importance of conservation in the preservation of our history and heritage. With plenty of networking opportunities, there's also the added chance to pick up top tips from our sponsors and exhibitors.
Find out more and book your place here.
ARA Annual Conference: ‘Climate and Crisis: Tackling it Together’
When: 28-30 August 2024
Where: Birmingham, UK
"The 2023 Conference took the theme ‘communities’ and to build on this we now want to address the major crises and challenges facing our communities and our profession, learning from our community and building stronger responses, together. The Climate Crisis is the challenge of an era with the responsibility to take action falling upon us all. Our profession must respond, learn from best practice and find new ways to contribute to the global effort. Our work faces other crises not least funding and resourcing challenges. We are better tackling this together too, and we want the conference to be a catalyst for this.”
Find out more and book your place here.
37th Congress of the International Association of Paper Historians
When: 9th September 2024 — 14th September 2024
Where: Oslo, Norway
The congress, entitled Analysis of Paper, is the first IPH-congress ever in Norway and will be held in co-operation with The National Museum, The National Library and MUNCH (The Munch Museum). The congress will focus on the topic of identification and analysis of paper. How do we identify and characterise papers? Techniques may vary from visual examination, whereby one might use different illumination techniques, to multi- and/or hyperspectral imaging and other highly technical methods of identification and analysis. Fibre identification requires samples, whereas other methods may be non-invasive. Watermarks may also be a major help in paper identification.
Find out more here.
Mending Threads, Filling Gaps -15th North American Textile Conservation Conference
When: September 15-19, 2025
Where: Banff, Alberta, Canada
This conference will explore the multifaceted challenges and innovative solutions in conservation practice. From replicating missing parts of textiles to filling gaps in perspective and historical knowledge, this conference delves into the art of conservation and revival, honouring what was lost and celebrating the resilience of heritage.
Find out more here.
IIC Lima 2024 'Sustainable Solutions for Conservation: New Strategies for New Times'
When: 23-27 September 2024
Where: Lima, Peru
The International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC) and the Research Center for Heritage Conservation at the Universidad de Ingenieria & Tecnologia (UTEC) in Lima, are pleased to that the 30th biennial IIC Congress 2024 will be hosted in person and online in Lima, Peru.
Building on the success of the IIC 2022 Wellington Congress, IIC are delighted to announce that the Congress in 2024 will take a similar hybrid format, promoting a more sustainable and climate-friendly event. By offering the Congress in a hybrid form, IIC aims to make this event as accessible and inclusive as possible, extending our global reach from Africa to Asia-Pacific through online 'Virtual Live Hubs' with in-person 'Local Regional Live Hubs' in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, offering the opportunity for shared dialogue, networking and experience of the unique culture and heritage that the region has to offer.
Find out more and book your place here.
ICRI 2024 Conference Conservation: Approaches to Sustainability
When:10th October 2024
Where: Cultra Manor, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
“The conference is a hybrid event that will gather professionals, stakeholders, and experts from the field to discuss the latest trends, innovations, and challenges in working towards sustainability with a focus on the themes of: sustainable working practices, sustaining the profession in Ireland, and digital technology. The conference aims to explore and discuss approaches to sustainability in conservation, both within Ireland and on a global scale. It seeks to foster networking and knowledge exchange among practitioners, stakeholders, students, and academics. The conference provides a platform for collaborative discussions on approaches to sustainability, encompassing sustainable working practices, challenges in sustaining the profession, and adaptation to digital technologies to safeguard cultural heritage.”
Find out more here.
Icon Sustainability Group 2024 Conference: Agents of Change: Heritage professionals adapting and innovating sustainable solutions
When: 10am to 1 pm GMT on Tuesday November 19th, 2024, and 1pm to 4pm GMT on Wednesday November 20th, 2024
Where: Virtual Conference
Stay tuned for more details on this event.