Institute of Conservation
The Institute of Conservation (Icon) is a charity and the professional body for conservators and restorers in the United Kingdom. It has over three thousand members, including professional conservators working with heritage objects and buildings.
Background
Icon was formed in 2005 as a result of a merger between five smaller bodies: The United Kingdom Institute for Conservation, The Institute of Paper Conservation, The Scottish Society for Conservation and Restoration, the Photographic Materials Conservation Group and the Care of Collections Forum. These five organisations were known collectively as the 'Vanguard Bodies' of the National Council for Conservation-Restoration (NCCR). In 2006 a sixth organisation, the Institute of Conservation Science, which had not been part of the NCCR, merged into Icon.
Seven other bodies which were also members of the NCCR opted not to merge into Icon in 2005. These were:
- The British Antique Furniture Restorer's Association[1]
- The British Association of Paintings Conservator-Restorers[2]
- Two Irish bodies, the Irish Professional Conservators & Restorers Association (IPCRA) and The Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works in Ireland (ICHAWI) - which merged in 2013 into the Institute of Conservators-Restorers in Ireland (ICRI) [3]
- Three 'hybrid' bodies, combining conservators and non-conservators in their membership - NatSCA,[4] the BHI[5] and the Society of Archivists which merged into the Archives and Records Association in 2010.
Activities
- Icon is a member of the National Heritage Science Forum[6]
- Icon operates a professional accreditation scheme for suitably trained and qualified professionals in conservation and restoration called PACR (Professional Accreditation of Conservator-Restorers.)
- Icon operates the Conservation register[7] of practices with an accredited employee in the UK or Ireland
- Icon was formerly a member of the European Confederation of Conservator-Restorers' Organisations, but withdrew in 2007[8]
References
- ^ "Home - British Antique Furniture Restorers' Association". British Antique Furniture Restorers' Association.
- ^ "BAPCR Home". bapcr.org.uk.
- ^ "Home - Institute of Conservator-Restorers in Ireland".
- ^ "Natural Sciences Collections Association". natsca.org.
- ^ "British Horological Institute". bhi.co.uk.
- ^ "National Heritage Science Forum - Home". heritagescienceforum.org.uk.
- ^ "The Conservation Register". conservationregister.com.
- ^ "International Conservation News » Blog Archive » Icon withdraws from ECCO". iiconservation.org.