How do you get the most out of a conference? Jenny shares her survival log from a recent conference, Christina talks about her experiences of organising this type of event, and Kloe asks us tonnes of questions. We also unpack and discuss cleaning sponges and erasers from Preservation Equipment Ltd (PEL), and our conservation agony aunt muses about which skills are most useful to conservators.
00:00:30 News in brief
00:09:44 What makes a good conference?
00:21:31 Survival log #1
00:24:22 The virtues of buddying up and how to survive
00:28:15 Are conferences more expensive now?
00:31:12 Survival log #2
00:34:09 Networking can be OK!
00:36:43 Top conference tips
00:38:16 Survival log #3
00:45:10 Continued top conference tips
00:48:23 What should you bring to a conference?
00:49:21 How do you organise a conference?
00:53:39 Pet peeves
00:56:10 Dear Jane
00:58:26 Review: Kloe and Jenny unpack erasers and sponges from PEL!
01:21:20 Comments, questions, corrections: food x2!
We sample the topic of food: what we find in museum collections, how we can look after it, and what to look out for. We also talk wedding cake traditions, food heritage, museum cafés, and our own eating habits as museum professionals. Jenny reviews not one but TWO books on the topic and Dear Jane addresses a question about specialisms and portfolios.
00:25 Call for papers
02:14 Food we’ve seen in collections
06:47 Wedding cake traditions
10:05 Smelly finds, accessioned catastrophes, and mummy wheat
18:13 Potential resources to consult
20:18 So what is food anyway? How can we preserve (hah!) it?
27:15 Pests, mould, and why we might want to keep food
29:07 Working Victorian kitchen ranges and how food can be living history
30:50 Museum cafés and eating in museums
40:42 Staff eating habits and surveys
50:02 Review: Food and Museums
53:27 Dear Jane
57:26 Review: Modern Art Desserts – Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, Confections, and Frozen Treats Based on Iconic Works of Art
59:59 Comments, questions, corrections: food policies
We have a chat about ways of communicating conservation: to the media, to the public, and to each other. We talk to conservator Muirne Lydon from National Gallery of Ireland about media training for conservators and clever tools for social media use. Our agony aunt addresses someone’s fear about being too normal for a career in conservation, and Jenny reviews ‘The Interactive Past – Archaeology, Heritage, and Video Games.’
00:00:24 News in brief
00:09:57 Our experiences with media, news, and PR
00:27:49 Interview with Muirne Lydon
00:41:30 The need for an elevator pitch in conservation
00:43:45 Ways of communicating with conservators
00:47:35 Talking to the public via signs
00:56:46 Review: The Interactive Past – Archaeology, Heritage, and Video Games
01:00:10 Dear Jane
01:03:42 Comments, questions, corrections: tape, sunshine stories & bellydance
We philosophise around the topics of replicas, surrogates, and digitisation. When is a copy a copy? When is a replica a fake? We have a brief chat with Dan Pemberton from the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences about chocolate replicas for a museum bake-off, we interview Jessica Pollard from the British Library about digitisation, and talk to Susanne Turner from the Museum of Classical Archaeology about having a collection full of replicas.
00:00:29 Why copy anything at all?
00:01:49 Collections of replicas
00:03:03 Philosophy time! When is a copy a copy? And a replica a fake?
00:05:47 When is it OK to display copies instead of originals?
00:09:37 The value of displaying real things
00:16:15 Museum shops and replicas
00:18:45 Interview with Dan Pemberton
00:22:08 Museum bake-off and our love of cake
00:24:06 What’s the difference between a replica and a surrogate?
00:26:48 Sometimes only replicas survive
00:29:05 So what about digitisation – where does it fit in?
00:38:34 Interview with Jessica Pollard
00:51:26 Interview with Susanne Turner
01:10:20 Comments, questions, corrections: freelancing and another podcast
Together with guest host Sophie Rowe we try to get to grips with modern materials: plastics of all sorts, technology, and sticky tape. Christina has a quick chat with conservator Abby Moore about plastics in particular, our agony aunt answers another listener question in Dear Jane, and Kloe reviews ‘PUR Facts: Conservation of Polyurethane Foam in Art and Design.’
00:00:25 Our experiences of modern materials
00:03:53 The trouble of identification
00:05:26 Training courses and books about plastics
00:09:34 Destructive testing and setting stuff on fire
00:11:05 What can we learn from just looking at plastics?
00:13:56 Do we just need to do more testing and sharing?
00:15:53 The tricky question of tape – wanted or unwanted?
00:20:14 Fatbergs on display and the oddities of modern art
00:23:09 Let’s not forget about retro technology
00:25:46 Obsolete technology and do we need ’working’ tech objects?
00:27:41 Jenny’s nerdy interest in tech history and amateur restoration
00:30:33 Back to plastics: what about cleaning and treatment?
00:34:31 How does this impact how we collect modern materials long-term?
00:40:21 Kloe’s Correx horror story
00:46:13 Interview with Abby Moore
00:56:16 Dear Jane
01:00:34 Review: PUR Facts – Conservation of Polyurethane Foam in Art and Design
01:05:51 Patreon shout-out!
We revisit the topic of emerging professionals and ponder when a conservator is a conservator. We talk to Julie Dawson and Edward Cheese from the Fitzwilliam Museum about hiring, interview tips, and what employers really want. Our agony aunt addresses a student question in Dear Jane, and we air some issues around acknowledging conservators in exhibitions, the role of directors, and the job market in the comments section.
00:00:44 News in brief
00:01:39 Revisiting the topic
00:02:21 How quickly we forget!
00:07:11 The trouble with staying flexible later in your career
00:09:40 Maternity and being working mothers
00:10:58 Imposter syndrome
00:13:09 When is a conservator no longer a conservator?
00:17:15 Training, CPD, and the emerging conservator
00:26:33 Networking doesn’t have to be frightening
00:32:43 Interview with Julie Dawson and Edward Cheese
01:00:48 Dear Jane: What should a student bring to university?
01:03:43 Comments, questions, corrections: credits, directors, and jobs
01:10:36 Marie’s stats on job hunting
01:15:46 Patreon shout-out!
We take a closer look at freelancing in conservation: being a scalpel for hire! We cover topics such as clever tool hacks, the pros and cons of going solo, and how the types of clients affect the work you do. We share our own experiences and chat about how you can brush up on your business skills. Also tune in for interviews with two other freelance conservators: Nigel Larkin and Sally Woodcock.
00:00:30 Conservation perfumes – can it be?!
00:05:55 What would a scent called ‘The Conservator’ smell like?
00:06:35 Jenny’s been to a wax conference
00:09:45 Kloe and the Manchester suffragette banner
00:11:45 Our experiences of freelancing
00:20:30 Are specialists more likely to be freelancers?
00:23:34 Conservation companies: employees vs. one-man-bands
00:25:40 Sub-contracting and working together
00:26:30 Workload and pace of commercial jobs
00:29:10 Freelancer, consultant, or independent conservator?
00:31:16 Benefits of working with other freelancers
00:33:25 Tool hacks!
00:36:15 Do freelancers feel isolated?
00:38:20 How do people get started as freelancers?
00:39:00 What are the perks? And the big challenges?
00:47:14 Health and safety, insurance, and accounting
00:50:20 Pricing your work and charging for your time
00:53:20 How do you keep up with your CPD and training? Can you brush up on your business skills?
00:56:00 Advice from freelancers
01:00:57 Interview with Nigel Larkin (natural history and geology conservator)
01:12:32 Interview with Sally Woodcock (paintings conservator)
01:29:30 Comments, questions, and corrections: controlled drugs in collections and asbestos training
01:34:20 Patreon shoutout!
We’re talking education and learning with guest host Jane Henderson from Cardiff University. We discuss what universities might look for in an applicant, the challenges of teaching conservation, and what makes a good internship. How did the four of us find conservation and what did we do before all this? What do employers expect from graduates? Kloe also reviews ‘Conservation of Featherwork from Central and South America.’
00:01:10 How can you become a conservator?
00:02:01 The previous lives and backgrounds of conservators
00:05:42 How we found conservation
00:15:06 Career days at school somehow never include conservators…
00:18:19 How important is science and chemistry when you apply to a degree programme? What else is important when you’re applying?
00:25:12 How do we assess graduates?
00:26:56 The importance of internships and placements for learning
00:34:08 What do we wish we could teach but can’t?
00:36:34 What do hosts and employers want from graduates?
00:39:57 Whose responsibility is education?
00:42:13 What role does conservation research have? Are PhD’s useful?
00:47:03 Craft skills: are they priorities or not? Can they be taught?
00:52:46 Don’t be afraid of mistakes – learn from them!
00:57:22 Introducing ’Dear Jane’
00:57:40 Review: Conservation of Featherwork from Central and South America
01:02:30 Comments, questions, corrections: a note on demographics in the US
Today we tackle the hot topic of hazards: what’s lurking in our collections and how do we talk about risks? We also talk chemicals, health and safety attitudes, and when not to drop an object. Tune in for an interview with Lauren McGhee and Ellie Rowley-Conwy about firearms conservation, and Kerith Koss Schrager about health and safety attitudes in conservators.
00:00:28 Welcome to season two!
00:01:11 News in brief
00:03:12 What kind of hazards do we face as conservators?
00:04:22 Radioactivity and Jenny’s desire for a Geiger counter
00:10:06 How do we communicate risks?
00:12:23 Asbestos, mercury, and arsenic
00:14:01 It’s OK to say no – when do we ask for help?
00:18:08 Biohazards and our old friend Mould
00:20:14 Firearms and explosives
00:21:22 Interview with Lauren McGhee and Ellie Rowley-Conwy
00:35:00 Don’t be afraid to ask for advice
00:36:45 Drugs, disposals, and documentation
00:41:33 Chemicals and COSHH
00:43:38 Interview with Kerith Koss Schrager
01:03:40 Our health and safety attitudes
01:13:39 Questions, comments, and corrections: Arduino shout-out
01:14:41 Patreon shout-out!
We have a chat about salvage: floods, fires, accidents, and pest infestations. All the fun stuff! Christina talks to Sophie Rowe about practical salvage training, Jenny gets worked up about emergency planning, and Kloe really wants to try some salvage in practice. Also tune in for an in-depth interview with Natalie Mitchell about the salvage work involved after the Glasgow School of Art fire.
00:00:24 News in brief
00:01:25 Our experiences of salvage and little disasters
00:05:15 Is salvage only after floods and fires? How about accidents at work?
00:08:58 Massive pest infestations can also be disasters
00:10:06 Grenfell Tower and the topic of fires
00:11:24 Training options: table top exercises and emergency planning
00:13:05 Training options: practical salvage with Historic England
00:13:45 Interview with Sophie Rowe about practical training
00:23:38 Coordinating with Emergency Services during planning
00:26:09 Building plans in emergency plans and why Jenny has opinions on them
00:28:57 Interview with Natalie Mitchell about the Glasgow School of Art fire and subsequent salvage
00:50:20 Review: Refashioning and Redress – Conserving and Displaying Dress (book)
00:54:47 Questions, comments, and corrections: the demographics of different types of conservators, and comparing notes on Elspeth Jordan’s social media survey
01:04:40 End of the season?!
01:06:27 Patreon shout out!
