The C Word (M4A Feed)

How and why should conservators publish their work? Who are we trying to reach and why does it matter? Kloe quite likes the established conference paper or journal article routes while Jenny prefers Twitter papers, blogs, and methods without paywalls. Christina tries to demystify the publication world and talks us through the stages of publishing a traditional article. Also tune in for a review of...

We talk about the importance of touch: intentional and sometimes unintentional touching, what touch means to us as conservation professionals, and how we can facilitate access (particularly for visually impaired audiences). How do you go about setting up a touch tour? How do we encourage or discourage touch? Christina interviews Liz Pye about her work around touch and object handling, and we’ve go...

Please take a seat in the waiting area as we have a little chat about the all-important topic of portfolios as part of recruiting conservators: what makes a good one, what format should it be, and what do we put in ours? We’re joined by guest host Julia Jabłońska, an emerging paintings conservator, as we try to figure out what people want. Also tune in for an interview with Tamsin Russell from the...

Join us as we explore the topic of working with communities of all sorts: from source communities to new audiences. How can conservators work with community groups? How can museums be more welcoming to diverse audiences? Can we take collaboration outside of the museum walls? We talk to Rachel Hand and Ali Clark about their work at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and to Francis Lukezic a...

We’re joined by guest host Sarah Potter as we have a chat about working with contemporary art. Jenny interviews Julia Nagle about the joy of colour and solvent free studios, and Kloe talks to Ann French about problem solving and how to share your knowledge. Also tune in for a special training review by Anthi Soulioti (including an interview with Vivian van Saaze), and a review of the West Dean pla...

Buckle up as we go on a ride exploring the topic of couriering and the art of escorting an object on loan: from low-glam trips to prestigious treks across the globe! What’s involved? Who gets to go? What if something goes wrong? Kloe documents her first courier trip to Brussels and Christina shares her various conservation adventures. Also tune in for a Dear Jane that unexpectedly turns into Dear...

We’re joined by guest host Johanna Sandström as we embark on an adventure with brown soggy stuff: from waterlogged wood and leather to mudlarking and replica toilet seats! We interview Mags Felter from York Archaeological Trust, Kim Roche from MSDS Marine, and Luisa Duarte from Museum of London. Also tune in for a review of ’Preserving Vasa’ and a Dear Jane about university admissions! 00:00:53 Ne...

This special bonus episode features a live recording from the discussion panel we took part of as part of ICON’s annual meeting in November 2018. We were joined by conservators Nerys Rudder and Rebecca Plumbe and tackled the topic of conservation and diversity. Attendees and people joining in via Twitter and Facebook could ask us questions while the panel was live. The Facebook video feed can stil...

C is for: Crimbo Ho ho ho! We review our predictions for 2018 and make some new ones for 2019, listen to a museum version of The Night Before Christmas, and play a parlour game! Also tune in for this year’s version of 12 Days of Christmas with St Edmund’s Choir, plus a seasonal Dear Jane! 02:34 Museum advent calendars 06:57 Our predictions for 2018 from last year 13:56 Our new predictions for 2019...

Come have an auditory look into our tool stashes! We talk conservation tools of all kinds: from bone folders and scalpel blades to the more hardcore variety! We discuss listener tweets about tools and Christina interviews a whole bunch of conservators about their tool kits. 00:00:27 News in brief 00:03:34 What’s in our tool kits? 00:18:28 What are our favourite tools? 00:22:59 Responses from Twitt...

Join us for a risqué episode about smutty collections! We talk about sexual museum objects, attitudes to pornography and art, bedroom fashion, and erotic museums! (Contains 20% more giggling than usual. May cause blushing in some listeners.) Also tune in for a review of ‘On Sexuality’ and a Dear Jane about imposter syndrome. 00:24 Can collections be a bit naughty? (Spoilers: yes) 03:15 Our experie...

We’re joined by Natalie Jones as we talk about natural history in all its forms: from taxidermy to fluid specimens! Jenny also talks to Lucie Mascord about becoming a natural history conservator, and Kloe talks to David Gelsthorpe about outreach and audiences for these collections. Also tune in for a ‘Dear Jane’ about unknown specimens and a review of ‘Dyes from Nature’ by Kloe! 00:00:53 News in b...

We’re joined by guest host Vicky Singleton and have a chat about the world of military collections: what’s in them, how we feel about them, and what we do with them. Also tune in for an interview with Ian McCollum from Forgotten Weapons about researching and filming in museums. 00:40 Our experiences 06:42 Types of military museums in the UK 09:16 Jargon and language use 13:48 Working with veterans...

We uncover the mysteries of costume mounting: from the magic of Fosshape to whittling down mannequins to size! Tune in for an interview with Lara Flecker about mounting and displaying fashion in museums. Kloe reviews ‘The Care and Display of Historic Clothing’ AND the Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up exhibition at the V&A. Our agony aunt Jane also answers a question about hourly rates. 00:00:26 New...

Today we’re breaking an imagined taboo and talking about parenthood and having (or not having) children as conservators. We talk about flexibility at work, fertility problems, unexpected anxiety, and if The Right Time actually exists. Tune in for an interview with Karen Horton about being deliberately childfree and listen to Sophie Rowe and Christina having a chat about being working mothers. We a...

We’re kicking off season four with the topic of sustainability: going green in conservation! What can conservators do to make the world a little greener? We try to rustle up some practical tips and discuss some of the challenges museums face. We talk to sustainability champion Sarah Staniforth about her work around the world and to Caitlin Southwick about the Sustainability in Conservation (SiC) n...

Join us for a special episode when Kloe and Jenny go on a road trip to Cambridge! (Please note: this episode has VERY varied audio quality through-out due to different recording settings.) We talk about opening events, meet up with Christina, visit Kirstie Williams and Karen Horton at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, interview Natalie Jones about the museum decant, and attend the openin...

We tackle the tricky topic of funding: in museums in general and for conservators in particular. From grants and charities to crowdfunding and adopt-an-object schemes we’ll try to make sense of the many ways we can look for or raise money. Our agony aunt Jane answers some questions about accreditation, and we talk about professional bodies, influencing coworkers, and contemporary art headaches in...

This one is all about how to make friends and influence people (kind of)! Being heard in conservation can be hard. Guest host Jane Henderson shares her experiences of communication misfires and pro tips on how to get through to people. We play a little game in which we try to make negatives into positives, and have a think about what works when talking to colleagues. Also tune in for a Dear Jane a...

We’re joined by Barbadian conservator Nerys Rudder and talk about international studenthood, working in a warm climate, and post-colonial heritage identity. Listen to eight voices from across the world: conservators from Spain, America, Egypt, Germany, Taiwan, Norway, Australia, and the Netherlands answer our questions! Our agony aunt Jane tackles a topical question about studying in the UK and ho...

We team up with Lorraine Finch to talk about how to look after your conservator: we cover topics like wellbeing and self-care, while also discussing what employers and managers can do to keep staff in good condition. We talk to Dr Michelle Huws-Thomas about burnout and stress in the workplace, and we interview Sam Jenkins from the Museum Wellness Network. Also tune in for a review of ‘Objective Le...

We’re joined by guest host Janet Berry and get enthused about church architecture, ecclesiastical heritage, and how to look after the treasures we can find in places of worship. Christina interviews James Hales from UCL about his research about bats in churches, and Jenny talks to Rachel Morley from Friends of Friendless Churches and the Churches Conservation Trust about the joy of working with ol...

Today we’re talking about professional bodies: what are they, what do they provide their members with, and what do we think of them? We discuss answers given to us by nine professional bodies from all over the world and have a think about our own experiences. Also tune in for a book review of ‘Authenticity in Transition: Changing Practices in Contemporary Art Making and Conservation.’ 00:57 News i...

Join us and our guest host Jenny van Enckevort for an episode about suffragettes, social history, political collections, and tricky object stories. Also tune in for an interview with Helen Antrobus about radical exhibitions and curating at The People’s History Museum. Plus our agony aunt Jane answers a question about frames, and Kloe reviews the first volume of ‘Feminism and Museums.’ 00:01:13 Pol...

Ho ho ho! We pull some Christmas crackers, talk about Christmas objects in collections, make some predictions for the year ahead, and sing a special conservation carol. :) We also talk to Diana McCormack, the Antarctic Conservation Trust’s first Conservation Ambassador! 00:00:33 Christmas crackers! (plus terrible jokes) 00:06:23 Seasonal objects in collections 00:14:34 Christmas in museums 00:18:5...