The Ethnographic Group was organised to support the professional development of its membership, which treats a broad range of media and objects. Members include conservators employed at museums, private conservators and researchers.
The discipline of ethnographic conservation and its wide-ranging nature presents historical, ethical, social and scientific facets. The Group is concerned with challenges facing ethnographic conservation such as interventive treatments, storage and display, documentation, access, advocacy and intangibility.
Icon Ethnography Group is a forum at which such professional issues are presented, during its annual seminars and workshops. The papers are subsequently published by Archetype Publications in an ethnography conservation series.
The Group's aims are:
- To encourage good practice in interventive and preventive conservation
- To encourage and disseminate research on conservation principles and practices, locally, nationally, and internationally
- To raise the profile of ethnographic conservation with respect to other conservation groups, cultural heritage professionals, anthropologists and in relation to other conservation bodies such as ICCROM, CCI and GCI
- To instigate consultation with the public and source communities to foster an awareness of the value of traditional conservation practices