Download Icon's full Impact report below:
Icon Impact Report 2023-2024.pdf
A Message from the Chief Executive
From whichever angle you look, 2023-24 was a year of profound change for Icon. The organisation started the year with the exciting appointment of a new Icon Chair – Emma Chaplin. Emma brought with her decades of experience in the heritage sector, and practical knowledge of running a charity and membership organisation as Director of the Association of Independent Museums (AIM) from 2018 to 2021.
In May 2023 Sara Crofts stepped down after four years as Icon’s CEO and experienced conservator Kate Frame ACR stepped-in to lead Icon for six-months. Huge thanks to both Sara and Kate for their hard work and commitment to Icon, and for the careful handover of an organisation with an inspiring vision, a vitally important mission, and a brilliantly passionate and dedicated membership of highly talented and extremely generous professionals.
Joining Icon on 1st November, I have been privileged to pick up the baton. Thanks to the support of the core staff team, the brilliantly supportive Board of Trustees, Icon’s over 400 dedicated volunteers and all of our members, 2023-2024 was a busy and productive year. I am delighted to share with you some of the positive impact achieved for conservation, heritage, and wider society during the year.
Research and Publications
During 2023 Icon’s Policy and Programmes Director, Patrick Whife, led on publication of the Conservation Skills Strategy, outlining Icon’s approach towards ensuring the skills to care for objects, collections and built heritage exist in the conservation-restoration workforce, and the
NLHF Innovation Programme funded report ‘Industrial Heritage Conservation Skills – A Plan for Action’. Both pieces of research were supported by Icon’s members, volunteers, and professionals from across the heritage sector, and provided an honest insight into the needs of the conservation workforce and the challenges faced by those caring for our heritage. Importantly, both posed constructive challenges to the wider sector, its leaders and policy-makers, and have provided a springboard for ongoing conversation and partnership discussions which continue today.
Conferences and Events
Taking place in only my second week with Icon, November 2023’s ACR Conference was an incredible insight into the variety within conservation and the depth of knowledge across specialisms. The theme of ‘to have and to hold’ served as a unifying topic enabling presentations on subjects as varied as the practical and ethical challenges of conserving dynamic objects, packing and storing for move large and complex collections on a minimal budget, and the ethics of touch and public access in our nation’s museums and heritage sites.
Environment and sustainability
2023-24 was also a year of much needed focus on the climate emergency and the part conservators, our cultural institutions, and wider sector can and need to play. In addition to the work of the Icon Sustainability Network, Icon’s members contributed professional expertise to Arts Council England’s GIS environmental conditions review alongside the refreshed Bizot Green Protocol. Icon also supported the Environmental Statement from Heads of Conservation in the UK to highlight the crucial role that professional conservators play in both reaching net zero targets and advancing the sustainability agenda.
Thank you
Throughout the year, I have been delighted to join a range of Icon Group events and visits to members’ venues. A big thank you to all who have given their time to show me their workplaces, introduce me to their teams and the incredible skill and adaptability required to care for heritage and conserve objects for future generations. I have learnt a huge amount and will continue to put this knowledge to use when advocating for the vital role of conservators and the importance of this expert, professional voice in making the best decisions to safeguard cultural heritage.
