AIC 53rd Annual Meeting

After the founding in 1888 of the Chemical Laboratory of the Berlin Museums, and following the Rome conference of 1930[1], the 20th century saw the development of museum labs on both sides of the Atlantic. In the US, the 1928 founding of the Fogg Museum’s Department of Technical Research at Harvard is considered the beginning of the modern conservation lab[2] .  As we near the 100 year anniversary of those pioneering museum conservators and scientists, it is useful to examine how the enterprise of institutionalized conservation practice has evolved in the 21st century in both the United States and Europe.

As part of a constellation of diverse and synergistic visions for future leadership within the field of  conservation, we present here the results of a survey exploring the evolution of the skills needed to successfully lead a contemporary museum practice that is both expansive and innovative.  

Recent surveys of business[3] and museum leaders[4] have evidenced shifts in the traits that are considered essential to successfully lead institutions. Translating this research to our contexts we asked : what has changed with respect to the past, and how can we ensure that we build a pipeline equipped to be successful in the future? 

Survey participants were asked to select and rank their top leadership traits out of a list of 30. A few museum Directors were also asked to prioritize the characteristics of the successful candidate for a headhunter.

Other questions aimed at exploring the public value of conservation and scientific research in museums in terms of communication, interpretation, publishing, public exhibitions and programs, pay equity, engaging with communities, and the museum’s responses to sustainability demands and restitution claims.

The results highlighted considerable alignment between museum directors and practitioners on several sets of key traits, including vision, integrity and an inclusive leadership style. Differences emerged in the value placed on skills that are essential for the day-to-day management of people and operations, versus reputational and strategic aspects of the role.

Overall, our results show that research and achievements in conservation and scientific research are being valued and shown in museums across the Atlantic. They demonstrate a steady progress towards eroding, if not completely disrupting, established institutional hierarchies and dismantling exclusionary labor practices that have so far favored a pipeline from privileged socioeconomic tiers into the profession.  

Our work also starts to chart the preferences that colleagues in the field have for leadership development opportunities, matching aspirations with financial sustainability and existing workloads. 

Building on these accomplishments, we imagine a future where conservators and scientists will consistently be leaders in the public facing mission of the museum, and have access to the resources that enable bold plans for change. If we want our field to continue to be a relevant force in the complex ecosystem of museums we need to invest in people and nurture the development of future leaders that will carry out this work. 

[1] Conference Internationale d’etude des methods scientifiiques appliques a l’examen et a la conservation des oeuvres d’art; Rome, October 13-17, 1930

[2] Bewer, Francesca G. 2010. A Laboratory for Art : Harvard’s Fogg Museum and the Emergence of Conservation in America, 1900-1950. Cambridge, MA, New Haven: Harvard Art Museum ; Yale University Press.

[3]  Hewlett, Sylvia Ann, 2024,The New Rules of Executive Presence: How leaders need to think and act now. Harvard Business Review,  p.134

[4] Sweeney, Liam and Joanna Dressel. "Art Museum Director Survey 2022: Documenting Change in Museum Strategy and Operations." Ithaka S+R. Last Modified 27 October 2022. https://doi.org/10.18665/sr.317777.