Icon24 Scotland Group – Perth Museum Conservation Tour

Join the Scotland Group on a tour of the new Perth Museum as we prepare for the Icon Conference.

• Friday 21 June 2024
• 11am – 12.30pm BST
• Perth Museum, St John’s Place, Perth PH1 5SZ
• Icon member £8; student member £5; non members £12

Perth Museum opened its doors on Saturday 30 March 2024 after a £27 million redevelopment project. This world-class cultural and heritage attraction highlights the fascinating objects and stories that put Perth and Kinross at the centre of Scotland’s story.

At its heart sits the Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone, one of Scotland and the UK’s most significant historical objects. Returning to Perthshire for the first time in over 700 years, the Stone is the centrepiece of this new Museum and is free for all to view.
Alongside the Stone, the new Museum displays Perth & Kinross’s Recognised Collections of National Significance as well as iconic loans and exhibitions from the UK and abroad.

The Museum is housed in a heritage Edwardian building that once served as a gathering place hosting everything from markets and concerts to political conferences and wrestling matches. This historic venue was transformed into a major visitor attraction by award-winning architects Mecanoo. The Museum also features the Stone Cafe, museum shop, and learning and events spaces.

Please join us to find out more about the conservation, curation, and exhibition design of the new Perth Museum. Both Culture Perth & Kinross project staff as well as two private practice conservators will share their experience of working on the project. The tour will finish with a hot drink and an opportunity to talk to colleagues.

More about the Perth Museum and how to get there: https://perthmuseum.co.uk/plan-your-visit/

Register for the event here.

Repatriation of Objects from Scottish Collections

Experiences of collection care professionals with repatriation from Scottish museums and galleries

Thursday 16 May 2024

2.30pm – 4.45pm BST

£10 for Icon Members, £8 for Student Members, £15 for Non Members

Icon Scotland Group brings you this online seminar discussing the repatriation of objects from Scottish Collections. The talks will look at the complexity of repatriation, while exploring the roles of conservators and other collection care professionals, as well as the significance of these heritage items and potential conservation measures.

Mark Hall will give an outline of the repatriation agreement between Perth Museum and Te Papa Tongarewa for Perth’s return of two Toi Moko or tattooed heads. He will run through what happened and reflect on its future implications.

Patricia Allan will summarise Glasgow Museums’ thirty-four year experiences of international cultural repatriations to Australia, New Zealand, USA, India and Nigeria from a curatorial perspective. She will look at the changes in approach, ethics and practice since the first request in 1990 to more recent and ongoing cases.

Charles Stable will describe from a conservation perspective the Re-matriation of House of Ni’isjoohl Memorial Pole from National Museums Scotland to the Nisga’a Nation, looking at the practical logistics of physically lowering , removing the pole from its permanent display, transportation and meeting the requirements and understanding sensitivities for both physical preservation but to address and respecting Nisga’a cultural sensitivities pertaining to handling and moving the pole.

Neil Curtis will outline and discuss the University of Aberdeen’s procedure for restitution and repatriation, looking at how it has developed over the past 20 years in response to the different experiences, including returning a sacred bundle to the Kainai First Nation, Maori ancestors to Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand and the return of a Benin Bronze in 2021.

To book, please click here