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ICOM-CC Working Groups Modern Materials Contemporary Art & Theory, History and Ethics of Conservation Virtual Joint Meeting

January 30 2026 ICOM-CC On Line Event Working Groups Theory, History, and Ethics of Conservation Modern Materials and Contemporary Art

Participation and Community Involvement in

Conservation of Contemporary Art in Institutional Collections

ICOM-CC

Modern Materials and Contemporary Art & Theory, History and Ethics of Conservation Working Groups

Virtual Joint Interim Meeting

19 February 2026

4:30 PM – Amsterdam (CET) / 3:30 PM – London (GMT) / 7:30 AM – Los Angeles (PST)

10:30 AM – New York (EST) /12:30 PM – São Paulo (BRT) / 11:30 PM – Singapore (SGT)

Joint Interim Meeting Programme (download)

This virtual joint interim meeting - organized by the ICOM-CC's Theory, History, and Ethics of Conservation and Modern Material and Contemporary Art Working Groups - aims to explore community participation in conserving contemporary art within institutional collections. It intends to address the disconnect between museums' growing participatory approaches and their limited application in contemporary art collection care.

The goal of the meeting is to examine if and how institutional contemporary art conservation practices are involving communities, how these communities are identified and engaged, the value of “expert knowledge” in these settings, and the challenges that arise in practice.

Key questions include: How do conservation institutions maintain professional standards while working with communities, and what roles do conservators assume in these contexts? What does community participation look like beyond the assumed binary between conservation professionals and “non-experts”? How are diverse perspectives brought together, and how is (or isn't) consensus achieved?

This joint virtual meeting features presentations highlighting both successful and unsuccessful examples - past, present, and future - of participation and community involvement in the conservation of contemporary art in museum and public collections to map current practices and discuss future initiatives.

The event will be held online on the ICOM-CC Zoom Platform and is open to members and non-members. It will last approximately 3.5 hrs.

Registration is required.

The Zoom link will be provided to registered participants the day before the event.

For registration, please use the following link: ONLINE REGISTRATION FORM

Organizers and Selection Committee:

Aga Wielocha, ICOM-CC Theory, History and Ethics of Conservation Working Group Assistant Coordinator
Brian Castriota, ICOM-CC Theory, History and Ethics of Conservation Working Group Assistant Coordinator
Natalya Swanson, ICOM-CC Modern Materials and Contemporary Art Working Group Assistant Coordinator
Flavia Perugini, ICOM-CC Modern Materials and Contemporary Art Working Group Assistant Coordinator
Anna Laganà, ICOM-CC Modern Materials and Contemporary Art Working Group Coordinator
Ayesha Fuentes, ICOM-CC Theory, History and Ethics of Conservation Working Group Coordinator

CET	PROGRAMME
16:30	Welcome and Introduction to Session I
	Anna Laganà - ICOM-CC Modern Materials and Contemporary Art Working Group Coordinator Ayesha Fuente - ICOM-CC Modern Materials and Contemporary Art Working Group Coordinator Aga Wielocha - ICOM-CC Theory, History and Ethics of Conservation Working Group Assistant Coordinator Brian Castriota - ICOM-CC Theory, History and Ethics of Conservation Working Group Assistant Coordinator
16:45	Dialogic Presentation:
	*Artists’ Authority, Access, and Participation in Media Art Conservation: Reflections* *And Across Collection-Based and Non-Custodial Contexts* Qinyue Liu - The University of Manchester
	*Caring for (Contemporary) Art in Dialogue* Farideh Fekrsanati - Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam Kayleigh Kunst and Ariënne Boelens - Foundation for the Conservation of Contemporary Art \| SBHK Vivian van Saaze - Maastricht University Cindy Zalm - Wereldmuseum
17:05	Presentation with responder:
	*Building Communities of Care Across Institutional Boundaries: Lessons from the display and performance of a leek dress* Geraldine McClelland and Abigail Cheam - Heritage Conservation Center? Fabiola Rocco - Singapore Art Museum
	Responder: Ayesha Fuentes - ICOM-CC
17:25	Presentation with responder:
	*Caring for a Kinetic Room Installation Through Interdisciplinary Collaboration. Fortuna and the Immortality Garden (Machine) (2024) by Kara Walker* Chantal Willi
	Responder: Stephanie de Roemer - The British Museum
17:45	Q&A
18:05	Break [15 min]
18:20	Recap and Introduction to Session II
18:30	Dialogic Presentation:
	*Connecting Communities and Conservation: Participatory conservation as a citizen science model for contemporary art from Brandi to nowadays.* Paola Mezzadri - Istituto Centrale per il Restauro
	*Hacking the archive: Examples of the queer preservation through community action in Portugal* Laura Pinto da Mota - NOVA FCSH (Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas)
18:50	Presentation with responder:
	*Activating an Artwork at MAC USP: Collaboration Between the Collection and* *Education Departments* Andrea Alexandra do Amaral Silva e Biella, Ariane Soeli Lavezzo, Maria Angela Cerri Francoio - Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of São Paulo
	Responder: Jane Henderson - Cardiff University
19:10	Dialogic Presentation:
	*Mego Melt: Learning from Online Doll Enthusiast Communities* Pia Shen-Berro and Yara Jakobs – University College London (UCL)
	*First Contact with Ambitious Hobbyists* Morgan Stricot - ZKM \| Center for Art and Media
19:30	Q&A
19:50	Closing remarks

Sessions will be introduced and moderated by:

Aga Wielocha and Brian Castriota, ICOM-CC Theory, History and Ethics of Conservation Working Group Assistant Coordinators

Ayesha Fuentes, ICOM-CC Theory, History and Ethics of Conservation Working Group Coordinator

Natalya Swanson and Flavia Perugini, ICOM-CC Modern Materials and Contemporary Art Working Group Assistant Coordinators

Anna Laganà, ICOM-CC Modern Materials and Contemporary Art Working Group Coordinator

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