Unlock those closed doors

Abstract: The present work aims to investigate the current situation regarding the conservation profession and the communication to the public through outreach initiatives, especially from the point of view of the conservators. In the latest decades outreach and communication have been taking a preponderant role within the profession of conservation, causing changes in the daily tasks of conservators and new demands in terms of skills which professionals need to acquire. This thesis wants to contribute to the research on the conservation theory and history, and to the development of the professions. Other objectives were the collections of data on the current situation in the British Isles, give the conservators a chance to express their opinion on the subject and assess if changes in the way we educate future conservators are needed in light of the collected data. Therefore, the researcher has implemented a mixed approach that included case studies, literature research, a self-administered online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to gather data in order to answer the research questions: How is the profession of the conservator changed in the latest years in terms of active public engagement? How are outreach initiatives affecting conservators, and how conservators feel about these changes? Are there specific types of outreach event that require the involvement of conservators that are more widely used? Is the conservation profession displayed online by heritage institutions? How? Do conservators learn communication and/or presentation skills during their formal training? Is there enough demands for these skills to start talking about a new specialization for conservators that would want to specialize in outreach and communication? The collected results will demonstrate how, despite the efforts made and an increase in the number of dedicated initiatives, the profession still remains largely unknown and unseen, probably due to historical and intrinsic reasons but also to the absence of a consistent, coherent and capillary work of communication of the profession both online and in person. It will also be highlighted how, despite a growing demand for the participation of conservators in outreach and communication initiatives, skills connected to these activities are only sporadically included in the education of professionals, and with substantial differences among programmes. These needed skills especially include the ability to convey complex concepts in a simple and engaging way, knowledge of various communication strategies in order to be flexible, and also creativity and practical skills. The lack of teaching in these areas might be one of the reasons why, despite many conservators believe in the importance of raising awareness of the profession, especially in the attempt to improve job securities, salaries, policies and fundings, some of them don’t always feel to be included in all the proposed (and sometimes imposed) initiatives. It will also be shown that, according to conservators, the public is very interested in conservation, even in the more technical aspects, especially if it concerns unique and precious artifacts and/or relatable, every-day objects. Finally, a possibility to move forward is imagined, which includes raising awareness by consistently including conservation content, layered to cater different learning needs, knowledge levels and interests, eliminate information gatekeeping, advertise and encourage the public engagement tasks within conservation and finally provide adequate training in communication