The Importance of Diversity in Cultural Heritage Conservation Staff: Perspectives on Current Museum Epistemology and the Understanding of Cultural History

As modern museums and other cultural heritage institutions move towards new epistemological models of engagement with their publics, the role of direct interactions with original artifacts is becoming more central to the visitor experience and less reliant on transmissive museum interpretation. As such, the way an object appears and makes a visitor feel directly shapes their museum experience and learning. Conservators, as professionals who maintain those physical objects, strive to maintain authenticity of objects even if materials are physically altered in conservation treatment. However, those treatment approaches are inherently subjective and based on the conservator’s own background, cultural bias, and taste. As museum collections and exhibitions are continually striving for greater diversity, it is imperative that conservation professionals also strive for diversity of views and experience to serve as more ethical caretakers of our cultural heritage.