Update: Due to COVID-19 the 2020 ICCM conference will be postponed

“Considering the health and safety of our colleagues, members, and delegates our highest priority in these challenging times, and following the recommendations of the National Authorities in Bulgaria, the ICCM Board in close consultation with our host institution and partner – the Municipality of Plovdiv, have decided to postpone the 14th ICCM Triennial International Conference.”

The ICCM Team

On  January 7, 2020, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics (ICCM) and the Balkan Heritage Foundation, which recognizes the role of BHF as a local collaborator in the organization of the 14th ICCM Triennial Conference. The Conference is going to be held on 14 – 18 October 2020 in Plovdiv (Bulgaria) and is co-organized by the ICCM and the Municipality of Plovdiv. It aims to bring together conservators, restorers, archaeologists, art historians and other professionals who work in the public or private sector in the field of mosaic conservation. Students and recent graduates are especially welcomed.

The idea of hosting the ICCM conference in Plovdiv was born during the visit of the current president of ICCM, Mr Roberto Nardi in the city back in 2015 upon invitation of the Balkan Heritage Foundation and Bulgarian Heritage Trails. Both organizations were glad to bring together ICCM and the Municipality of Plovdiv in collaboration. They contributed to the organization of a Symposium on mosaic conservation that got together most the ICCM Board of Directors and Bulgarian professionals. At the 13th ICCM Conference in 2017 in Barcelona, Spain the BHF and BHT submitted the Bulgarian application to host the next conference. The following year ICCM and the Municipality of Plovdiv signed the agreement opening the path towards the forthcoming event.

ICCM has organized 13 international conferences around Europe (only one in Southeastern Europe: in Greece) and North Africa, the proceedings of which constitute the principal corpus of literature on this topic. The 14th edition of its Triennial Conference, entitled “Conserving Mosaics in a Changing Environment: Challenges and Opportunities”, will explore the conservation of mosaics in a changing world, focusing on the challenges with which conservation professionals are confronted with, as well as the new opportunities that might arise from these changes. Thematic sessions will include: Conservation and management of mosaics in situ; Mosaics in a new context: museum and storage collections; Shelters on archaeological sites; Mosaics in urban environments; Mosaics in conflict zones; and Modern and Communist-era mosaics.

Scholarships are available for students from Southeastern Europe, the Near East and North Africa.

Read more on the ICCM website.

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