The ICON Textile Group AGM and Graduate Research Exchange - Call for Papers and Committee Members
The ICON Textile Group will hold its Annual General Meeting online on 22nd September 2025. The session will feature a review of our year, student presentations as part of the Graduate Research Exchange, and the election of two new committee members. Registration will open shortly, but ahead of the meeting, we are launching a call for student papers and new member applications.
Graduate Research Exchange
At our AGM, we would like to invite final-year textile conservation students and graduates who have completed their studies in the last two years to share their dissertation research on any topic relevant to the care and conservation of textiles. This call is open to members and non-members of Icon. Presentations should last approximately 10 minutes, and will be followed by a joint Q&A.
The Graduate Research Exchange will take place during the AGM online and aims to provide a platform to share valuable research, and to connect students and graduates with the wide community of people interested in the conservation of textiles.
To apply please send the following information to [email protected]:
• Your name
• Programme information: institution, course title and graduation date
• Research title
• Abstract of your presentation, up to 250 words
All presenters should ensure they have appropriate permissions from copyright holders.
The deadline to apply is 11th August 2025. We look forward to receiving your submissions!
Call for Textile Group Committee Member Nominations
The Icon Textiles Group is looking for two new members to join our Events Team. We welcome all Icon members with a textile interest or specialty at any stage of career, including students, recent graduates and those not currently in employment.
Events officers develop a calendar of Textile Group events. Events may be in-person, online or hybrid, from organising evening lectures on Zoom to in-person conservation workshops. Events may be organised in collaboration with other Icon groups. Events officers also liaise with the Icon office to set up and advertise events. Events should disseminate information about conservation best practice, research and understanding, providing opportunities for CPD.
The Role:
- With the Events team, develop and deliver a calendar of events in association with Icon.
- Work with committee members to market events via socials and Iconnect.
- Hold meetings with event’s organisers as required.
- General event administration including planning meeting dates, organising speakers, managing bookings, sending out notifications and editing papers.
- Compile and submit data for event setup via the web booking page and Iconnect.
- Provide event evaluations and reports.
Beneficial CPD Outcomes for post-holder:
Being a committee member provides opportunities to network with other conservation professionals and organisations in textiles and beyond, as well as contributing to CPD and improving knowledge of voluntary sector workings and governance procedures.
We’re looking for friendly, enthusiastic and organised individuals. Candidates must be members of Icon and will be able to commit to the position for a three-year term, attending an annual in-person and quarterly online committee meetings alongside shorter meetings in the lead-up to events. Committee Meetings are held on weekdays.
For more information log in to your Icon account and head to the members group documents area on the website https://www.icon.org.uk/group/textiles/documents.html or contact [email protected]
Please send a max. 200 word statement of intention and a short bio, to the group secretary at [email protected] by Monday 18th August. The list of candidates and their statements will be compiled and circulated to members for an online ballot ahead of the Textile Group AGM, to be held on 22nd September 2025.
