Interviews in Conservation Research is a growing oral history collection to inform research in conservation, restoration and presentation of works of art and cultural heritage in the Netherlands and beyond. Generally conducted by museum professionals and relatively inaccessible, such interviews with artists, assistants, conservators, curators, collectors, designers and material specialists are now being made available, supported by research through the Interviews in Conservation Initiative. The interviews focus on the art-making processes in relation to underlying ideas and the socio-cultural context as well as cultures of conservation. The collection is ongoing and additions are welcome to build a rich collection of unique source material to help sustain our cultural heritage for future generations.

The thematic collection originated as a result of the NWO-KIEM project Interviews in Conservation Research (2019-2020), and has continued to grow in collaboration with museums and collecting institutions, supported by various research projects through the Interviews in Conservation Initiative, including the Netherlands Institute for Conservation+Art+Science (NICAS), Platform for Digital Infrastructure-Social Sciences and Humanities (DPI-SSH), Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) and the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The overall aim is to support qualitative research in the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage by fundamentally improving the digital research infrastructure for Oral History, adhering to FAIR data principles as much as possible with respect for sensitive data, both for academia and museum professionals. The interviews are conducted by researchers, museum professionals and students, including from the University of Amsterdam, Lund University, KASK, Maastricht University, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna Conservation-Restoration Institute; and in collaboration with museums and collecting institutions, such as Kröller-Müller Museum, Kumu Art Museum, Moderna Museet, RCE; Rijksmuseum, S.M.A.K.

The dataset is open by principle but includes items with restricted access to protect sensitive information, such as personal data, private information, and copyright material. For each interview, contact information is provided to request individual access.