“The World’s Preeminent Collection of SPY Artifacts” – with Laura Hicken and Lauren VonBechmann
Summary Laura Hicken (LinkedIn) and Lauren vonBechmann (LinkedIn) join Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the collection of the International Spy Museum. SPY’s collection consists of 10,000 espionage-related artifacts. What You’ll Learn Intelligence The ins and outs of getting into the museum field Why Museums? SPYs largest, smallest, and coolest artifacts The challenges of being a “spy” museum Reflections Following your passions A dedication to lifelong learning and teaching And much, much more … Quotes of the Week “It's that ability to give accessibility to our audiences so that they can see like parts of history – So it's not only to preserve it, but it's so that people can see it as well. That's what we want to provide – A place for people to see the unseen.” – Lauren vonBechmann. Resources SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* The James Bond Collector with Mike VanBlaricum (2024) The Most Famous Art Detective in the World with ex-FBI Legend Robert Wittman (2023) Secrets Revealed – Curators Alexis and Andrew on SPY’s Pop-Up Exhibit (2023) SPY@20 – “The Spy of the Century” – Curators Alexis and Andrew on Kim Philby (2022) *Beginner Resources* A look at the International Spy Museum in Washington D.C., FOX 5 Washington DC, YouTube (2023) [5 min. video] About the Collection, International Spy Museum (n.d.) [Short article] Collections Management, American Alliance of Museums (n.d.) [Short article] DEEPER DIVE Artifacts James Bond's Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Watch (2021) Primo’s Bionic Eye (2021) Clock with Concealed Receiver (1970s) Disguise Kit (1960s) Berlin Tunnel Segment (1954-1956) Four Rotor Enigma Machine (1943-1944) Sleeping Beauty Submersible (1943) George Washington Spy Letters (1777) *Wildcard Resource* Here’s something many don’t know about the International Spy Museum: On the side of our building, built in 2019, is a secret message written in binary code. Can You Crack the Code?