“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? 

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