“The World’s Preeminent Collection of SPY Artifacts” – with Laura Hicken and Lauren VonBechmann
June 18, 20241h 1m
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (pdst.fm) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
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?