A. Elena Charola, Emeritus Research Scientist, Jorge Otero, Former Fellow, Paula T. DePriest, Deputy Director, and Robert J. Koestler, Director, edited and Smithsonian Scholarly Press published Built Heritage Evaluation: Manual Using Simple Test Methods in English and Spanish. The Built Heritage Evaluation is a Manual that focuses on simple test methods that do not require sophisticated instruments for analysis.  It was designed to be helpful for conservators, conservation scientists, and preservationists who have to make recommendations about preserving Built Heritage in countries where there are not that many laboratories to carry out more sophisticated tests. It provides simple and useful test methods for the analysis and evaluation of building materials and their deterioration or in the evaluation of conservation treatments. These tests will help to determine the appropriate methods and materials for conservation and restoration.

 

 

The official publication of the Smithsonian Contributions to Museum Conservation, no. 10: The Mechanics of Art Materials and Its Future in Heritage Science is now available.

 

 

 

 

On September 5-6, 2019, the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum Conservation Institute hosted a two-day conference entitled Cuneiform Tablets: Origins, trafficking, and best practices for the future, addressing the growth of the illicit trade of ancient Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets. More...

 

 

Edward P. Vicenzi, MCI Research Scientist, appointed as a Fellow of the Microanalysis Society at the 2019 Microscopy & Microanalysis annual meeting in Portland, Oregon for outstanding leadership and sustained contributions to microanalysis of geological and heritage science materials.

 

 

Beverly Smith, MCI Assistant to the Director, has retired after 38 years of exceptional service to the Smithsonian and the Museum Conservation Institute (MCI). Her last day in the office was May 3, 2019. Beverly fulfilled many roles at MCI, most notably coordinating the interns and fellows’ programs. She was the face and spirit of MCI, and her day-to-day presence at MCI will be greatly missed by current and past MCI staff, interns, and fellows.

 

 

Jaguar and puma captivity and trade among the Maya: Stable isotope data from Copan, Honduras

A new article by Nawa Sugiyama (George Mason University and former Smithsonian NMNH Peter S. Buck Post-doctoral Fellow) and co-authors Christine France (Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute) and William Fash (Harvard University) provides evidence that ancient Mesoamericans routinely captured and traded wild animals for symbolic and ritual purposes.  Archaeological remains of puma, jaguar, deer, crocodile, and birds were recovered from five ritual sites in the Maya city of Copan, Honduras.  The remains were tested using stable isotope analyses at the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute to gain insight into regional origins of these animals  and determine if humans provided food to potentially captive pumas and jaguars.  The results indicated human influences in the diet, as well as distant regional origins for some of these animals.  Ultimately the findings of this research suggest Mesoamerican cultures kept wild animals in captivity for ritual purposes and that animal trade networks may have been quite extensive. More...

 

 

Documentation Matters

The Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute (MCI) receives award from the Smithsonian Women's Committee for digital documentation workstation.

The Smithsonian Women’s Committee has awarded funding for the development of a digital documentation workstation in MCI’s Photograph and Paper Conservation Studio. This funding will allow MCI’s Photograph and Paper Conservator, Shannon Brogdon-Grantham to establish a workstation for documenting objects that come to MCI from across the Smithsonian for conservation treatment and analysis. More...

 

Ensuring Collection Care for the Future: Ongoing Research in Methods & Materials for Preventive Conservation

MCI co-hosted with the National Collections Program and the National Museum of Natural History a two-day kick-off meeting of the newly formed Working Group on Materials Selection for Collection Storage, Transport & Display, on February 8 & 9, 2018, followed by a half-day symposium “Ensuring Collection Care for the Future: Ongoing Research in Methods & Materials for Preventive Conservation” in the NMNH Q?rius Theater on February 9, 2018. The working group is an interdisciplinary body of museum professionals spanning collection management, conservation, science, exhibit design & fabrication, as well as educators dedicated to developing materials selection and specification guidance, materials testing & standards development, and dissemination of guidelines and resources for the field. The symposium, open to all Smithsonian staff and livestreamed, was highly successful, with the theater filled to capacity to hear lectures presented by visiting practitioners. More…

 

A Comparison of Common Mass Spectrometry Approaches for Paleoproteomics
Timothy Cleland, MCI Physical Scientist, and Elena Schroeter, Arnold O Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow at NC State University, have published a review on the application of mass spectrometry to paleoproteomics — the study of sequences, modifications, and changes post-mortem and post-burial of proteins in historical and fossil bones and tissues—  in the Journal of Proteome Research. In this paper, the authors describe the history and application of biological mass spectrometry to archeological and paleontological proteins. They also discuss types of mass spectrometry that have been or could be applied and the effects of post-mortem and post-burial change (diagenesis) on interpretation of results from each type of mass spectrometry. The authors conclude that mass spectrometry technology has come a long way in regard to sensitivity, speed, and functionality since the first paleoproteomic studies of fossils, and researchers should follow current trends in mass spectrometry technology to investigate their questions about ancient life.

 

Modernized Stretcher for Paintings on Canvas
A new aluminum stretcher that does not employ conventional keys, expansion bolts, or springs for tension adjustment has been developed. The tension adjustment is achieved by moving the stretcher bars in each direction independently by turning thumbscrews positioned along the stretcher. More...

 

Goldworking in Precolumbian Panama
Harriet (Rae) Beaubien, MCI Emeritus Senior Conservator, and Richard Cooke, STRI Senior Staff Scientist, in collaboration with Beth Stern, Office of Research Services (ORIS), have completed an online exhibit about archaeological gold and related metal artifacts from Pre-Columbian Panama captured in ORIS’s SIdora Repository. More...

 

 

Peptide Mass Fingerprinting Can Identify Whale Species Based Solely on Their Baleen. Peptide analysis identifies whale species from old baleen samples too degraded for microscopy, DNA analysis. PLOS public release 8/30/2017. More...

 

Smithsonian Contributions to Museum Conservation Number 7 Premiers

The official publication of the Smithsonian Contributions to Museum Conservation, no. 7: The Age of Plastic: Ingenuity and Responsibility: Proceedings of the 2012 MCI Symposium is now available as a downloadable PDF at the Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press website.

 

Any Questions? Interview with Dr. Katharyn Hanson
Dr. Hanson is a Smithsonian Fellow and an archaeologist who specializes in the protection and conservation of cultural heritage. Read more...

 

 

Smithsonian Contributions to Museum Conservation Number 6 Premiers
The official publication of the Smithsonian Contributions to Museum Conservation, no. 6: Conservation of the Exterior of the National Museum of the American Indian Building is now available as a downloadable PDF at the Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press website.

 

Saving Iraqi Cultural Heritage
Jessica S. Johnson, MCI Head of Conservation, and Katharyn Hanson, MCI Fellow, along with Acting Provost Richard Kurin and Cori Wegener, Cultural Heritage Preservation Officer, and other colleagues just returned from a successful visit to the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage (IICAH) in Erbil, Iraq. More...

 

 

Dawn Rogala, MCI Paintings Conservator, recently traveled to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to participate in and advise on a U.S. Department of State Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation grant Implementing a Barcode Inventory System at the National Museum of Mongolia, a joint collections care project of the American Center for Mongolian Studies and the National Museum of Mongolia. More...

 

MCI's Mechanics of Art Materials event reaches across disciplines
In late October 2016, more than 250 people gathered at the Smithsonian’s historic Arts and Industries building for “The Mechanics of Art Materials and its Future in Heritage Science: A Seminar and Symposium.” The special two-day event was organized by the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum Conservation Institute and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. The program brought experts in mechanics research from across the globe to discuss current and future trends in the study and preservation of cultural heritage. Speakers represented a continuum of this research, from its origins at the Smithsonian to those professionals currently working to shape their field and train future generations of scholars. More…

International cooperation on multi-disciplinary investigation of Italian masters’ paintings
MCI conservation scientist, Gwénaëlle Kavich, conducted non-invasive x-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Raman analyses on paintings by the masters of the Italian Renaissance in the collection of the North Carolina Museum of Art.  This effort was part of a collaboration between the Smithsonian MCI (Washington, DC), NCMA (Raleigh, NC), Duke University (Durham, NC), and the Institute for the Conservation and Valorization of Cultural Heritage (ICVBC, Florence, Italy). It is expected to lead to insights into the materials and techniques of influential Italian masters, and inform modern preservation strategies.  More...

 

MCI Paintings Conservator Dawn V. Rogala was recently invited to the University of Texas at Austin, where she presented the Mary Saunders Leech Lecture in Fine Arts and led a Mellon Foundation Professional Development Seminar as part of a two-day event entitled “Conversations in Conservation: Old Master Paintings in the Blanton Museum of Art.” During the event—a collaboration between the university and the university museum—Dr. Rogala consulted with museum curators and doctoral research fellows on paintings from the Blanton Museum of Art’s Old Master and Modern and Contemporary collections, gave a presentation on visual assessment skills for art historians, and led art history graduate students in a seminar practicum during which they applied these skills to the assessment of works from the museum collection. The event concluded with a research summary presentation by event organizer Hannah W. Wong, the Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Prints and Drawings, and European Paintings at the Blanton Museum of Art. (Image: Dr. Rogala—second from right at table—leads students from the University of Texas at Austin’s Department of Art and Art History in reviewing works from the museum collection in the conservation laboratory of the university’s Blanton Museum of Art.)

 

Smithsonian Contributions to Museum Conservation Number 4 Premiers
The official publication of the Smithsonian Contributions to Museum Conservation, no. 4: Unexpected - Earthquake 2011: Lessons to Be Learned is now available as a downloadable PDF at the Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press website.

Adapting Sustainable Practices to Art Transit
MCI paintings conservators researched and adapted a small footprint, re-usable, cross-function, modular, and environment-responsive travel box for shipping paintings.  This design reduces cost and risk of mishandling, protects the painting surface, and maintains the safety of the painting during transit.  In collaboration with SI collection care staff, the travel box is being added to the standard procedures for packing and shipping paintings.  This travel box works especially well for fragile and over-size paintings. More...
Image Caption: Blue Feather, by Gregory Coates, 2013, Owner: NMAAHC

Edward Vicenzi, Research Scientist at MCI, has been elected President of the International Union of Microbeam Analysis Societies (IUMAS) at their 6th quadrennial meeting, held in conjunction with Microscopy & Microanalysis 2014, Hartford, CT, August 2-7, 2014. IUMA is a confederation of eight microanalysis societies across the globe with membership in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, Korea, Japan, and the United States.

Ed was the Program Chairman for IUMAS-6 and the IUMAS council representative for the Microbeam Analysis Society, USA. His term will begin at the conclusion of IUMAS-6/M&M 2014 and continue until May 2017 when IUMAS-7 will be held in Konstanz, Germany. Ed’s specialty is using advanced microbeam analysis techniques to probe natural and manufactured specimens to learn about their origin and history. He has recently examined early photographs using focused ion beam microscopy to understand nanoscale processes in 19th century daguerreotypes.

 

Melvin J. Wachowiak, Jr. Smithsonian Senior Conservator, 1958-2014
Melvin (Mel) J. Wachowiak, Jr., Senior Conservator at the Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute (MCI) passed away May 28, 2014, at his home in Davidsonville, MD, after a long struggle with cancer. More...

 

Smithsonian Contributions to Museum Conservation Number 3 Premiers
Papers and posters presented at the “Cleaning 2010 International—New Insights into the Cleaning of Paintings” conference held at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia in Spain, in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute are printed. It was the first major international conference on this topic in two decades. Now available as a PDF at the Smithsonian Institution Scholary Press website.

MCI Meets Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Challenge Grant

Establishes Endowed Directorship

The Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute is pleased to announce that it has completed a $1.75 million challenge grant awarded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in December 2009.  With the required $3.25 million in private gifts in hand, the research center can now establish a $5 million endowment for the MCI directorship—a position currently held by Robert Koestler. more...

Updated Methods for the Digitization of Daguerreotypes
Watch the video presentation created for the 2012 Daguerreian Society Symposium in Baltimore, MD. more...

 

Earliest Art in the Americas
MCI Imaging specialists have been using a number of imaging techniques to document and help understand the nature of cultural heritage materials. more...

 

Understanding Early Photography
This website introduces a project at MCI. Our goal is to characterize surface properties and composition using non-destructive scientific techniques, more...

 

 

Effects of Light Levels on Collections Preservation
The long term preservation of the collections of any cultural institution relies heavily on the control of storage and exhibit environments. The effects of light levels on the preservation of collections have had the least attention. more...

The Smithsonian and the SOLEIL Synchrotron Partner to Analyze Antiquities, Cultural Heritage and Palaeontological Materials
The Smithsonian Institution and the Synchrotron SOLEIL of France announced today a new partnership between the organizations to use the power of the third generation synchrotron to study and preserve priceless collections in the world’s largest museum. more...

 

Smithsonian Contributions to Museum Conservation Number 2 Premiers
The official publication of the Smithsonian Contributions to Museum Conservation, no. 2: Biocolonization of Stone: Control and Preventive Methods: Proceedings from the MCI Workshop Series is now available as a downloadable PDF at the Smithsonian Research Online website.

 

Smithsonian Contributions to Museum Conservation Number 1 Premiers
The official publication of the Smithsonian Contributions to Museum Conservation, no. 1: Pesticide Mitigation in Museum Collections: Science in Conservation: Proceedings from the MCI Workshop Series is now available as a downloadable PDF at the Smithsonian Research Online website.

Deterioration of Modern Materials
Modern materials, especially synthetic polymers and plastics, had a significant influence on industrial, domestic and cultural life through the 19th and 20th centuries. The Smithsonian's museums and collections are repositories for many different forms of modern materials, from more...

Culmination of 20 years of green, energy savings research
Research at MCI over the past 20 years by Dr. Marion Mecklenburg and his international team of collaborators has shown that most cultural heritage materials are much more resistant to temperature and humidity changes than generally thought. more...

Healthy Environments, Healthy Practices, Healthy Collections
MCI’s umbrella theme “Healthy Environments, Healthy Practices, Healthy Collections,” includes a focus on conservation protocols, procedures and products that are as safe as possible for the staff, the collections and the global environment.  more...

Adapting Spectroscopic Imaging
One area of special interest for the Smithsonian’s MCI is adapting full spectroscopic imaging at multiple length scales from what can be seen with the naked eye down to nanoparticles for the study of cultural and heritage objects as well as research specimens from the National collections. more...

Technology, Provenance and Conservation of Archaeological and Historical Materials
Research at MCI over the past 30 years has established the Smithsonian’s MCI as one of the leading centers in the world for studies related to the technology, provenance, and conservation of archaeological and historical materials. more...

 

New Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry Laboratory provides critical data to identify US Airways bird strike as migratory Canada Geese
The Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute (MCI) scientists, working with researchers at the Natural Zoological Park (NZP), the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), the Federal Aviation Administration, and the National Transportation Safety Board, analyzed elemental isotopes from frather remains from the January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 bird strike. more...

The science of conserving ancient Mongolian monoliths
Deer Stones, Mongolia's mysterious ancient monuments, are the country's most important archaeological treasures and some of the most spectacular expression of Bronze Age megalithic art anywhere in the world. These 3,000-year-old carved stone monoliths standing 1 to 4 meters high are scattered throughout northern Mongolia. more...

Preserving and conserving our cultural heritage against biological attack
Conservation and preservation of our cultural heritage requires an understanding of the complex chemical, physical, and biological threats to its integrity. Recently, MCI's Director Robert J. Koestler chaired a panel "Microorganisms in subterranean environments" more...

Flooded with light - studying the effects of light on museum collections
Light has the potential to cause damage to objects in museum collections. The Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute (MCI) Senior Research Scientist Marion Mecklenburg has worked with more...

Investigating how and when some of the first humans entered North America
For decades scientists have hypothesized that the first inhabitants to enter the New World arrived some 12-15,000 years ago via the Bering Land Bridge. more...

Conserving our nation's treasures
Continuing a long standing practice of more than four decades, in October 2006, staff of the Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute (MCI) examined, analyzed, and conserved the Mace of The United States House of Representatives. The work was completed on an extremely tight schedule during more...

MCI repairs and conserves Rosa Parks' dress
On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Ms. Rosa Parks was riding a public bus and thinking about finishing a new dress. Ms. Parks, a professional seamstress, was sewing a dress for herself this time. Her thoughts were interrupted by more...