We will have a special “behind the scenes” tour of the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute https://mci.si.edu/about, located in Suitland Maryland. This will be a fascinating look at activities not normally seen by the public that the Smithsonian Institution undertakes to preserve our cultural heritage. 

The Museum Conservation Institute is the center for specialized technical collection research and conservation for all Smithsonian museums and collections. Staff members combine their knowledge of materials and the history of technology with state-of-the-art instrumentation and scientific techniques to provide technical research studies and interpretation of art, as well as anthropological and historical objects. The Institute conducts studies of objects using analytical techniques to elucidate their provenance, composition, and cultural context and improve the Smithsonian’s conservation and collections storage capabilities.  

The Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative is an important component of the Institute. Its mission is to protect cultural heritage threatened or impacted by disasters and to help U.S. and international communities preserve their identities and history. 

The tour will include scientific and conservation labs where we will see the work of scientists, historians, and artisans to restore and maintain art and artifacts.

Express your interest in participating by completing this link: https://forms.gle/9tg3S1bXtxpCZtUP9

 As the MCI is not normally open to visitors, our group will require advance clearance for entry (i.e. there will be more forms to fill out later). Details will be provided as they become available to those expressing interest now. So please don’t wait until the last minute to express interest!