These are some of MCI's past projects. Image Conserving our Nation's Treasures Continuing a long standing practice of more than four decades, staff at MCI examined, analyzed, and conserved the Mace of The United States House of Representatives. Image Analysis and Treatment of Important Yup'ik Ceremonial Mask Because the masks are important representations of the Yup'ik culture, one main goal of this project was to reassemble the masks as closely as possible to their original condition. Image 'Ain Ghazal Statues Extraordinarily rare plaster statues dating from around 6500 B.C. were discovered in 1985 at the Neolithic site of ‘Ain Ghazal, Jordan. Image Cemetery Monuments Made From Zinc Beginning in the 1870s, inexpensive monuments in American cemeteries began to be made of zinc. Image Saving Firemen Made of Zinc Beginning in the 19th century, statues of firemen were placed in municipal burial plots memorializing those who died in the line of duty. Image Zinc Sculpture Project Metallic zinc was not produced in the west until the 18th century, and it was not until the 1850s that zinc sculpture was made in the United States. Image Imagineria de las California This project investigates the origin, distribution, and production of Imaginería colonial. This study focuses on the sculptures that are in the California missions. Image Iron Wire of Wheeling Suspension Bridge The modern suspension bridge is an American development. The first modern suspension bridge was the 1801 chain bridge designed by Judge James Finley (1756-1828) across Jacob’s Creek in western Pennsylvania. Image Textile-Clay Composite from the Ancient Maya World An unusual material has recently been found at two archaeological sites in the Petexbatún region of Guatemala. Image Conserving Ancient Mongolian Monoliths The study, protection, and preservation of these archaeological treasures in their natural setting. Image Goldworking in Precolumbian Panama Pre-Columbian gold is evidence for the spread of metalworking technology across the Panamanian Isthmus. Image Microorganisms in subterranean environments Conservation and preservation of our cultural heritage requires an understanding of the complex chemical, physical, and biological threats to its integrity. Image 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. Image Glowing Murals Get a Facelift MCI conservators are assisting in the preservation of 1959 "blacklight" murals in the Alameda Theatre in San Antonio, Texas. Image Rosa Parks' Dress Repaired and Conserved 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. Image Gently Vacuumed: A term widely used, but rarely measured! "Carefully vacuumed" is often used to describe the initial cleaning treatment of accessioned museum objects and carried out throughout the Smithsonian Institution museums and in museums, archives, and historical societies around the country. Image Preservation and Digitization: The O.C. Marsh Dinosaur Illustrations Paper conservators at MCI worked with the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) Paleobiology Department to rescue a collection of original dinosaur drawings belonging to the archive of famed paleontologist O.C. Marsh. Image Saving Iraqi Cultural Heritage MCI and SCRI staff participate in the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage (IICAH) in Erbil, Iraq. Image Pesticide Residues on Collections MCI, working with an extensive network of Smithsonian collaborators, has addressed pesticide detection and quantification, assessment of health risk, and strategies for mitigating that risk. Image Italian Masters Paintings International cooperation on multi-disciplinary investigation of Italian masters' paintings.
