Conserving Our Collections

When The Field Museum collects a specimen, it takes on a responsibility to care for that specimen in perpetuity.  But time takes an inevitable toll.  When paint peels, fibers fray, or pottery begins to crumble, The Field Museum's conservators come to the rescue.

Each artifact is examined, documented and treated individually, based on the materials from which it is manufactured and the culture from which it came.  Conservators are careful not to remove traces of an object’s use before it came to the Museum; careful research and analytical work may be necessary to determine whether features of an artifact are original, decay products, or part of an undocumented restoration.  Once treated, artifacts are stored in controlled environments to minimize further decay.  Even when artifacts are on display conservators are measuring and controlling light, temperature, relative humidity and atmospheric pollutants to prolong the life of an object.

Conservators work to improve their skills and also to share their experience with those outside The Field Museum, both in the US and around the world, to provide education on current best practices for caring for objects.

Related content,Associated Areas

Related content,People

Former Staff and Collaborators

Showing 12 of 15

    David WillardAdjunct Curator
    Lance GrandeCurator Emeritus
    John TerrellCurator Emeritus
    Robert MartinCurator Emeritus
    Margaret ThayerCurator Emeritus
    Alfred NewtonCurator Emeritus
    Peter LowtherResearch Associate
    Scott Lidgard
    Ben Winger
    Nina Sandlin
    Christine Niezgoda
    Jonathan Haas