Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education

Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education
Name	Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education
Established	1993
Location	Washington, D.C.
Type	Research center
Parent organization	Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education is a multidisciplinary center within the Smithsonian Institution focused on the study, conservation, and education of material culture and engineered materials. The center operates at the intersection of museum conservation, academic research, and public engagement, supporting investigation of artifacts, industrial materials, and historic technologies. It serves as a hub for collaborations among curators, scientists, conservators, and educators from institutions such as the National Museum of American History, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, and universities across the United States and abroad.

History

The center was created in the context of late 20th-century efforts to professionalize conservation and materials science within cultural institutions, following initiatives at institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Getty Conservation Institute. Early milestones involved partnerships with academic labs at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Delaware, and University of Pennsylvania to adapt techniques from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and industrial research labs for application to museum collections. Over time the center engaged with programs at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, National Museum of Natural History, and the Air and Space Museum to broaden the study of metallic alloys, polymers, ceramics, and organic materials in artifacts spanning the Industrial Revolution, the Space Race, and twentieth-century design movements associated with figures such as Charles and Ray Eames, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Isamu Noguchi.

Mission and Objectives

The center’s mission aligns with strategic priorities of the Smithsonian Institution and professional bodies such as the American Institute for Conservation and the International Council of Museums. Objectives include advancing scientific analysis of materials drawn from collections at the National Portrait Gallery, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and regional museums; improving conservation methodologies influenced by standards from ISO and guidance from the National Park Service; and training researchers in techniques used at institutions like the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory. The center emphasizes stewardship of objects related to the histories documented by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, and other Smithsonian museums and partner institutions.

Facilities and Collections

Laboratory space supports non-destructive and micro-destructive techniques comparable to facilities at Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and department labs at the Johns Hopkins University and Cornell University. Instrumentation includes microscopy and spectroscopy tools paralleling those used at the American Museum of Natural History and Natural History Museum, London, enabling analysis of pigments, corrosion products, and composite structures similar to studies of artifacts from the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Titanic, and memorabilia linked to Wright brothers aviation history. Collections studied range from industrial-era metals and polymers to textiles and archaeological materials, with case studies referencing objects associated with Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Marconi, Nikola Tesla, and design objects connected to Bauhaus practitioners.

Research Programs and Projects

Research programs integrate methodologies from materials science as practiced at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, and the University of California, Berkeley, with conservation priorities shared by the Getty Conservation Institute and academic centers such as the Courtauld Institute of Art. Projects have addressed corrosion of bronze statuary similar to conservation efforts at the Statue of Liberty, degradation of cellulose nitrate film comparable to preservation work at the Library of Congress, and stabilization of modern paints as examined in studies concerning works by Jackson Pollock and Pablo Picasso. Other projects collaborate with laboratories at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Brookhaven National Laboratory to develop protocols used in the care of artifacts connected to events such as the American Revolution, Civil War, and twentieth-century technological milestones like the Moon landing.

Education and Outreach

Educational programming parallels outreach models of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, the National Air and Space Museum, and the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, offering workshops, internships, and fellowships akin to those at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the British Museum. The center supports curriculum development with universities including George Washington University, Georgetown University, and the University of Maryland, and partners with professional organizations such as the American Chemical Society and Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections to deliver continuing education for conservators and curators. Public-facing exhibitions and lectures have been co-sponsored with the National Building Museum and the Library of Congress to interpret material histories for audiences interested in figures like Eero Saarinen, Le Corbusier, and Grace Hopper.

Collaborations and Partnerships

Strategic partnerships include research ties to national laboratories such as Argonne National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory, academic collaborations with institutions like Yale University and Princeton University, and cooperative projects with museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, and Field Museum of Natural History. International exchanges have involved the British Museum, Musée du Louvre, Rijksmuseum, and the Japanese National Museum of Nature and Science. Funding and policy engagements have intersected with agencies like the National Science Foundation and philanthropic entities analogous to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Kress Foundation.

Notable Achievements and Impact

The center has contributed to high-profile conservation outcomes comparable to campaigns at the Statue of Liberty restoration and the conservation of artifacts from the Titanic and Pompeii, advanced analytical standards used by the American Institute for Conservation, and influenced museum practice reflected in exhibitions at the National Museum of American History and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Its training programs have produced practitioners working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, and national museums worldwide, and its research outputs have informed policy and collection care at the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, and provincial museum systems linked to institutions such as the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

Category:Smithsonian Institution research centers