Museum Conservation Institute

The Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute (MCI), located in Suitland, Maryland, is the center for specialized technical collections research and conservation for all Smithsonian museums and collections. The MCI combines 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 artistic, anthropological, biological, and historical objects. Through its Protecting Cultural Heritage and Preventive Conservation Programs, and by participating in the Smithsonian’s signature Preparedness and Response in Collections Emergencies (PRICE) program, the MCI responds to the threats facing cultural heritage in multiple and complex ways. This includes: analyzing and consulting on preservation environments; developing less invasive and damaging storage, display, and conservation techniques; and supporting U.S. agencies and the museum community in identifying illicitly trafficked cultural heritage artifacts and objects. For example, the MCI works with the U.S. Department of State on a highly successful training program at the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage in Erbil, which supports the rescue and recovery of Iraqi and regional cultural heritage artifacts. The MCI, as the only Smithsonian resource for technical studies and scientific analyses for most of the Institution’s national collections, brings unique analytical capabilities to Smithsonian researchers, including a central mass-spectrometry instrument core and advanced technological capabilities for analyzing biomolecules. These services are available to Smithsonian units at no charge. In addition to responding to requests for consultations from within the Smithsonian, the MCI handles requests from affiliates and outside organizations, such as the White House, U.S. Congress, U.S. Department of Homeland Security — Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of State, and many other federal, museum, and academic organizations.