The Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute (MCI) is the center for specialized technical collection research and conservation for all Smithsonian museums and collections. 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.

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Conservation & Cultural Heritage Protection
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Science Research & Technical Studies
SCRI protecting cultural heritage
Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative
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We are pleased to announce that the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative(SCRI) is now officially part of the  Museum Conservation Institute (MCI). We look forward to combining our strengths, staff, and resources to preserve cultural heritage.  Together, our interdisciplinary approaches will allow us to develop improved practices for collections care and conservation, advance the scientific research to understand the composition and degradation of objects and mitigate damage, and empower communities to prepare for and respond to cultural heritage threatened or impacted by disasters. The new organization will offer comprehensive collections care expertise to preserve cultural heritage for this generation and those to come.  

Watch this space for updates on our work together.

In the News

MCI's Shared Stewardship and Ethical Returns Statement

Dr. Asher Newsome was featured in Popular Science's article "George Washington's famous 'golden suit' was actually purple"

Protecting Our Shared Histories at the Museum Conservation Institute livestream link presented at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage's Folklife Festival on 7/11/26.

Dr. Sanchita Balachandran, Guest Co-Editor, of the Getty Conservation Institute's Conservation Perspectives focusing on Disaster Preparedness and Response, Spring 2026.

Sam I.D. Campbell, Edward P. Vicenzi, Thomas Lam, Bryan G. Fry, and Hannah M. Wood. 2026. Heavy metal predators: diverse elemental enrichment across the weapons of scorpions, Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 23 (237): 20250523. DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2025.0523

E. Keats Webb, Miguel A. Herrero-Cortell, and Marcello Picollo, eds. 2026. Multiband Imaging techniques with silicon-based sensors. Conservation 360, Volume 4. DOI: 10.4995/9788413962238edUPV

Dawn Rogala and Gwénaëlle Kavich. How is paint made? The Conversation, 9/8/25.

Beyond the Visible: Using Imaging to Study Pichwai Paintings, 7/10/25

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