The Kelsey Museum’s commitment to conservation dates back to Francis W. Kelsey, who began the museum’s collection and fieldwork program and who believed deeply in the importance of preserving archaeological objects and sites for future generations. Subsequent museum directors shared this belief and devoted time and resources to conservation, which—for the first half of the 20th century—was a brand-new discipline.
In 1975, Kelsey Museum director John G. Pedley hired the museum’s first professional conservator, Amy Rosenberg. Ms. Rosenberg held a graduate degree in archaeological conservation from the University College, London, and was responsible for establishing the museum’s Conservation Department. Under her direction, all preservation activities began to be fully documented.
Today, the Kelsey employs two full-time conservators, Suzanne Davis and Caroline Roberts, who specialize in conserving archaeological objects and sites.
The museum’s Conservation Laboratory occupies a spacious two-room suite on the third floor of the museum’s Newberry Building. It is equipped for benchtop and hood exhaust; safe storage for objects undergoing examination and treatment; digital, stereo, and compound polarized light microscopy; visible and multiband imaging; X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy; and a variety of other examination and diagnostic techniques.
