About the Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts
Housed within McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts is a collaborative endeavor that pursues objects-based and objects-inspired scientific research to advance the role of science within art history, curatorial scholarship, archaeology, and conservation. The goals of the program are to enrich the breadth, scope, and reach of scientific studies in the arts and in the wider field of conservation in the United States and abroad, by leveraging resources at the Art Institute of Chicago and materials-related departments at Northwestern University. This research and education initiative also provides enhanced training opportunities for participants through involvement in university-museum multidisciplinary programs.
Projects
Submit a project proposal
Start a research project in collaboration with Northwestern University faculty and Art Institute of Chicago staff.
Featured Projects
View our projects which strike a balance between object-based (for example the study of a specific work of art, or groups of objects) and objected-inspired work (for example the development of new investigation methods or testing of a new conservation treatment).
Read more
Discovering the Birthplace of a Picasso Bronze
Scientists use non-invasive techniques to trace five sculptures to foundry in WWII Paris
Tebtunis Mummy Portraits
A collaboration between Northwestern scientists and Argonne National Laboratory provides insights into an 1,800-year-old mummy and learning about the material microhistory of the painting tradition
Surface-Shape Studies of Gauguin's Monoprints, Prints, and Drawings
Researchers used computational imaging to evaluate the surface structure of Gauguin’s graphic production with the aim of better understanding his printmaking and transfer processesField Notes & Events
Field Notes
Spring 2019 Speaker Series: Patrick Degryse from the Catholic University of Leuven on April 10th | "The Origins of Antimony as a Raw Material in Metal and Vitreous Materials Making: Yellow Glass and Gold from the Bronze Age to the Romans"
The Center welcomes speaker Patrick Degryse from the Catholic University of Leuven on April 10th to present his talk on "The Origins of Antimony as a Raw Material in Metal and Vitreous Materials Making: Yellow Glass and Gold from the Bronze Age to the Romans." He will discuss how the origins of man-made materials, and determining the provenance of the minerals used in making them, are crucial to the study of ancient societies, and the primary origin of the Sb raw materials used in several technological processes such as glass making and metal alloying.
Winter 2019 Speaker Series: P.D. (Piet) Iedema from the University of Amsterdam on March 8th | "Polymer Modeling for Art and Industry"
The Center welcomes Dr. P.D. (Piet) Iedema, Chair, Computational Polymer Chemistry and Science at the Van ‘t Hoff Institute of Molecular Science at the University of Amsterdam, presenting his talk on "Polymer Modeling for Art and Industry." He will discuss a multi-physics approach to mathematical modeling of polymer network based paints, as applied to photocuring acrylates (e.g., used in 3D printing [art] objects) and linseed oil-based binding medium in oil paintings.
Congratulations to affiliate faculty member Linda Broadbelt, elected to National Academy of Engineering
Northwestern Engineering’s Linda Broadbelt has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), one of the highest professional distinctions awarded to an engineer.
Diagnosing ‘art acne’ in Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings
Co-director Marc Walton and affiliate faculty member Oliver Cossairt presented their findings that metal soaps are responsible for the destructive pimple-like protrusions in Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings at the 2019 AAAS annual meeting in Washington DC.
Events
MSE Spring Colloquia: Yang Shao-Horn
April 30
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
MSE Spring Colloquia: Karin Rabe (Dorn Lecture)
May 21
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
MSE Spring Colloquia: Karen Winey
May 28
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
MSE Spring Colloquia: Frederico Capasso (Cohen Lecture & Receptio...
June 3
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Follow Us
Stay updated on the latest from this group and join the conversation.
twitter