About the Center
The Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts, a partnership between the Art Institute of Chicago and Northwestern University, combines the resources and expertise of a top-tier research institution and a world-renowned museum. The Center is a leader in heritage science, and its main goal is to advance research, education, and outreach at the nexus of science, engineering, and the visual arts.
The power of technology is leveraged to unlock the secrets of art, revealing insights that can change the way we understand and appreciate our cultural heritage. The interdisciplinary approach allows us to examine art from multiple perspectives, revealing new insights into the creative process and the materials and techniques used by artists throughout history.
The Center aims to offer a model for integrative and cross-disciplinary collaboration among museums, universities, and scientific and cultural institutions. The Center’s scientists perform cutting-edge materials research on cultural heritage materials. They develop novel imaging technologies and applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze data. The research has been used to inform preservation and conservation practices, and historical and archival study. This work is undertaken through proposals from outside institutions, so that the Center’s work is constantly shaped by the ideas and inquiries of collaborators, enriching the field of heritage science. The work is made possible through support from the Andrew Mellon Foundation.
Mission
The goals of the Center for Scientific Study in the Arts are threefold:
Research
Through collaboration between museum professionals and university science and engineering researchers, we conduct object-based and object-inspired research to answer problems of interest to museums and cultural institutions.
Collaborate and share expertise
In the interest of sharing Center expertise and fostering effective coordination of research efforts and intelligent use of resources around the United States, we extend research opportunities to museums and cultural institutions beyond the Art Institute of Chicago.
Educate
We seek to educate scientists and engineers and their students on the opportunities and unsolved problems in conservation science. And, to this end, we work to inform conservators, curators, and conservation scientists about the techniques and expertise available in science and engineering, which might be brought to bear on conservation science problems.
Facilities
The Center is a gateway to Northwestern's numerous research facilities, including those for imaging and advanced chemical analysis, as well as the specialized facilities at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Projects
Exploring art, archaeology, and conservation
The Center collaborates with internal and external partners to conduct research into relevant questions in art, archaeology, and conservation. Previous projects have included studies of paintings, sculptures, artifacts, and Roman Egyptian mummy portraits.
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