Call for papers-- Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology

The Fall 2001 Meeting of the Materials Research Society Nov.
26-30th, Boston, MA, USA, will feature a symposium, Materials Issues
in Art and Archaeology VI (Symposium #II).

Studies are solicited that use the methods and techniques of
materials science and engineering to understand the degradation, and
promote the long-term preservation, of material culture, i.e. works
of art, culturally significant artifacts, and archaeological remains
and sites.  Preserving cultural heritage extends beyond artifact
preservation to developing a critical understanding of how ancient
people used technology and craft to solve problems of survival and
organization and to make symbols or representations of what was
important in their world, especially for its maintenance, longevity
and beautification.

Paper contributions of empirical studies are solicited that:

    *   Reconstruct and interpret ancient technologies, especially
        through studies of workshop and industrial remains
        (archeomaterials),

    *   Study the nature and diversity of the ancient landscape as a
        background to human cultural evolution through analysis of
        residual physical traces (biogeochemistry),

    *   Recreate an understanding of the environment, resources, and
        other constraints on the practice of technologies (resource
        survey, site catchement analysis and site formation
        analysis),

    *   Characterize the cultural context and the knowledge
        necessary and sufficient to practice, innovate and transmit
        know-how for individual cultural survival and achievement
        (science, technology and society),

    *   Apply new, cutting-edge methods or old techniques of
        analysis in new ways to material cultural problems
        (archaeometry),

    *   Promote an understanding of degradation, weathering and
        corrosion that leads to stabilization and long-term
        preservation of material culture (conservation science),

    *   Present successful experiment that incorporate studies of
        ancient technical know-how into modern K-12 and university
        curricula (ancient materials outreach).

On the last day of the conference, a Pyrotechnology Workshop and
Demonstration is planned in which experiments will be conducted in
the 3500-year-old technologies of Egyptian faience, faience inlay,
glass core vessel manufacture, and I the technologies of iron
smelting and glassblowing.  The latter experiments are to be framed
in a 2000-year old Roman period context.

Submission procedure: Submit abstracts and register at
<URL:http://www.mrs.org/meetings/fall2001/>  between May 19 and June
19th, 2001.  If you have questions, you may pre-email your abstract
to:   vandiver [at] scmre__si__edu

If you are unable to access electronic submission, the deadline for
abstracts submitted via Fax: or mail is June 5th.  Fax: to both
Vandiver at 301-238-3700, and MRS at 724-779-8313.  The MRS address
is

    Materials Research Society
    506 Keystone Dr.
    Warrendale, PA 15086-7573
    USA
    724-779-3004

Publication procedure: Nov. 12th is the deadline for electronic
paper submission.  Papers generally are 6 pages, but because of the
interdisciplinary nature of this topic and the desirability of
multi-faceted interpretation, papers twice that length will be
entertained.  Instructions will be posted on the web site, but at
least one figure should show the objects being presented, and
another their archaeological context, if possible.  Contact Vandiver
if your paper requires color, or if you are willing to act as a
reviewer.

Symposium organizers:

    Pamela B. Vandiver and Martha Goodway,
    Smithsonian Center for materials Research and Education
    4210 Silver Hill Rd.
    Suitland MD 20746, USA
    vandiverp [at] scmre__si__edu,
    goodwaym [at] scmre__si__edu
    301-238-3700 ext 162 or ext 164
    Fax: 301-238-3709

    Jennifer Mass
    SUNY Buffalo, Art Conservation Dept.
    Rockwell Hall 230
    1300 Elmwood Ave.
    Buffalo NY 14222
    massjl [at] bscmail__buffalostate__edu
    716-878-5025
    Fax: 716-878-5039

    James R. Druzik
    The Getty Conservation Institute
    1200 Getty Center Dr.
    Los Angeles CA 90292
    jdruzik [at] gett__edu
    310-440-6825
    Fax: 310-440-7711


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 14:48
                 Distributed: Thursday, March 22, 2001
                       Message Id: cdl-14-48-004
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