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Registration URL: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4100681836411593819
Webinar ID: 292-097-291

This presentation will describe recent efforts to integrate the study of chemical principles with the characterization, authentication, restoration, and conservation of artistic materials of cultural heritage significance in a multidisciplinary course designed for high school students. Over the last 4 years, the curriculum has been described in several papers published in the Journal of Chemical Education and an American Chemical Society symposium volume entitled, Contextualizing Chemistry in Art & Archaeology: Inspiration for Faculty. Example classroom activities include: 1) pigment synthesis experiments and pigment colorimetric analysis with UV-vis-NIR reflectance spectroscopy, 2) the fresco lime-cycle chemical reactions and student creation of their own fresco tiles, 3) a laboratory investigation of volatile loss during the pottery production process, 4) thermodynamic calculations for redox reactions in the 3-stage firing process of Athenian black- and red-figure vases, 5) a problem set on the XRF analysis of Roman Imperial coins with implications for the standardization of ancient smelting and minting practices, 6) a case study of the National Gallery's filmed restoration of Artemisia Gentileschi's self-portrait as St. Catherine of Alexandria, 7) and analytical work with the Cultural Heritage Science Open-Source (CHSOS) database of analytical spectra (UV-vis-NIR reflectance, XRF, and Raman) for historical pigments in the context of pigment identification and authentication efforts for the famous Shakespeare Flower portrait and a painting purportedly created by Marc Chagall examined in the BBC TV series, Fake or Fortune? The presenter is actively seeking to further promote to high school students the fields of chemistry, art conservation, and scientific research on cultural heritage materials and to develop, together with interested professionals and institutions, additional educational outreach and research collaborations.

Presenter: Chris Vyhnal, Philip Bard Chair for Excellence in Science Teaching, The Thacher School
Date: Tuesday, February 11, 2025 at 7 PM Eastern