Field Museum of Natural History

The Field museum's Anthropology Collections will treat and rehouse 786 beaded items in its Native North American collections. Embroidered glass beaded items represent a widely recognized material culture form, characteristic of many tribes in the Plains region; a survey of the museum's beaded items noted 71 tribal affiliations in the collection. The museum will hire a conservator and a conservation technician. Treatment of the collection will include training sessions for regional colleagues taught by Field Museum conservators and involve condition assessment techniques, photographic documentation, diagnoses of glass deterioration, safe handling and heavy metal pesticides, stabilization treatment, rehousing and creation of micro-climates. A collaborative conservation approach will encourage dialogue and engagement between conservators and regional tribal communities so that together, they can increase access to collection items and prolong these items' lifespan.