This is a lab course on the materials science issues in conservation of art. The emphasis is on stone monuments and sculpture, but we also cover wood, and will soon introduce a unit on metals. The course satisfies the science distribution requirement for humanities majors, and virtually all of the students are non-scientists. The labs demonstrate the properties of stone and mortar, the susceptibility of stone to damage by salt crystallization and acid rain, and the response of wood (which was used for centuries for panel paintings) to moisture.
One of the highlights of the course is a visit to the Cloisters Museum in NYC. The conservator takes us behind the scenes to see what conservation issues exist and what they are doing about them.