What are the opening hours?

Monday 8:45am - 5:15am Tuesday 8:45am - 5:15pm Wednesday 8:45am - 5:15pm Thursday 8:45am - 5:15pm Friday 8:45am - 5:15pm

Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute

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Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute

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MCI is the center for specialized technical collection research and conservation for all Smithsonian museums and collections.

10/23/2026

JOB OPENING! Conservator (Preventive) (Fellow), Temporary Trust, NTE 2 years, Application Deadline: November 5, 2026

Job Opening: Conservator (Preventive) (Fellow) IS-1001-11 at Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

09/30/2026

Our scientists at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art and Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute are shining a new light on historic paintings—literally!

Read about how they used UV and infrared light to uncover secrets in pichwais, Hindu paintings from the Pushtimarg tradition. https://s.si.edu/4mkRBom

07/27/2026

Dr. Asher Newsome was featured in a Popular Science article "George Washington's famous 'golden suit' was actually purple"

The president partied in the dapper overcoat at his 1789 inauguration.

07/22/2026

The latest edition of Conservation Perspectives is now available.
Disaster Preparedness and Response
Read it here: https://gty.art/4wJvzRj

This issue examines the impact of disasters on cultural heritage. Here in Los Angeles, we are all too familiar with the threat of earthquakes and, more recently, the devastation caused by wildfires.

Last year, the Palisades Fire—which killed twelve people and destroyed more than 6,800 structures—reached the Getty Villa. While the grounds suffered major burns and the loss of hundreds of trees, the buildings were unharmed. The lessons learned from that event helped inspire this issue.

Through feature articles and a roundtable discussion, cultural heritage professionals from the Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute, Canadian Conservation Institute, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, and Getty share challenges, ideas, and solutions for protecting people, buildings, and collections from natural hazards in our current era.

07/09/2026

Have you ever wondered what it was like to work at the Smithsonian? Smithsonian Folklife is hosting a panel to reveal just that! Join our team from the Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute at 1:00 pm Saturday, July 11th in the Arts and Industries Building and learn about the art and science of our work: https://s.si.edu/4f1MSGh. Or feel free to participate in our livestream (link in the schedule below).

See the full schedule of events in Washington, D.C.|See the full schedule of events in Washington, D.C.

11/13/2025

The Smithsonian is in the process of reopening our museums, research centers, and the National Zoo. For the latest updates and opening information, please visit si.edu/visit and check back regularly as information may change.

Plan your visit to the world’s largest museum complex with 21 museums and a zoo.

10/10/2025

Due to the government shutdown, MCI is temporarily closed beginning on Sunday, Oct. 12, along with Smithsonian museums, research centers, and the National Zoo. We will update our operating status as soon as the situation is resolved. We do not plan to update social media other than to inform you of changes to our operating status.

09/19/2025

We would like to congratulate former Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Postdoctoral Fellow, Caitlin Colleary, PhD, on her new position as The Joan and Dan Holmes Family Endowed Chair of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

09/09/2025

Sanchita Balachandran, the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute’s Director, will be presenting Ancient Athenian Ceramics: Through the Eyes of a Conservator on Sunday, September 14, 2025 from 2-3pm at the Tampa Museum of Art. For more information and to RSVP, please see

Ancient Athenian Ceramics: Through the Eyes of a Conservator. This lecture re-examines Noble’s work, this time by looking through the eyes of a conservator. New perspectives from the fields of experimental archaeology, materials science and art conservation allow us to glimpse the working lives of...

09/08/2025

Different paint recipes work for different uses. Two art conservators explain how analyzing paints from the past can reveal how they were made – and how best to preserve them.

Address

4210 Silver Hill Rd
Suitland, MD
20746

Opening Hours

Monday	8:45am - 5:15am
Tuesday	8:45am - 5:15pm
Wednesday	8:45am - 5:15pm
Thursday	8:45am - 5:15pm
Friday	8:45am - 5:15pm

Telephone

(301) 238-1240

Website

http://mci.si.edu/

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