May 23, 2001

"A Look Back in Time"
Oriental Institute
Chicago, Illinois

SMSI members will have the opportunity to tour the conservation laboratory of the Oriental Institute and see behind the scenes as objects are prepared for exhibit. Some of the recent research projects underway in the lab will be discussed as well.

There will be an opportunity for interested members to take docent-led tours of the two newly opened galleries. Time permitting, there will be short, behind-the-scenes tour of the Assyrian relief project where members will have the chance to see 15,000 lb. stone artifacts in the process of stabilization and reinstallation.

Bio History
The Oriental Institute is a research organization, including a museum, devoted to the study of the ancient Near East. The museum houses a world-renowned collection of antiquities from the Near East, a small percentage of which are displayed in its public galleries.

In 1997 the Institute completed a major construction-renovation project which provided the museum with climate-control for its storage and display areas as well as additional space with a new wing. The conservation laboratory, located on the second floor of the new wing, officially opened in its current location in January 1998.