This year marks the Walters Conservation Lab’s 90th anniversary. To celebrate this grand milestone, we invite you to attend a lecture by Dr. Sanchita Balachandran, Director of the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum Conservation Institute. Balachandran will discuss how we can bring ancient artists back into full presence through the conservation of their works of art. She will explore how an interdisciplinary and experimental approach to the conservation and technical study of ancient objects offers us an opportunity to be present with these makers and even reconstruct some of their lived experiences. Discover how the artist’s presence, whimsy, and imagination come alive by examining components of pottery from ancient Athens and Italy, including a vessel attributed to the Baltimore Painter in the Walters collection.

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Following the presentation, audience members can participate in a Q&A session with Balachandran moderated by Julie Lauffenburger, the Walters’ Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director of Conservation and Technical Research. Afterward, we welcome you to enjoy a light reception in our Museum Café.

This program is one of two lectures that are generously funded each year by the Boshell Foundation.

6 p.m.: Introductions
6:05 p.m.: Presentation
6:45 p.m.: Q&A Session
7 p.m.: Reception in Museum Café

Available Resources: Accessible Seating, Assistive Listening Devices, ASL Interpretation, Sensory Kits. Accessibility resources and accommodations are available for programs and events. Please email [email protected] with questions and requests. We will make every effort to provide accommodations. Visit our accessibility webpage for more information on accessibility across the museum.

About the Guest Speaker

Sanchita Balachandran is Director of the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute, the center for technical research and conservation for all Smithsonian museums and collections. She previously served as Director of the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum and was Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins University. She holds a PhD in Preservation Studies from the University of Delaware and received a graduate certificate in conservation and a Master’s degree in art history from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. As a specialist in the conservation of archaeological objects, Balachandran’s research includes work on cultural materials from ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, and India.