Author: Mercedes Pérez-Shillington
“Your job is really cool but you're like really dusty,” a child says to me. They are right, working on the open dioramas for “Dinosaurs in Their Time” at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History allows me to get into the dinosaur enclosure and weave between gigantic prehistoric dinosaurs. There, I am diligently dusting every leaf, stem, and rock with soft bristle brushes. Of course, by the end of the day, my socks and pants are admittedly very dusty.
When I work on days when the museum is open, I often get questions from the public, young and old alike, about what I am doing, and most importantly, why I am doing it. One reason is that the displays look much nicer and more vibrant when a layer of grey dust does not cover them. However, the most important reason to dust is that dust is considered an “agent of deterioration,” meaning it acts as a harmful agent to the collections by allowing chemical agents and moisture to be trapped on the surface of an object. This can lead to discoloration or even pitting in materials like bone.
Unfortunately, dust is almost unavoidable in settings such as the museum's main floor. Dust originates from the visitors themselves and comprises particles of lint, skin cells, and clothing fabric. The best way to prevent dust buildup is by enclosing the specimen in a glass case, creating a barrier of protection between the visitors and the object, but this is not always possible or the best option for the mission of a cultural institution.
While cleaning and dusting is an often overlooked but vital role in preservation, this process had its difficulties. Because of the layout of some of the dioramas, it was difficult at times to squeeze between fragile bone, brittle plants, and walls to reach the material that needed to be dusted. Additionally, I worked in conjunction with two other interns but were at times not working at the same time, it was important to communicate via notes and diagrams to keep track of who was working on which part of the exhibit. The physicality of the process and the endurance needed to complete all sections of Dinosaurs in Their Time were valuable lessons in the need for patience, diligence, and, care in the field of conservation.
I was very lucky to have been given the opportunity to participate in this cleaning process and I am proud to say, that with the help of other interns and under the surveillance and guidance of Gretchen Anderson, lead conservator at the Carnegie Musem of Natural History, we were able to complete the entire yearly cleaning of DITT in record time. This allowed me to observe, assist, and work with Ms. Anderson and Mostafa Sherif, conservator a CMNH, on projects such as the conservation of the Dahshur Egyptian boat. As I dusted and later applied a layer of solvent that stabilized the brittle deterioration of a wooden plank from the Egyptian boat, I was thankful for the many hours of slow, meditative, manual dusting I had practiced on the fake plants, before working on the centuries-old artifact.
Mercedes Pérez-Shillington, Museum Studies Intern at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Fall 2023