2004 CONSERVATION Gretchen Meyers, Rollins University, Director of Materials Ann Steiner, Franklin and Marshall College, Director of Research Chris White, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Head Conservator Esther H. Chao, Peabody Museum, Harvard University, Conservator Bridget Marx, Southern Methodist University, Senior Curator Sue Bird, Illustrator Lilly Albritton, SMU, Lab Assistant Week 2 - Bridget Marx: At the moment, we have four returning members to the staff this year, as well as two new additions: Serving as head conservator is Chris White, who was here in 2001 as a conservation student. Chris comes to us from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where he has escaped the horrors of New England summers for the delight of a Tuscan one. Chris had previous experience at other archaeological excavations, both as a conservator and excavator, in Greece and Turkey, and now lends his prodigious skill to our lab. Conservator Chris White teaching students to lift ceramics in the field. Doctoressa Gretchen Meyers, from Rollins University, is new to the lab, however she was a trench supervisor here at Poggio Colla in 2001. Gretchen will be serving as the Director of Materials. Gretchen is well qualified in this capacity having spent several years teaching and excavating in Italy and has an encyclopedic knowledge of Etruscan archaeology from which we hope to draw copious tid-bits for our own site. Gretchen Meyers and Bridget Marx at work on the catalog. Bridget Marx, Curator of Exhibitions and Collection Manager - Meadows Museum, has returned to the site in order to help facilitate Gretchen's assumption of responsibilities in the magazzino. Bridget will be returning to Dallas and the Meadows after two weeks and then will return to Poggio Colla for the final two weeks of excavation and madness. In between accumulating frequent flyer miles she will be constantly thinking of the dig. Part of the 2004 Franklin and Marshall College group, left to right: Sarah McCrory, Jonathan Mort, Kamissa Mort, and Dr. Ann Steiner. Ann Steiner, Dean, Franklin and Marshall College, has once again returned to serve as the Director of Research for the excavation. Her energy and vitality will once again be brought to bear on the intellectual pursuits of the staff and students of the excavation. Perhaps her most challenging project of the season is the mastery of the Italian autostrada. Lab Assistant Lilly Albritton organizing and storing finds in the magazzino. New to the lab and excavation this season are Lilly Albritton and Sue Bird. Lilly, a graduate student at SMU, will be serving as the lab assistant this year. Already she has proven her self a valuable asset in all aspects of lab activity. Sue Bird, a freelance artist and illustrator, formerly of the Greek and Roman department at the British Museum in London, is our site illustrator. Her skill and speed have astounded the entire staff of the excavation and we stand in awe of her prestigious accomplishments. Illustrator Sue Bird playing hard to photograph. "Official" HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK: Watching plaster dry in the FOD at an AMAZING rate! This week Chris gave both the hill and FOD lessons in blocklifting objects in the field. As he was discussing the average rate of time required for plaster to set up (typically 10-15 minutes) he was reminded of the power of the sun in the FOD, when the plaster appeared to have set up almost instantaneously in the sweltering, sun-scorched site. "Unofficial" HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK: The discovery that limes are now available in Giotto Square just steps away from the conservation apartment! Ummm… gin and tonics…….mmmmmm.     Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 - Final Report   Director, Gregory Warden gwarden@mail.smu.edu Director, Michael Thomas michael.thomas@tufts.edu While the team is in Italy during the summer field season, send e-mail to: mvap3@dada.it To email an individual on the team, put that person's name in the subject heading. Excavation house phone: 055-844-9834, or, when calling from the US: 011-39-55-844-9834. Introduction | 2004 Field Season | Poggio Colla Field School | What’s New | Staff | Students Site History | Directors' Diaries | Student Diaries | Excavation Friends | Facilities | Conservation | Surveys Robert Belanger | Katherine Blanchard | Josh Moran | Caitlin Vacanti | Ivo van der Graaff | Robert Vander Poppen QuickTime VR | Site Set-Up | Dig Daily Life | Excavation Process | Field Manual | Lectures | Season's End Archives | Finds | Research Projects | Publications | Bibliography | Mugello Area | Home