Materials Lab

How are pigments and other materials produced and transformed into the works of art you see in the galleries?

What choices did artists make, and how did their materials, environments, and experiences influence those choices?

How do artworks change over time?

The Materials Lab is an environment that welcomes learners of all kinds to explore questions such as these through hands-on experimentation and collaborative, interdisciplinary inquiry. This flexible space hosts workshops for the public, campus groups, community partners, and Harvard courses. It is also home to the Summer Institute for Technical Studies in Art (SITSA), where Ph.D. students from around the United States come together to learn through making. It is also a sought-after space for larger public drop-in events, such as Harvard Art Museums at Night and Family Days.

Materials Lab programs often feature guest artists, conservators, curators, and faculty from a range of disciplines. These programs draw on the power of making as a method of inquiry and a way to spark curiosity and wonder. 

The Materials Lab is part of the Harvard Art Museums’ Division of Academic and Public Programs (DAPP) and is headed by Francesca Bewer, research curator for conservation and technical study programs and director of the Summer Institute for Technical Studies in Art.

Please visit the museums’ events calendar for upcoming offerings.