Artifacsimile –3D printed preservation at Monticello

Abstract

Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s plantation in Virginia, experimented with displaying archaeological artifacts in a permanent outdoor exhibition on enslaved men, women, and children. Unfortunately, the artifacts began to deteriorate from exposure to environmental changes. How could cultural heritage artifacts be preserved, while still contributing to the exhibition? Curators and archaeologists collaborated with the University of Virginia Library to collect 3D data and produce facsimiles for display in outdoor exhibitions. By producing a printed object based on precision 3D data, an “artifacsimile” becomes a physical representation of the original with the resulting 3D data processed, archived, and accessible to scholars and educators. Artifacsimiles at Monticello are a case study for the benefits and efficacy of 3D technologies for preservation and exhibit, in support of the University of Virginia’s efforts to collect, process, archive and disseminate 3D data using methods of 3D Cultural Heritage Informatics.