DURANGO, Colo.— This summer, one of the world’s leading museums is bringing cutting-edge scientific art-based research to the heart of the Four Corners.

From June 30 to July 2, Fort Lewis College’s Center of Southwest Studies will host a hands-on workshop in collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Scientific Research Partnerships program, a Mellon and Sloan Foundation–funded initiative to expand access to conservation science through national partnerships.

The focus of the event is an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis of Indigenous textiles, many of which are housed in the Center’s permanent collections. XRF is a noninvasive technique used to detect and analyze the chemical composition of materials. During the workshop, Met scientists Alicia McGeachy and Hitomi Fujii will work alongside faculty and students from the FLC Department of Chemistry to conduct material studies on woven objects and provide training on the technology.

This is the SRP team’s second workshop of this kind, following last year’s collaboration with the School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe and its Indian Arts Research Center.

“We look forward to partnering with Fort Lewis College on this project. I hope this is just the beginning of a long relationship,” said Marco Leona, head of the Met’s Department of Scientific Research.

“This collaboration brings invaluable expertise to FLC,” said Amy Cao, Collections Manager and NAGPRA Specialist. “Not only are we learning directly from world-renowned researchers at the Met, but we’re building long-term capacity to care for our own collections and support the wider community. If we can keep this momentum going, FLC could become a regional hub for safe and sustainable textile analysis.”

The partnership reflects a growing movement to decentralize museum expertise and foster community-based stewardship of cultural heritage. In addition to FLC students and staff, colleagues from the Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum, many of them FLC alumni, have been invited to join the sessions.

The workshop opens with a public breakfast talk on Monday, June 30, at 8:45 am in the Center’s Lyceum. Elena Carrara, Ph.D., associate research curator at the Met, will present From the Met’s Lab: Where Art Meets Science, a discussion on how the scientific investigation of art materials and techniques uncovers hidden stories and informs ethical conservation practices. The talk is free and open to the public.

While the following two days of the workshop are limited to invited participants, Cao said the CSWS hopes to use the event to launch new opportunities for interdisciplinary research and community engagement.

“The power of this project is in the relationships,” she said. “It’s not just about data—it’s about people, knowledge, and trust.”