Mᴏɴᴅᴀʏ Sᴘᴏᴛʟɪɢʜᴛ 🌠 Meet our SIP-C 2026 interns Mykayla and Kenyada — this summer they called the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) home, and wait until you hear what they worked on.

Image 4: Here, Mykayla and Kenyada are analyzing photos and a color checker to ensure images are focused and clear with their fellow intern Lindsey by their side. Leah was behind the camera capturing it all, while Dorothy guided them through the tethering method for photography. Conservation documentation is a full team effort.🔬✨ David Beck’s MVSEVM (MMVI) is a breathtaking miniature replica of the renovated Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery, commissioned for the 2006 reopening. Every detail scaled down and intentional — referencing the building’s history as the U.S. Patent Office, the evolution of museums as institutions, and nodding directly to the collections living within its walls. A miniature world. A layered history. And two SIP-C interns trusted to help preserve it. Their work included cleaning the artwork using conservation approved techniques, examining glass components for signs of deterioration, completing detailed condition reports, and conducting archival research into Beck’s artistic practice and the history of the work. This is what conservation looks like up close. This was SIP-C 2026.👏🏾🌠 #SIPC2026 #SmithsonianAmericanArtMuseum #ArtConservation