Noted conservationists, students demonstrate efforts preserve archeological treasures

Grove City College  will host the esteemed husband and wife conservationist team of Dr. Roberto Nardi and Andreina Constanzi-Cobau on Saturday, Oct. 8, for a lecture and exhibit of work Grove City College students have done with their team over the past several summers in Italy.

October is Pennsylvania’s Archeology Month, and the College hopes to inspire awareness and spark interest through the Nardi’s visit and accompanying student-led exhibit “The Mont’e Prama Experience.” 

The exhibit in the Pew Fine Arts Gallery and Nardi’s lecture “Archeology in the Mediterranean Region” are free and open to the public. Exhibit hours are 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, with refreshments. Nardi’s lecture is at 4 p.m. in the adjacent Pew Memorial Room.

Nardi is a world-renowned conservator, having worked on sites all over the world preserving and maintaining the ancient artistic wonders of history. His wife Constanzi-Cobau is his partner in the work. 

Nardi’s presentation will be on archeology in the Mediterranean and its impact on both the cultural and economic future of the region. He’ll discuss archeological projects in Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Tunisia, Libya and Italy that are under the charge of the Centro di Conservazione Archeologica of Rome, a private institution that intervenes for the preservation and conservation of monuments, archeological sites, and art. 

Through videos, interviews and artifacts, the student-led “The Mont’e Prama Experience” exhibit will reflect and shed light on the experience Grove City College students gained through a month spent studying under and working for Nardi and his team of conservators. Dr. Mark Graham, professor of history, accompanied and directed the students in their efforts, along with Dr. Jennifer Mobley, assistant dean for service-learning and associate professor of communications studies. 

The exhibit is an opportunity to engage with culture, history, and the art of conservation. The goal is for people to get a sense of a culture and people different from their own and to connect in a personal way to ancient history. The event is sponsored by the Grove City’s Office of International Education, and is open and free to the community at large.