Visualizing a Wired World’s Past: Digital and Tactile Public Archaeology in the Virtual Curation Laboratory

Summary

The Virtual Curation Laboratory at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) uses 3D scanning technologies to capture archaeological discoveries from all over the world. Used effectively, these 3D digital artifact models can help cultural heritage institutions share their amazing discoveries to a global audience and not simply to their fixed geographic locations. How to share these 3D digital artifact models to an audience wider than undergraduate students and professional archaeologists has proven more difficult than originally expected. Challenges encountered have included concerns over cultural patrimony, intellectual property rights, cross-platform technological compatibility, and accessibility issues for disabled persons. Here, I discuss different techniques we and our partners have implemented to make these 3D digital models more broadly accessible in virtual and tangible realms, ranging from passive animations posted on the internet, to displays of accurately 3D printed and painted artifact replicas at public archaeology events and in museum exhibitions.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Strategic Approaches to Digital Public Archaeology

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