Jessica S. Johnson is the Head of Conservation and Senior Objects Conservator at the Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute specializing in archaeological materials. She received an M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Arizona (1986) and a B.Sc. in Archaeological Conservation from the Institute of Archaeology, University College London (1990). Before coming to MCI, she worked with the University of Delaware, Institute for Global Studies, and helped to establish the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage (IICAH) in Erbil, Iraq, where she worked from 2009-2014. At IICAH, she served as Program Director and most recently as the Academic Director. Jessie is very familiar with the Smithsonian, as she was a senior conservator at the National Museum of the American Indian from 2000-2009. In addition to her recent 5-year stint in Iraq, Jessie has had extensive experience in field conservation working with archaeologists in Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and Cyprus. She has developed curricula and taught extensively on conservation in the US and abroad. At MCI Jessie will continue her recent research in environmental monitoring of an ancient wooden tomb and developing better understanding of the effects and treatment of salts in archaeological ceramics. Read more . . .

Article

• Rogala, Dawn V., Averyt, Katelynn, Johnson, Jessica, Lione, Brian, Flores, Joanne, and Tompkins, William. 2023. "Innovation and adaptation at the Smithsonian Institution in response to changing times and increased need." Journal of the Institute of Conservation, 46, (3) 253–271. https://doi.org/10.1080/19455224.2023.2249973. 2023
• Johnson, Jessica S., Lockshin, Nora, Lussier, Stephanie, and Barack, Sarah. 2022. "The Smithsonian's Council of Conservators." SI NCP Collection Quarterly, 15. 2022
• Pearlstein, Taylor and Johnson, Jessica S. 2020. "Recording and Archiving Conservation Education Approaches in Iraq, 2008–2017." Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, 59, (1) 53–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/01971360.2019.1681862. 2020
• Johnson, Jessica S., Ghazi, Zaid, Hanson, Katharyn, Lione, Brian Michael, and Severson, Kent. 2020. "The Nimrud Rescue Project." Studies in Conservation, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1080/00393630.2020.1753357. 2020
• Johnson, Jessica S. 2018. "Saving Iraq’s Cultural Heritage: Training Iraqi Conservators at Gordion, Turkey." Expedition, 60, (2) 38–44. 2018

Chapter

• Johnson, Jessica S. and Lione, Brian Michael. 2022. "Conservation after conflict: Rebuilding a heritage community in Iraq." In The Oxford Handbook of Museum Archaeology. 1 ed. Stevenson, Alice, editor. 157–C8.P106. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198847526.013.22. 2022
• Johnson, Jessica S., Cullen Cobb, Kim, and Lione, Brian Michael. 2020. "The role of conservation education in reconciliation: the example of the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage." In Heritage Conservation and Social Engagement. Peters, Renata F., den Boer, Iris L. F., Johnson, Jessica S., and Pancaldo, Susanna, editors. London, England: UCL Press. 2020
• Johnson, Jessica S. and Harbeck, Cricket. 2017. "History of object conservation at the Gordion Archaeological Project, Turkey." In Engaging Conservation: Collaboration across Disciplines. 98–105. London: Archetype Publications Limited. 2017
• Johnson, Jessica, Khorsheed, Abdullah, and Lione, Brian Michael. 2016. "The Iraqi Institute: Education for Archaeological Research and Conservation." In The Archaeology of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Adjacent Regions. Kopanias, Konstantinos and MacGinnis, John, editors. 135–138. Oxford: Archaeopress Archaeology. 2016
• Madden, Odile, Johnson, Jessica, and Anderson, Jae. 2010. "Pesticide Remediation in Context: Toward Standardization of Detection and Risk Assessment." In Pesticide Mitigation in Museum Collections: Science in Conservation: Proceedings from the MCI Workshop Series. Koestler, Robert J. and Charola, A. Elena, editors. 1–6. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press. (https://doi.org/10.5479/si.19492359.1.1) 2010
• Sirois, P. Jane, Johnson, Jessica S., Shugar, Aaron, Poulin, Jennifer, and Madden, Odile. 2009. "Pesticide Contamination: Working Together to Find a Common Solution." In Preserving Aborigional Heritage: Technical and Traditional Approaches: Proceedings of Symposium 2007. 175–186. Ottawa: Canadian Heritage, Canadian Conservation Institute. 2009
• Johnson, Jessica S. 2008. "Access for native people and the public: exhibits at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian." In Conservation and Access. Saunders, David, Townsend, Joyce H., and Woodcock, Sally, editors. 56–59. London: International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. 2008
• Kaminitz, Marian A., Mogel, Barbara S., Cranmer, Barbara, Johnson, Jessica, Cranmer, Kevin, and Hill, Tom. 2008. "Renewal of a Kwakwaka'wakw Hamsaml Mask: Community Direction and Collaboration for the Treatment of Cultural Heritage at the National Museum of the American Indian – a panel presentation." In Preserving Aboriginal Heritage: Technical and Traditional Approaches: Proceedings of Symposium 2007. Dignard, Carole, Helwig, K., Mason J., Nanowin, K., and Stone, T., editors. 75–87. Ottawa: Canadian Conservation Institute. 2008
• Johnson, Jessica S. 2007. "Collaborative Touch: Working with a Community Artist to Restore a Kwakwak'wakw Mask." In The Power of Touch: Handling Objects in Museum and Heritage Contexts. Pye, Elizabeth, editor. 215–222. Walnut Creek, California: Left Coast Press. 2007

Conference Paper

• Lione, Brian Michael, Khorsheed Qadir, Abdullah, Hanson, Katharyn, Johnson, Jessica S., and Wegener, Corine. 2018. "Stabilization and Recovery of Iraqi Cultural Heritage in post-ISIS Contexts: Ongoing Efforts at the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage." from ICOMOS 19th General Assembly and Scientific Symposium "Heritage and Democracy", 13-14th December 2017, New Delhi, India. ICOMOS. 2018
• Johnson, Jessica S., Lione, Brian Michael, Norris, Debra Hess, Price, Lois Olcott, Salih, Shukran, Shemdin, Gouhar, and Drayman-Weisser, Terry. 2014. "Collaboration, sustainability, and reconciliation: Teaching cultural heritage preservation and management in Iraq." from ICOM-CC 17th Triennial Conference Preprints, Melbourne, 15–19 September 2014. (Melbourne, Australia) 2014-09-15. Paris: International Council of Museums. 2014

Book

• Peters, Renata F., den Boer, Iris L. F., Johnson, Jessica S., and Pancaldo, Susanna, editors. 2020. Heritage Conservation and Social Engagement. London, England: UCL Press. 2020