It can be a long, arduous process to transform artifacts newly recovered from the presumed Queen Anne's Revenge (QAR) shipwreck, Blackbeard's flagship, into museum quality display objects. Cannons are encased in concretions - a hardened coating of limestone, shells and other artifacts. Wormholes may adorn the wooden remains of the vessel's frame. Wine bottles may be literally flaking away after nearly three centuries in the sea. Conservators who work on artifacts from the probable QAR wreck will pull back the curtain to tell the story of artifact recovery at an Open Lab Day on Saturday, April 26, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Pewter plates, ceramics, ships timbers, and other objects will be on view at the QAR Conservation Laboratory on the West Research Campus of East Carolina University in Greenville. "There is a 12-step recovery process for all artifacts, but how each step is completed depends on the material being conserved," explains Chief Conservator Sarah Watkins-Kenney. "The time required for conservation can vary from days for the gold flakes to six years for the cannons." Watkins-Kenney and conservators Wendy Welsh and Shanna Daniel will explain the process and answer questions about objects on view. Artifacts in all stages of conservation will be displayed, from those still in the cement-like coating to those in treatment tanks for desalination, or others almost ready to go on exhibit at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort. QAR Project Director Mark Wilde-Ramsing and archaeologists David Moore, Richard Lawrence and Nathan Henry will comment on recovery of artifacts from this, the oldest shipwreck ever found in North Carolina's waters. They will explain how the artifacts add to our understanding and support that this shipwreck is the Queen Anne's Revenge. Nearly 100,000 artifacts have been recovered since the wreck's discovery by Florida-based Intersal, Inc., with information provided by the late Phil Masters, president, to Operations Director Mike Daniel in 1996. For additional information call (252) 744-6721. The Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck Project and the QAR Archaeological Conservation Laboratory are administered by the N.C. Department of Cultural.

Resources, a state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina's arts, history and culture. Now podcasting 24/7 with information about the Department of Cultural Resources, and in 2008 observing "Telling Our Stories," all available at www.ncculture.com.

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