Partnership
Milwaukee Public Museum
The 3D digitization of the De Piro鈥揕eopardi Collection at the Milwaukee Public Museum exemplifies IDEx鈥檚 integrated approach to digital cultural heritage documentation, research, and access. Identified in Milwaukee in the early 1970s and originating from a historically significant Maltese noble collection, this assemblage of antiquities has been digitally documented by the Institute for Digital Exploration through high-resolution structured-light 3D scanning and digital photogrammetry.
Between 2017 and 2021, IDEx captured and curated more than 200 artifacts held across multiple institutions, virtually reuniting objects now dispersed between museums in Wisconsin and Malta into a single, coherent digital collection. Each 3D model is enriched with archaeological and historical metadata structured according to international standards, enabling both scholarly research and public engagement.
By making these models accessible online, IDEx not only supports education and outreach but also demonstrates how advanced 3D digitization can reconnect fragmented collections, enhance provenance research, and preserve shared cultural heritage beyond physical and geographic boundaries.