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Open/Visible Storage for Small/Academic Museums

  • 1.  Open/Visible Storage for Small/Academic Museums

    Posted 04-20-2016 06:34 PM

    Hello,

    I'm looking for examples of open or visible storage spaces in small museums and/or academic museums. Of course the examples of open storage usually given online are at very large civic institutions like the Luce Centers at the Met, the Brooklyn Museum, SAAM, the V&A, etc. Examples focused on decorative arts or ethnographic arts are particularly welcome. The visible storage gallery at the Herbert Johnson Museum at Cornell is the closest thing I've found to what I'm envisioning.

    Furthermore - and this may be a long shot - do you know of any examples of a museum, particularly an academic one, putting visible storage somewhere other than their main building? Another academic building on campus, for example.

    Many thanks,

    Andrea Rosen

    Curator

    Fleming Museum of Art, University of Vermont



  • 2.  RE: Open/Visible Storage for Small/Academic Museums

    Posted 04-21-2016 06:39 AM

    Dear Ms Rosen,


    The David Museum in Copenhagen has an excellent visible storage system for its Islamic manuscript and textile collections.

    Kind regards,

    Davidson MacLaren
    Executive Director
    The Islamic Manuscript Association




  • 3.  RE: Open/Visible Storage for Small/Academic Museums

    Posted 04-21-2016 08:39 AM

    CultureLab at the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology (Brown University) is an excellent example. There is an article about it (written by Steven Lubar and myself) here: 

    And you can get a bit of an idea of it here...

    https://www.brown.edu/research/facilities/haffenreffer-museum/learn/culturelab

    ------------------------------
    Emily Stokes-Rees, Syracuse University



  • 4.  RE: Open/Visible Storage for Small/Academic Museums

    Posted 04-21-2016 09:23 AM

    Andrea,

    Look at the Johns Hopkins University Archaeological Museum (archaeologicalmuseum.jhu.edu). They have incorporated open storage via walls of glass cases – and pull-out drawers of material.

     

    Melanie F. Harwood

    Senior Registrar

    The Baltimore Museum of Art

    Tel: 443-573-1731

    Fax: 443-573-1581

    Email: mharwood@artbma.org

     






  • 5.  RE: Open/Visible Storage for Small/Academic Museums

    Posted 04-21-2016 09:25 AM

    The Wellin Museum at Hamilton College goes a step further, turning the concept of a museum "inside out."

    Best,

    Libby

    Managing Principal

    Bow Bridge Communications, LLC.

    Wellin Collections - Hamilton College

    Hamilton remove preview
    Wellin Collections - Hamilton College
    The permanent collection of the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art includes nearly 7,000 works of art and artifacts, representing a broad range of cultures, historical periods, and artistic practices and movements.
    View this on Hamilton >



  • 6.  RE: Open/Visible Storage for Small/Academic Museums

    Posted 04-22-2016 09:43 AM
    The Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM has a beautiful collection facility with glass walls.  I believe the visible works are chosen and hung by their students around a theme.  A link to their site: https://iaia.edu/iaia-museum-of-contemporary-native-arts/museum-collection/


    Mollie Parsons
    Education Director

    Santa Fe Botanical Garden
    725 Camino Lejo, Suite E
    Santa Fe, NM 87505
    505.471.9103
    http://www.santafebotanicalgarden.org/





  • 7.  RE: Open/Visible Storage for Small/Academic Museums

    Posted 04-21-2016 09:30 AM

    We have space we call the "Academic Focus Gallery". It's very much out of the way in a back hallway, but we've used it both for open storage to display works related to a course, as well as small (mostly) student-curated installations.

    You can see the space here: Faculty - The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University

    The University of Michigan has beautiful new open storage space.

    ------------------------------
    Marianne Wardle
    Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Academic Programs
    Head of Education and Interpretation
    Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University



  • 8.  RE: Open/Visible Storage for Small/Academic Museums

    Posted 04-21-2016 09:54 AM

    Dear Andrea,

    I would suggest getting in touch with staff at Cranbrook Art Museum. They recently completed a major renovation that includes open storage for their illustrious collection of decorative arts, sculpture, paintings, etc. Since the museum is closely affiliated with the Cranbrook Academy of Art, they count as an academic museum, and their collection is also smaller than the big civic museums you mention. 

    See:

    Collections Overview - Cranbrook Art Museum

    Cranbrook Art Museum remove preview
    Collections Overview - Cranbrook Art Museum
    Cranbrook Art Museum Collection Cranbrook Art Museum's collections document outstanding examples of art, architecture and design from the 20th and 21st centuries, with a special interest in recognizing the history and innovations of Cranbrook and the achievements of its artists. Collections Wing Tours 1pm every Friday Learn more here.
    View this on Cranbrook Art Museum >

    Staff - Cranbrook Art Museum

    Best wishes,

    Rebecca Elliot

    ------------------------------
    Rebecca Elliot | Assistant Curator of Craft, Design & Fashion
    Visit the NEW mintmuseum.org

    Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts | 500 South Tryon Street | Charlotte, North Carolina | 28202
    Mint Museum Randolph | 2730 Randolph Road | Charlotte, North Carolina | 28207




  • 9.  RE: Open/Visible Storage for Small/Academic Museums

    Posted 04-21-2016 09:55 AM
    Andrea,
    The Wellin Museum at Hamilton College has visible storage and the RISD Museum in Providence has an open textile and costume storage and study room as part of its galleries. Both recently built and worth seeing.
    Best,
    Ann

    --
    Ann S. Woolsey
    integrated planning for
    museums and cultural organizations





  • 10.  RE: Open/Visible Storage for Small/Academic Museums

    Posted 04-21-2016 10:20 AM

    Dear Ms. Rosen,

    Our firm (in addition to the Wellin Museum) has done a number of open storage solutions for institutions of various sizes.  I would be happy to discuss with you in more depth.  Please feel free to email or call me. 

    Also forwarding you a link to the Chazen Museum of Art, Madison WI (University of Wisconsin). The object Study room there is for non-curated display and is open to the public.  It is a great flexible space that allows for the community, scholars, teachers and students to have access to the certain pieces of the collection upon request.

    http://www.machado-silvetti.com/PERSPECTIVES/150101_BackOfHouse/article.php#gotochazen

    best regards,

    Stephanie

    ------------------------------
    Stephanie Randazzo Dwyer, AIA
    Principal

    560 Harrison Avenue, Suite 301
    Boston, Massachusetts 02118
    T 617.426.7070 ext. 167
    www.machado-silvetti.com

    MACHADO SILVETTI



  • 11.  RE: Open/Visible Storage for Small/Academic Museums

    Posted 04-22-2016 08:15 AM

    The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia used to have an outstanding example of open storage. I haven't been there in about 15 years, so can't attest to whether or not the storage collections are still visible to the public or not.

    ------------------------------
    Cheryl Braunstein
    Manager, Exhibit Planning and Development
    National Zoological Park Smithsonian Institution
    Washington DC



  • 12.  RE: Open/Visible Storage for Small/Academic Museums

    Posted 04-22-2016 10:13 AM

    Thank you everyone for the amazing outpouring of examples! I'll take some time to wade through them all, and reach out directly if I have any further questions. Thanks again!

    ------------------------------
    Andrea Rosen
    Curator
    Fleming Museum of Art
    Burlington VT



  • 13.  RE: Open/Visible Storage for Small/Academic Museums

    Posted 04-22-2016 01:25 PM

    Hi Andrea:

    I'd recommend checking out the Museum of Arts and Design in NYC. They have a jewelry gallery with publicly accessible study drawers.

    One of my favorite early examples of "open storage" is at the Gustave Moreau Museum in Paris. The Artist's House -House-Museum

    Musee-moreau remove preview
    The Artist's House -House-Museum
    "I bequeath my house, situated at 14, rue de La Rochefoucauld, with all it contains: paintings, drawings, cartoons, etc., the work of fifty years, and likewise what is enclosed in the named house and the old apartments formerly occupied by my father and my mother, to the State, [...]
    View this on Musee-moreau >

    . They have drawers visitors can access and portfolios to flip through.

    Good luck!

    Johanna

    ------------------------------
    Johanna Goldfeld Design, LLC
    Graphic and Exhibition Design
    Tel: 718-789-1238
    Visit my website: www.jgoldfeld-design.com
    Read my blog: www.jgoldfeld-design.com/blog




  • 14.  RE: Open/Visible Storage for Small/Academic Museums

    Posted 04-22-2016 04:04 PM

    Great thread! (Also Hamilton College alumnus here! The Wellin Museum did not exist when I attended, but I'm happy it seems to be doing well by the museum community.)

    Does anyone have any more budget-minded examples? Any historic house museums with visible storage?

    Thanks so much.

    ------------------------------
    Kelsey Brow
    Assistant Curator
    Morris-Jumel Mansion
    New York NY