Hey, Seth, as always you are right on target!
A few comments to would add from 30 years working in our temporary gallery and installing traveling exhibits across the country:
- Lighting- quality is important but also don’t overspend- With LED technology still evolving the $200-$400 head you buy this year may soon be outdated, whereas standard based bulbs can be upgraded at fraction of the cost. Halo compatible track means you have access to a wide variety of heads, can even pick up something at Home Depot in a pinch
- Flooring- our temporary gallery is basic sealed concrete- not as nice as carpet but easy to maintain, we’ve sometimes hot glued things to the floor to keep them from moving, and occasionally applied temporary graphics-
- Walls- besides the plywood behind sheetrock for easy installation, we incorporated a recessed baseboard 4.5” high, painted a dark neutral color. In other galleries I’ve designed we went 6” for the baseboard. This allows for easy repainting of your walls, no taping along the baseboard. This same approach can be used at the top of the display wall as well- pick an appropriate hight, 8’ 6”-10’- what can accommodate most any artwork or anticipated artifacts- and recess the rest of the way up to the ceiling. Bring your ceiling color down to this line. If you can work it out with your local codes and contractor, recess the outlets in the baseboard so they don’t clutter up your gallery walls.
- Gallery signage- We are increasingly using small high-strength magnet to mount paper and even other objects to the wall- putting in small flat head screws for the magnets. But even nicer, I recently saw a remodeled gallery that had strategically placed sheetrock screws at entrances and other areas, mudded over, painted as a part fo the wall, hidden to the public, but there when needed to hold up labels and text.
Good luck Ruth!
Chuck
Chuck Regier
Curator of Exhibits
Kauffman Museum at Bethel College
300 East 27th, North Newton, KS 67117
crregier@bethelks.edu316-283-1612 cell 316-217-6433
Original Message------
Not knowing the details if your space, some fundamentals for temporary galleries for traveling shows include:
- Ceiling height and lighting grid. Ensure you've got the height needed for the types of exhibits and lighting systems that will be needed. 12' to the bottom of track and clear of mechanical systems could be ideal.
- Lighting. Be sure to have a qualified exhibit lighting designer determine your grid system (not just a lighting designer, but one who knows museums), lamping, bridge tracks <g class="gr_ gr_533 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="533" data-gr-id="533">and</g> accessories. Have them train your team on their proper use. Temporary exhibit fixtures are used and abused in ways that permanent exhibits don't inflict on lighting. Spend up on this and you'll never regret it.
- Flooring. <g class="gr_ gr_888 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="888" data-gr-id="888">Surface</g> will impact experience. Carpet tiles are very comfortable sound absorbing, and replaceable if damaged. Get extra tiles. Hard surfaces can be more durable but with tradeoffs.
- Access. For galleries that are intended for traveling exhibits, be sure to have double wide and tall doors directly into <g class="gr_ gr_1299 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="1299" data-gr-id="1299">the space</g> from the offload area for vehicles. Ideally with an adjacent exhibit prep and storage space that is accessible from both the gallery itself and from your load-in/load-out area. Take a look at some likely rental shows and determine the crating that will come with the kinds of shows you want to rent. Base your storage size for crates on actual exhibits and then increase from there.
- Walls. Be sure that all your building wall partitions have 3/4" plywood behind drywall or other wall surfaces. You'll want to be sure that you'll forever have good hanging surfaces.
- Overall storage. Can't have enough.
- Gallery title signage. Think through your signage strategy at the entrance. Design in a location and method for placing exhibit title signage and intro interpretive materials. Yes, some flexibility and variation from exhibit to exhibit <g class="gr_ gr_2442 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar multiReplace" id="2442" data-gr-id="2442">is</g> important, but having a "default" approach can be very useful.
Surely others will have more lessons learned, but perhaps this will get you started.
All the best,
Seth
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SethFrankel
Principal, Studio Tectonic
Boulder, Colorado USA
seth@studiotectonic.com
www.studiotectonic.com
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