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Museum Exhibit Walls

Kathy Kyle

Kathy Kyle11-08-2017 10:24 AM

  • 1.  Museum Exhibit Walls

    Posted 10-31-2017 03:53 PM
    Hello all,

    I had a quick question about museum exhibit walls, specifically curved walls.

    We have a big curved wall that our temporary exhibits go in and without nailing a hook in every time we have a wall exhibit, we've decided to use a painters tape and Velcro system to save our walls and to save the integrity of the foam board exhibits.

    This is an acceptable procedure for hanging smaller boards, but our problem occurs when larger boards are put up. The curve is too great for the board to lay flat against the wall causing them to fall frequently throughout the day!

    Does anyone use any other method for hanging foam board exhibits on curved walls?
    OR
    Are there any ideas of improving our current method?

    Thanks!

    ------------------------------
    James Scott
    Education Assistant
    ------------------------------
    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more


  • 2.  RE: Museum Exhibit Walls

    Posted 11-01-2017 09:23 AM
    That was a mischievous designer who provided curved walls for a changing gallery!

    For larger graphics consider a suspension system from the top, cable or monofilament.

    Another possibility would be a medium tac adhesive graphics that apply directly to the wall.

    <g class="gr_ gr_170 gr-alert gr_gramm Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="170" data-gr-id="170">Otherwise</g> you have a conundrum, fasten standoffs and fill and paint, or keep your graphics small.

    Good luck!

    ------------------------------
    Edward Malouf
    Principal
    Content•Design Collaborative LLC
    ------------------------------

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    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more


  • 3.  RE: Museum Exhibit Walls

    Posted 11-07-2017 02:03 PM
    Hahaha. Our museum space is actually a historic bath house converted into a museum. The building was designed by Don Buel Schuler, who was a former student of Frank Lloyd Wright. The building is actually a large circle, which contributes to about 90% of our wall space.

    I do like the wire suggestion, it is what we used to hang our largest poster up and it seems to be working pretty well.

    ------------------------------
    James Scott
    Education Assistant
    UA Museums
    ------------------------------

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  • 4.  RE: Museum Exhibit Walls

    Posted 11-01-2017 09:39 AM

    ​Hi James-
    Off the top of my head, I can think of a couple of ways to do this, depending on what the radius is of the curve of the walls. Visual Magnetics has products that use strong magnets and is very easy to change.  Also, you could use a curved picture rail and hang anything with thin cables and hooks. The picture rail can have a very small profile and the cables could be very small gauge steel wire and be virtually invisible.  Good luck!

    Jande



    ------------------------------
    Jande Wintrob AIA
    Architect/Designer
    Rockwell Architecture, Planning & Design, PC
    New York NY
    ------------------------------

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  • 5.  RE: Museum Exhibit Walls

    Posted 11-02-2017 09:52 AM
    A variation on a picture rail with thin wires, there is also a wooden picture molding (our 1920s house came with them). The molding is still available, and the hooks are in many hardware stores. An advantage is that the hanging material can be changed to go with the type of item -- e.g., fine, stainless steel wires go with modern framed or unframed items; ribbons go well with wood or fancier frames; ropes -- type used for tying back classic curtains -- can hang classic, ornate-framed items. We even have an antique Regulator clock hanging from the picture molding.

    ------------------------------
    Greg Moss
    Museum Planning Committee
    International Society of Antique Scale Collectors (www.isasc.org)
    Pittsburgh, PA
    ------------------------------

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  • 6.  RE: Museum Exhibit Walls

    Posted 11-01-2017 09:48 AM
    Not seeing the space or the depth of the curve, I can't guarantee this will work in your situation. If you are hanging a lot of items look at installing a curved picture rail on the top. You can hang hooks with cables and attach the foam boards with hangers. They won't be able to be flat with the curve but it will stay up.

    ------------------------------
    Gwen McCausland
    Director
    Agricultural Heritage Museum South Dakota State University
    ------------------------------

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  • 7.  RE: Museum Exhibit Walls

    Posted 11-01-2017 12:42 PM

    We have a curved wall and have found that artwork mounted on Sintra curves nicely with it.  Unfortunately, this is heavier than foam core so we have to use double sided tape rather than Velcro. 

     

    Dana Neitzel

    Curator

    San Mateo County Historical Association

    2200 Broadway, Redwood City, CA 94063

    Ph: 650.299.0104, ext. 230 | Fax: 650.299.0141

    dana@historysmc.org | www.historysmc.org

     

    image002.jpg@01CFB22C.09A3D230  image004.jpg@01CFB22C.09A3D230  image006.jpg@01CFB22C.09A3D230  image008.jpg@01CFB22C.09A3D230

              

    Current changing exhibits at the History Museum:

    Redwood City in Bloom (May 20, 2017 through September 10, 2017)

    Sketches from World War I (opens September 19, 2017)

    Peninsula at War!  San Mateo County's World War II Legacy (through February 4, 2019)

     




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  • 8.  RE: Museum Exhibit Walls

    Posted 11-02-2017 09:10 AM

    I agree with Dana, Sintra works well with a curved application.  I have also used thin gauge metals, barrel and column board *You can make your own however.  Good Luck!



    ------------------------------
    Todd Hall
    Preparator
    Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University
    Auburn AL
    ------------------------------

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  • 9.  RE: Museum Exhibit Walls

    Posted 11-03-2017 08:48 AM
    Sintra is a good option. I've used 1/8" on a column but we bolted it in. You could test it out - it is quite heavy.

    This is more of a DIY approach, but could you twitac a layer or two of foam core to the middle of the panel? Then it would hit the wall in the center in addition to the edges.

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

    ------------------------------

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  • 10.  RE: Museum Exhibit Walls

    Posted 11-03-2017 08:51 AM
    PS I was assuming your wall curves in. If it curves out, you'd obviously build out the foam core on either side rather than the center. Also not sure how sharp the curve is...

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

    ------------------------------

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  • 11.  RE: Museum Exhibit Walls

    Posted 11-07-2017 03:11 PM
    Do you have any photos of your exhibit?

    ------------------------------
    James Scott
    Education Assistant
    University of Alabama: UA Museums
    ------------------------------

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  • 12.  RE: Museum Exhibit Walls

    Posted 11-08-2017 10:24 AM
    Edited by Kathy Kyle 11-08-2017 10:25 AM
    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more


  • 13.  RE: Museum Exhibit Walls

    Posted 11-08-2017 10:33 AM

    We manufacture curved portable walls as part of our product line. Depending on the radius of the wall you may have some limitations as far as the size of frame you're hanging. You mentioned foam - do your walls have foam in them? Are they permanent walls? 

    I'm biased toward our products, but system works like normal walls - you can hang things and repair the walls as you would drywall (easier than drywall actually). If you did somehow find a way to wear the the cladding out over time, you could simply replace the section.

    We find customers will use the radius areas as entry points, or focus areas, and will generally favor using adhesive graphics over placing a frame of larger artifact on the curved sections.


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  • 14.  RE: Museum Exhibit Walls

    Posted 11-08-2017 11:12 AM
    I've seen a variety of good suggestions for installing on a curve.     A couple other things for consideration.    Our museum also uses the approach of blue (painter's) tape with a layer of either velcro or double stick tape pending on the panels weight.    For heavier panels we support the shear load of the panel by placing a small pin under the bottom edges of the panel so that the tape/velcro isn't carrying the shear load.     

    Another viable solution is using vinyl straight to your wall.   We've had good success with a product called PhotoTex which allows removal of the vinyl without disrupting the paint or wall finish beneath, or leaving an unsightly residue.  

    Good Luck!

    ------------------------------
    Matthew Smith
    Senior Exhibition Designer
    The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
    Kansas City MO
    ------------------------------

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  • 15.  RE: Museum Exhibit Walls

    Posted 11-09-2017 01:39 PM
    ​Have you considered using a heavy-duty Gatorboard or similar product instead of foam board?  Unlike foam board, since gatorboard has interior corrugation, it can curve to fit the wall as long as the corrugation is vertically oriented.

    ------------------------------
    Andrea deTarnowsky, Historic Site Manager
    T.C. Steele State Historic Site
    Indiana State Museum & Historic Sites system
    Nashville IN
    ------------------------------

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