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Behind the Scenes: Collection Move

The Gaston County Museum of Art and History is moving its collection, and we want to take you along for the ride! Over the last 40 years, the museum’s collection has grown to include over 10,000 objects and 15,000 archival materials. In order to meet the needs of our community, the museum’s collection will be moving to a new storage location in Dallas this summer, 2021.

To document this experience, the Museum has started a new project called Behind the Scenes: Collection Move, where we will share every step of the moving process, from planning to transportation.

Join us on Facebook or on our website for bi-weekly updates!

Cleaning

At the Gaston County Museum, it is the Registrar’s job to oversee the physical care of the museum’s collection. This includes monitoring temperature and humidity levels, pest management, and cleaning routines. As we prepare for our collection move, cleaning has become a crucial step in the process!

In order to clean our precious artifacts and archive we rely on a few things, including but not limited to:

Nitrile gloves (for artifact protection)
Hog hair and Bamboo brushes (useful for book cleaning and those delicate, hard to reach places)
100% Cotton Rags
Cotton Q-tips
Aprons
HEPA filtered vacuums (cleans artifacts and the air too!)
70 % isopropyl alcohol (for mold and stubborn dirt)
Particulate respirator (for personal protection)

I know… this is not your mother’s cleaning supplies list, but look at the results!

Research

While cleaning and inventory are essential in preparing for a collection move, we cannot forget about the importance of collection housing. In order to ensure the long-term care and preservation of our objects, the Gaston County Museum has plans to rehouse the bulk of its collection by June of this year. Rehousing is a process that involves stabilizing an artifact using interior and exterior supports, minimizing the deterioration of objects over time. Collections intern, Sarah Dutton, has devoted her time to researching proper rehousing practices that include, but are not limited to:

Proper textile boxing
Mounts for hats, purses, and needlework
Pot/bowl/cup containers
Frames and covers used for bulk collections
Packing methods for transport

The most common materials found in collections storage include polyethylene, sometimes marketed under the brand names Tyvek and Volara, undyed cotton or muslin, and acid-free paper used in boxes, folders, support boards and more. Information on artifact housing is not hard to find. Sarah reflects on her experience stating, “I spent most of my time combing through Pinterest, museum websites, finding old museum conference presentations, and falling down rabbit holes of frankly very obscure blogs.”

Shelving and Storage

Shelving and storage considerations are a huge part of collection move planning. Museum collection shelving and storage are the designated spaces in which museum collections live. This storage must meet standards and requirements for preservation, accessibility, and protection.

While it is important to find storage that houses your entire collection adequately, you also have to plan for growth. As the museum looks to grow its art collection, we have put extra emphasis on art storage. In our research, we have found art racks and hanging screens to be most accommodating, as many of our works of art are framed to hang. Flat file cases also provide excellent storage space for paper-based art such as prints and sketches.

We are happy to be working with such a great space, and look forward to being one step closer to our collection move!

Planning

Planning gives you the ability to make effective decisions pertaining to the task at hand. With the collection move just a couple months away, the collection staff has met and made plans for a number of things including:

• Rehousing

• Cleaning

• Shelving and storage needs

The Gaston County Museum has a small staff with enormous talent. Over the next couple of weeks, the Registrar will be meeting with members of the staff to discuss their role in the collection move. This part of planning is tricky, but if we are going to have the entire collection moved by fall, we will need all hands on deck! If there is anything COVID has taught us in the workplace, it’s to stay flexible.

COLLECTIONS

PAYSOUR CORRESPONDANCE

MILL PAINTING

HIGHLAND COMMUNITY

SMYRE BELL

Dr. Will's Surgical Binoculars

Tony's Ice Cream Wagon

Dr. Erwin's Bag

Ralph Ray, Jr.

Historic Hoffman Hotel

Collecting In Crisis

The Covid-19 pandemic and the civil rights crisis here in America have taken the world by storm. As our lives shift, the Gaston County Museum of Art and History would like to document these moments in history, and we are asking the people of Gaston County to help us by sharing their experiences.

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