Museum-l'ers,

        I am pretty sure that this has been asked on this list in the past.
However, repetition unto success....  Our institution has a number of
quilts that we would like to display on a temporary basis.  At some
point in the past, the museum attached muslin sleeves to the back so
that the quilts could be hung.  My problem is that the very quilts
that our Exhibits Curator would be most interested in are also the
most delicate (silk fabric, brittleness, odd bits like photos sewn
in).  I am hesitant to hang them by these sleeves.  My thought is
that gravity itself will do damage to the brittle, delicate fabrics.
We are looking for an alternative method of displaying these items
that won't break the budget.  Our thought has been to build sealed
plywood supports that would not only be equal to the surface area of
the quilt, but that would also come out from the wall at a 22 degree
angle (so the quilts are hanging straight down).  This support would
then be covered with ethafoam.  Does this sound like a workable
plan??  Are there any other suggestions??  What have other people
done??


Patricia McElyea                                 Unless the heart sees
Curator of Collections                           The mind will never see.
Arkansas State
   University Museum                                      --Maori proverb
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