Acrylic does pose problems for long term storage. Despite plastic's
reputation for lasting forever, acrylic grows brittle with time, and unless
it is stored flat and fully supported it bows under its own weight.
If you were thinking of using it a construction material, there are more
problems. Joints created using acrylic solvent (the standard method)are
weaker than the surrounding material. If using acrylic with other
materials, you have to find an adhesive or resin that works with both
materials (acrylic only likes to bond with itself)and then worry about what
the compound off-gasses and how well it lasts over time. If you try to get
around the joint problem by mechanical means, say with screwed in metal
fittings, you still run the risk of cracking the acrylic while drilling
holes, and additional cracks developing as you load the structure, or as the
structure ages.
Steal is probably your best bet for the artwork, but you may not need a
cabinet. One popular formation is essentially (and this is a
simplification) metal mesh framed with steel tubing mounted on wheels that
follow metal tracks in the floor and ceiling. Artwork, on stretchers or
framed, is then hung from the mesh using S-hooks. This creates a very
flexible system that minimizes wear and tear on the artwork. Of course this
depends on your needs, what type of space you have and your budget.
You can contact me off-list for some vendor names and catalogs. Even if you
use your current shelving vendor to do the work, visits and bids from museum
vendors can make you more aware of the costs and concerns of storage. It
would also be a good idea to visit with the staff of some local history or
art museums to see how they handle art storage on large and small budgets.
Good luck.
Margaret Lyman
Collections Manager
Mutter Museum, College of Physicians of Philadelphia
215-563-3737x244
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Tanya Elder [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 1999 2:11 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Plexiglas Cabinets for Artwork Storage
Hello,
I am not an official member of this list, but I have a question concerning
custom-built art storage containers and cabinets. I am the Archivist of The
Riverside Church in New York City. We have a collection of paintings on
canvass, and we are looking to create a storage environment for them. The
paintings themselves range in varying sizes. We have contacted our shelving
supplier, who is drawing up plans to create a art storage cabinet with
rolling interior shelves. He suggested custom-building a plexiglas
construction as opposed to a steel cabinet. Plexiglas is also cheaper. I
know that museums use plexiglas for displays, but are there any concerns
over the use of plexiglas for long-term art storage? Is there anything
specific I should consider in terms of storing paintings?
As a bonus question, our shelving supplier is also drawing up plans to
create a cabinet of the same material types for a collection of 16",
glass-based and vinyl recordings from the 1930s - 1950s. Any ideas on how
plexiglas and the vinyl coating would get along after, say, 20 years?
Any help you can provide will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Tanya Elder
Archivist
The Riverside Church
490 Riverside Drive
New York, NY 10027
(212) 870-6815
=========================================================
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