On Dec 18, 2006, at 10:13 AM, Cheryl Kramer wrote:
> Lately I have been researching Gallery and Museum spaces for a  
> proposed construction project, and I read that a Museum/Gallery  
> should devote "40% of space to exhibitions, 40% to storage and 20%  
> to administrative offices, etc."  The author did not explain this  
> figure.
>
> This raises 3 questions:
> 1) Is this the current thinking?

No. And it never was accepted as "correct" by the museum community.   
If you look at actual museums, you will see that they vary widely in  
the amount of space used for each function.

> 2) Where would education/classroom space fit in?

We use between six and ten categories when quantifying museum space.   
Education is almost always its own category.

> 3) Would the prep area be included in the storage figure?

If it is an area devoted to the care of collections, probably,  
because you would want it near the collections storage.  If it is  
exhibit prep, probably not.

> A fourth question, unrelated to square footage, involves dedicated  
> storage space versus shared space.  The architect wants up to  
> include our painting storage (rolling racks) and our print files in  
> the same room as the prep area and student worker area.  I feel  
> this is a bad idea because, without a lockable room of its own the  
> works will be exposed to risks from too many areas (security, dust  
> and other environmental hazards, light, etc.)  Would any of you  
> advocate for a large room that encompasses storage of all
> 2-d works, preparatory and study area, student worker and intern  
> stations and Gallery archives?  Call me a nervous Nelly, but I just  
> don't like the idea...

Not to be too blunt, but your architect is naive and needs to listen  
to his clients.  You understand both museums and your needs better  
than he or she does.  Insist on a separate storage area.

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