Renee Montgomery is looking for any leads to museums or art foundations with
"open storage" for paintings, prints and drawings (framed or unframed).  By
"open storage" she means storerooms where the public or
visitors-by-appointment (scholars) can access or see objects in storage with
no or minimal staff assistance.

We may be asked to design such storage for a special donation.  Other than
perhaps the following ideas, the collections staff is having difficulty
conceiving of an open storage technique that is safe for artworks, that is
space and cost efficient, and that won't break down from wear:

-  A backroom or "lesser" gallery hung floor to ceiling with framed works.

-  Prints encapsulated in mylar (but these would still need someone to get
them out, we don't want visitors rummaging freely through storage drawers).

-  Pull out drawers with framed or encapsulated works (but from past
experience we know that such drawers tend to jam and quickly break down from
use). (Also, one can only store a few pieces in each drawer.)

-  Framed works hung on screens (but we're worried about the public or even
scholars pulling and tugging the screens freely and often --the wear and
tear on the artworks).

Any ideas out there on open storage that works and doesn't pose safety
hazards to the collections?

Please respond off-line to [log in to unmask]  Thank you.
Cathy Sturgeon
Administrative Assistant
Collections Management
x6124