In my experience, you look for a multitude of things. First, you look for objects that demonstrate what you want to say depending on exhibit topic. Then, you look for strength and visual appeal. some objects are extremely fragile, but tell a story that no other object can tell, then you decide how to exhibit it, taking into account light levels and other conservation issues. generally if there is a choice between objects that are similar, the one with the least deterioration would be likely to go up.

Also with silks, remember, not all are horribly fragile. Late 19th and early 20th century ones were wighted with metallic mordents, and because of this have inherant vices, but earlier silks and ones of high quality are much less fragile when handled correctly. Light wil fade them, but most damage can come from bugs, handling, folds, mold, humidity, etc.

Elizabeth Walton
www.clotheslinejournal.com
-------Original Message-------
From: Kerry Schantz <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 04/29/03 11:56 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: student question: silk textiles

>
> I'm writing a term paper about the care and conservation of silk textiles.
After researching the methods of preventive conservation of silk, my
question is:

How do you decide which silk pieces to exhibit considering that any light
is said to be damaging to the textile?  What criteria do you look for when
deciding which pieces to exhibit and under what conditions?

Thank you,

Kerry Schantz
--
_______________________________________________
Sign-up for your own FREE Personalized E-mail at Mail.com
<a target=_blank
href="http://www.mail.com/?sr=signup">http://www.mail.com/?sr=signup</a>

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at <a target=_blank
href="http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/">http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/</a> .
You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending
a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of
the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
[log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff
Museum-L" (without the quotes).
>

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).