Hello Diane,

It is hard to find factory made mannequins to fit many collections, typically because many articles of clothing do not carry the same "fit" as their neighbor.

At the Alaska State Museum, we custom made 50 mannequins by taking measurements of the articles, then carving the body forms out of ethefoam. then cover in padding if necessary. They were then covered in stockinette, with a gray finished fabric for any visible mannequin parts (such as the faces). In the cases of hats, helmets, or hoods, we attached Dorfmann head forms, as it was more efficient than to carve out balanced faces. We were also able to build articulating frames to safely provide "action" to the mannequins on display.

By carving each form, we were able to provide proper conservation practices and longevity to the pieces. With many of your racing suits made of leather, this would be a great way to preserve the quality of the artifacts as long as possible. We also found that we got the best mannequin quality per dollar as far as cost goes.

I would love to see some of the suits and current mannequins that you are working with.

Jeffrey Thole

Exhibit Technician, Owner

Thole Exhibits And Mounts (TEAM)

On Tue, Nov 1, 2016 at 6:40 AM, Tiffani Emig <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Diane,

If you are interested in modifying a form to accommodate sleeves, pant legs, etc., you might find this previously recorded Connecting to Collections Care webinar helpful.

Much Ado About Mannequins: Making the Perfect Form (click on the Closed Caption link to view the presentation).

____________________________________________________

Tiffani Emig | CAP Program Coordinator

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t 202-750-3346 | f 202-452-9328

www.conservation-us.org | @conservators | Facebook

FAIC

FOUNDATION of the AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CONSERVATION

1156 15th St., NW | Suite 320 | Washington, DC | 20005

From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]LSOFT.COM] On Behalf Of Diane Hall
Sent: Monday, October 31, 2016 10:55 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Museum Mannequins

Hello Everyone,

I'm a new collections manager at a museum that has a large number of items related to motorcycles/motorcycle racing. We have a lot of racing leathers that are currently being displayed on some very old, not very stable, mannequins. I looking for a cost effective way to replace them. Some of the racing leathers are full body one pieces, with others are two pieces, and most have helmets.

I'm having trouble finding mannequins that will work for these objects. The mannequins need to have heads (for the helmets), and need to be able to display the one-piece outfits (most of the mannequins I've found have support rods that make them unusable for this)

Any suggestions?

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