5.0 Exhibition, artifacts care and climate control
The museum has a temporary exhibition gallery which includes environmentally sealed cabinets, UV shielded lights and all equipment needed to monitor the artifacts, such as:
- Hygrographs
- Data loggers
- De-humidifiers and humidifiers
- Air conditioning
The museum also has backup generators for climate control equipment.
A few extra consumables will need to be purchased to accommodate the exhibition, such as silica gel packs. Because the materials that make up the collection vary, considerations will have to be taken in to account based on the composition of artifacts in each cabinet.
5.1 Fabric, textiles and wood
The cabinets containing artefacts comprising of Fabric, Textiles and Woods such as clothing and paintings will have to be kept at RH level of 46-54% and a temperature range of 16-20°C, This is the range for tight control and has been chosen to safeguard the integrity of the paintings.
5.2 Musical instruments
The rule of thumb for mixed collections of stable objects is an RH of 50-60% and temperature of 19-23°C so this is what shall be used for the instruments.
5.3 Vinyl
The vinyl records can be kept in the RH range of 50-60% between 19-23°C.
5.4 Plastics
The plastics shall be kept in the 50-60% RH and 19-23°C range, in line with the mixed collections of stable objects rule.
5.5 Film and Photographs
As the film are rare and in colour, they shall be kept within the tight control ranges of 20-30% RH and <2°C.
5.6 Books and Magazines
The Collection of comics shall be kept within 40-65% RH and between 15-20°C recommended for paper.
5.7 Large working objects
The Austin Mini Cooper is in full road-worthy condition so will need to be displayed/stored in the museum foyer/reception area due to it having fuel in its petrol tank (the foyer being large enough to park the vehicle and ventilated well enough to disperse any petrol fumes). The Triumph motorcycle and the Lambretta scooter are in display condition (drained of all liquids and are bolted upright to solid stands) so will need to be kept in the 45-66% RH and 19-23°C range.
5.8 LUX
As stated before the artefacts on loan to the museum are in good condition and in general are not a delicate collection, therefore light exposure is not a concern in this instance.
5.9 Pest control
The museum environment is kept very clean and hovered regularly to protect against mite infestations. Glue traps are also kept in display cabinets and the rooms are sprayed with pesticide at night before closing. The RH levels in the rooms are kept between 45-55% which also helps to keep bugs and insects at bay, this RH level differentiates from the sealed artifact display cabinets, however, as stated before, glue traps are placed inside the cabinets and the cabinets are regularly checked for pests. If any are found the artifact is isolated in self sealing polythene bags and the pests are removed and exterminated. If the object is infested then techniques such as freezing, double freezing and anoxia treatments can be used on the artefact.
6.0 Transportation
The majority of the collection will transported by myself and two museum volunteers to and from the museum in a large van donated for the days required by Udrive of Poole (donated to the museum on the understanding that we will display two large banners at the museums entrance for the duration of the exhibition, these banners bear the Udrive company logo and will be supplied by Udrive themselves). The Austin Mini Cooper will be delivered by Mr Van who is going to personally drive the vehicle to the museum and then back after the exhibition has ended removing any need for either a vehicle haulage firm or insurance for the vehicle by the museum whilst it is in transport.
6.1 Inspection and Condition reports
Before the artefacts are packed away and transported they must be inspected by both parties for any signs of wear or damage. If any levels of wear or damage are identified, a condition report must be filled in and signed by the lender; photographic evidence may also be required. This is to make sure there are no disputes about the condition of the artefacts upon return of the collection; both parties must be present.
6.2 Packaging
It will be necessary for the artefacts to be packaged well in acid free boxes suitable for the transport of museum collections. As the transport is being supervised and the collection is not fragile, there is no need for either party to provide extensive protective packaging materials such as acid free paper and bubble wrap, however small amounts of these shall be used out of caution. The artifacts shall first be wrapped in acid free paper before bubble wrap as the bubble wrap can be acidic. Also, the packaging materials will be provided at the museums cost.
7.0 Events
In line with section 3.4 of the museums association’s Code of ethics for museums guide, the museum has organised a couple of interactive events that will run over the course of the weekend. These include:
7.1 Disco Event
Dance Instructors Grace and disco Stew have been employed to run an interactive 60’s disco and dance session at intervals throughout Saturday and Sunday. They will teach members of the public how to dance like 60’s disco legends and perform several of their own 60’s themed dance routines throughout the days. This will help the public to gain a better perspective of the swinging sixties dance culture.
7.2 The Film Room
The film room shall be operating throughout both days and will be run by John. It shall be showing footage from some of the films on display, such as the classic James Bond film; Dr no. It will also be showing the makings of some of the films in the collection so as the public can gain an understanding of cinematography at during the 60’s. The actual film reels shall not be used. Instead DVD copies of the films shall be played for preservation purposes. I do however stress that this is authentic footage from the reels, just re-mastered.
7.3 Lego corner
This interactive exhibition and construction session is dedicated to the wonders of Lego, the toy that gave joy to many children during the 60’s and for many generations after. It shall show pictures of some of the world’s greatest Lego constructions and the slight changes in design over the years. It shall also challenge member of the public to create their own Lego masterpiece constructions.
8.0 Health and safety
The general health and safety procedures for the exhibition will rely on the common sense of the general public, However, this does not mean the museum and its staff will not follow strict health and safety guidelines as it always does. General health and safety requirements are that the museum is to be kept free of clutter and tripping objects, no sharp objects or equipment are to be left exposed to the public. Objects with moving parts shall carry additional warning signs on them. Fire exits shall be kept clear, made clearly visible and made aware of on the map at the entrance to the museum. Directional fire lighting is also in place, this demonstrates the closest fire exit upon an emergency with specially lit signs.
8.1 H&S Disco event
The disco event is a primary health and safety concern as there is so much opportunity for injury. However both instructors are trained in first aid and very health and safety conscious. There will be a short cardio warm up of around 5 minutes and stretches before any dancing or routines are undertaken. Also the number of people per instructor on the dance floor shall be limited to 10.
8.2 H&S Film room
The only health and safety concern with the film room is that there shall be very low levels of lighting during the screenings; isle lighting is in place to counteract the potential tripping hazard.
8.3 H&S Lego corner
There is minimal health and safety concerns with Lego corner as the parents are required to accompany their children and supervise them, also as stated earlier, Mary shall be supervising and is highly qualified in childcare.
9.0 Insurance
Nail to nail insurance will be used for the transport of the exhibition. Once the exhibition is set up then the artefacts shall be covered by the museums contents insurance.
10.0 Costing
For information on the total costs of the exhibition and cost breakdown for individual areas, please see appendix.
11.0 Conclusion
To conclude, this exhibition is viable and can be run on a tight budget. The museum is more than adequate to house the collection and the weekend should run smoothly. Transportation has been easy to arrange and the organised events should help draw a larger crowd.
12.0 Reference list
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