Week 9: Panel, Table, Trunk

Hello Reader,

This week marked the final phase of physical work on the Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Exhibit at the Bonnet House Museum and Gardens. Although I wasn’t able to come in on Monday as I had planned (due to an injured ankle over the weekend), I was still able to make it in on Wednesday and Thursday to move the exhibit closer to completion. This post is organized into the three key components of the exhibit we finalized this week: the panel, the table display, and the trunk installation.

The Panel

Completed Panel
The vertical display panel holds the mounted photos and interpretive signage that introduce visitors to Helen’s story. Most of the signage had already been mounted, but there were a few pieces that needed to be redone due to cutting issues last week. I re-mounted those, applied Velcro to the backs of each piece, and arranged everything on the panel in its final layout. Once complete, we placed the panel in a closet near the Music Room overnight to make sure everything stayed secure.

To support the panel safely without damaging any historic surfaces, Dan, our groundskeeper, built a base so the panel could stand freely. This allows the panel to remain stable and visible without having to lean against any walls or structures in the house. With that in place, our work on the panel was finished.

Mounting and Velcro

The Table Display

Finalized Table Display

The next part of the exhibit is the table display, which features several of Helen’s personal items beneath a clear exhibit box. Although I had finalized the selection of items earlier, I still needed to create a legend to help visitors identify what each piece represents. Each item was labeled with a small Scrabble-style tile, and I created a corresponding key for reference.

We had limited space to work with, so I sorted through old frames in the archival room and found a tall, narrow frame that fit perfectly beside the exhibit case. Additionally, Dan cut a piece of plexiglass to cover the drawer in the table, which contains books that Helen owned and signed. I cleaned the plexiglass and placed it over the open drawer—a perfect fit that completed the table portion of the display.

The Trunk & Capricious Winds
The last section of the exhibit, the display of Capricious Winds, was by far the simplest to complete. Using Helen’s old travel trunk, we created a small reading station by placing a table inside the open trunk and setting out a copy of her poetry book for guests to flip through. Katie and I looked around various parts of the house, including dry storage and offices, before we eventually found the perfect-sized table in the volunteer lounge.

While setting up the trunk, Katie showed me the inserts that had lined the interior. She pointed out damage caused by insects, explaining that the bugs hadn’t been targeting the fabric or wood themselves, but rather the glue used to bind it (since older adhesives often contained animal materials). It was a fascinating bit of preservation insight and a reminder of how many details go into maintaining historical objects.

We are looking into having Capricious Winds reprinted in a more accessible and larger flip book for patrons to flip through. In the meantime, we will be using the copy given to us by our friends at Glen Helen (since it is a reproduction and can be handled by guests).

By the end of the week, all three components of the exhibit were finalized and nearly ready for installation. Despite a minor setback early in the week, it was a productive and satisfying few days of hands-on work.

More soon,
Maria Formoso

P.S. One perk of working at a museum? When there’s an event happening on-site, you get to enjoy the benefits of catering. This week’s reward: a surprise mid-day charcuterie board!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 10: Exhibit? Installed. Research? Activated. Blog? Published

Image
Hello Reader, This week at Bonnet House was one of wrapping things up and diving into something entirely new. I finalized the Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Exhibit, took on a meaningful research project about two Haitian paintings in the Haitian Loggia, and even wrote a blog post for the official Bonnet House website. Here's how it all unfolded: The Exhibit Is Officially Open Completed Exhibit in the Music Room On Wednesday, I brought all three components of the Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Exhibit (the panel, the table display, and the travel trunk) down to the Music Room for final installation. There was a small hiccup when we realized that placing the trunk too close to the mirror might cause damage, so we adjusted the layout of the room to accommodate everything safely. Once the layout was finalized, I completed the last pieces of signage and labeling, and the exhibit officially opened to the public. After weeks of research, planning, mounting, editing, and rearranging, it...
Read more

Week 5: Exhibits, Archives, and a Little Restoration Work

Image
Frederick's Studio Hello Reader, This week at the Bonnet House Museum and Gardens, I continued my work on the Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Exhibit and also had the opportunity to take on some unexpected and fascinating collections work. It was a week of both planning and hands-on tasks that gave me a deeper appreciation for the responsibilities involved in museum work. Wednesday: Exhibit Planning Planning the layout Since I had finished writing the signage text and pulling archival materials last week, my goal this week was to move forward with the physical setup of the Helen exhibit. Katie and I began by looking through the boards that had been used in previous exhibits. We decided on a 7-foot-tall tan fabric board that had previously served as a room partition in the studio. Using the signage text I had written, I decided on the corresponding photographs and began mapping out how everything would be arranged on the board. I used Canva to create a digital mockup, organizing the...
Read more