Standard mount sizes

Kirsten Elliott <kelliott76 [at] yahoo__co__uk> writes

>centre. As a result, over the next few years, the Fine Art
>... Many of the works on
>paper need remounting and we are using this opportunity to adopt a
>system of standard size mounts and Solander boxes for storage. ...

boxes for storage. ...."

and in response to the thoughtful comments of Graeme Gollan, (in
Cons DistList Inst. 17:13):

The use of standard mount or mat board sizes (and its sub-multiples)
as a guide, certainly produces a degree of efficiency since there is
no wastage in cutting. The resulting mount sizes are few, making
standardized storage practical. As Graeme says; "... no matter what
size you choose, as long as you stick with it, it should work".

The problem is that the sizes selected this way, ignore completely
the aesthetic needs of the artwork or document and produce odd,
disproportionate margins, often unsuitable for display in an
exhibit. Yet many institutions continue to use variations of this
method, assuming that other methods would be too cumbersome or too
costly.

Thinking long and hard about this issue coupled with the analysis of
thousands of framing records over many years, produced the
development of a different system, one that is driven by the size
and needs of the artwork rather than by extraneous considerations.
Overall outer dimensions of the mount are determined by the
difference between the width and the length of the desired visible
area of the artwork, creating visually pleasing proportions.

It is really the philosophy of the standardization of sizes which
makes this system work and this is what makes it relevant to the
application Kirsten has in mind. Details are difficult to convey in
this forum, but I will gladly answer all inquiries off list. A
Google search on "museum exhibit framing" will yield pertinent links
and an earlier posting contains some useful details:

    <URL:http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/
        byform/mailing-lists/cdl/2001/1296.html>

    **** Moderator's comments: The above URL has been wrapped for
    email. There should be no newline.

George Schwartz
ConservArt - Master Frame Makers and Art Conservators
<URL:http://www.ConservArt.com>
8177 Glades Road #16 - Boca Raton, FL 33434 U.S.A.
561-482-7292
Fax: 561-482-6787


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 17:14
                   Distributed: Friday, July 25, 2003
                       Message Id: cdl-17-14-002
                                  ***