Educating museum visitors

Shelley Reisman Paine <shelley [at] srpaine__com> writes

>I have a client who wants to construct a display for the lobby of
>her museum that illustrates why visitors should not touch artwork.

National Trust conservators in the southwest of England have a
series of small picture frames containing samples of materials
(wallpaper, fur, textile etc). One set is glazed and cannot be
touched, the other, mounted alongside, is unglazed and visitors are
allowed to touch the surface. Within a few weeks the difference
between the two sets becomes apparent and visitors have an
incontrovertible example of the damage they do. The greasy, dirty
wallpaper, worn fabric and furless hide are dramatic witnesses that
need little further explanation.

Helena Jaeschke
Conservation Development Officer
+44 1392 665951
Royal Albert Memorial Museum
Queen Street
Exeter EX4 3RX


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 19:11
                  Distributed: Friday, August 26, 2005
                       Message Id: cdl-19-11-006
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