Recently the museum opened its new temporary exhibition ‘Sketched in Stone’. The exhibition showcases a range of the museum’s lithographs collection, ranging from religious ministers portraits to an advertisement for Ajax.
Exhibition entrance (Credit: TOSM)
Without an in house paper conservator, we contracted this specialist work to Marion Mertens. Marion conserved the majority of the lithographs on display, including two large four piece posters. The first of these posters was of Buffalo Bill and the second, Henri the Intoxicated Genius. Marion conserved and pieced together the posters off site and returned them to the museum on a large drum. We were all very excited to see how they turned out when they were returned to the museum.
Unrolling Buffalo Bill. (Credit: Marion Mertens)
With the posters being so large we needed to come up with a way to display them that showed them off in all their glory whilst providing support at the same time. Our AV Tech and mount maker, Chris Kwak, constructed two frames to provide a stable backing whilst keeping the whole assemblage light by using foam core as the substrate, edged with a light pine frame.
Frame made by Chris (Credit: Marion Mertens)
Marion faced these frames with conservation grade corrugated card and then mounted the posters onto the frames using Japanese tissue and wheat starch paste.
Marion working on the frames (Credit: Marion Mertens)
Both posters turned out very well with the frames fitting perfectly.
The next task was installing the poster into a display case at the entrance to the exhibition.
Marion and Chris (Credit: Marion Mertens)
Collections Team assisting Chris to install the two posters (Credit: TOSM)
Once the artworks are installed the light levels are adjusted. It is important to get the light levels right as over exposure can damage archival material. Careful control of the light ensures future generations get to enjoy Buffalo Bill too.
Chris setting the light levels (Credit: TOSM)
Installation complete (Credit: TOSM)
A new feature of this exhibition was inclusion of three videos accessible by touch screen situated in the foyer of the exhibition. The first video demonstrates the processes of how a lithograph is printed. The second video is narrated by myself and explains the collections management and conservation processes that go on behind the screens to prepare the material for display. The final video is of Marion conserving one of the lithographs called ‘The Diggers Pastime’. The lithograph is nicely partnered by the original oil painting on loan from the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. The videos can be viewed below.
To find out more about Buffalo Bill and Henri, and other gems in the lithograph collection, come and see the exhibition it runs until 13th May 2018.
Fiona McLaughlan – Conservator.
Installation complete (Credit: TOSM)