Collections Care

Mannequin Preparation

At the Victoria and Albert Museum, I prepared fiber glass and papier-mâché mannequins for short- and long-term display of constructed and draped garments, including:

Mount Making

At the Abegg-Stiftung, I made pressure mounts for archaeological textiles including:

Gallery Maintenance

At both the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum, I assisted in routine gallery and exhibit maintenance, vacuuming textiles on longterm display and conducting condition checks.

Install & Deinstall

At the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Abegg-Stiftung, I assisted in the deinstallation of large exhibitions including Senga Negudi: Topologies and Delights of Dining: Historic Linen Damasks.

At the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum, I assisted in the installation of displays as part of gallery rotations, as well as the exhibition Africa Fashion.

Couriers and Loans

At the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I assisted in a virtual courier appointment as part of Senga Negudi: Topologies.

At the Victoria and Albert Museum, I prepared a jamdani stole for transportation and loan to the Manchester Museum (shown above).

Collections Surveys

At the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I conducted a condition survey of the collection’s white empire waist gowns dating between 1800 and 1820. All dresses were assessed for their suitability for display in the museum’s American Galleries. From this survey, the dresses were ranked based on their treatment needs and suitability. One dress was treated based on the survey results.

Rehousing

I have created custom storage and shipping housings for a wide variety of objects, including a basketry cap, which needed to be rehoused for repatriation and handling, and a collection of 57 archaeological textile fragments.

Integrated Pest Management

At the Abegg-Stiftung, I assisted with routine pest monitoring and trap replacement in the gallery and storage spaces. I have also treated a wide array of textiles infested with moths, including a fur overcoat.

Light & Climate Monitoring

At the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I conducted microfade testing to determine the appropriate length of time and light levels for a bandolier bag’s display.

I have also assessed the climate data for small and large museums, including the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, Morris Library Special Collections at the University of Delaware, and the Academy Art Museum in Easton, MD.

Images courtesy and copyright of the Abegg-Stiftung, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Victoria and Albert Museum