Moving the permanent collection into a brand new building begs for new casework to put the objects onto and into. The aesthetic of the new building is sleek and modern, and this dictates the style of casework. The new cases are similar to our existing cases by just enough to refurbish many and yet different enough to demand a good bit of attention in the carpentry shop.
We have begun the long process of construction of each of these new cases–148 in total. In fact, we are deep into it. The measuring, cutting, building, and painting will be complete by the end of June and the cases will wait for their debut in their new home next spring.
This sleek modern aesthetic of the new building also dictates the color we paint things. Everything is white. But not just any white, it is called Super White. And it is WHITE. Every case, pedestal, wall case, platform, and plinth is painted white.
Our storage area looks like a bank of fresh snow that’s waist deep, but if you look closely you’ll see that every piece is slightly different, built to exacting specifications for each particular work of art. All these cases are much like snow flakes in a blizzard… each one is unique and there are so many in one place!
Kathryn Briggs is the Exhibition Production Assistant. She helps build snowflakes that make up the blizzard of casework in the new gallery building. The storm begins in April 2010.