Regular readers will know that Museum is closed over the winter whilst we upgrade our main Collections Store and smaller Art Store thanks to generous funding from the North Herts Prosperity Fund and the Brian Leslie Racher Trust.
December has focused on clearing the stores and carrying out maintenance work. Over three days we emptied almost the entirety of our collection into the main Museum space. We rediscovered some fascinating objects and artworks along the way, giving us lots of ideas for future temporary exhibitions. Both stores have been redecorated thanks to some brilliant volunteers from Johnson Matthey. We’ve also replaced a rotten window frame and installed new lighting and flooring.
The new year will start with the installation of our new bespoke storage. The most exciting part is the rolling shelving in the main Collections Store, which will increase our storage capacity by approximately 30%. We’ll then begin the slightly daunting task of moving everything back into the stores.
Our wonderful volunteers have been busy reviewing and caring for the collections. This has included checking and updating details in our catalogue, which is essentially our go-to database where we record everything we know about all of the objects in our care.
We’ve also been recruiting for a Collections Assistant to support Sophie, our Curator, and are delighted that Francesca will be joining us in the new year.
We’re on track to reopen ready for February half term, so we’ll see you at the Museum soon!
Emma, Museum Manager
