Hello everyone! As many of our patrons know, the Bayside Yacht Club Exhibit is currently on display in our 1st-floor gallery and will be available for viewing from now until early 2020. I thought it would be fun to show our viewers some of the “behind-the-scenes” preparation work that the staff here at Bayside Historical Society did in Spring 2019 prior to the exhibition opening!
Part 1 – What to exhibit and how?
Bayside Historical Society (BHS) was long overdue for a new exhibit, and it was decided that the Actor’s Enclave exhibit had run its course and would need to be replaced. I was put to the task of coming up with a new exhibit that would be relevant to Bayside’s local history and so, I looked to the Archives as my main source of inspiration.
We at Bayside Historical Society understood that artifacts and photos are not only pretty to look at but also have stories to tell. Therefore, it would only be appropriate to bring out the best of our artifacts by giving them the spotlight! Thus, Bayside Historical Society’s From the Archives exhibit series was born, and with the concept created, we needed to decide how to go about bringing the materials up for display in the most appropriate manner.
With the takedown of the Actor’s Enclave exhibit, BHS took the liberty to update the Officer’s Lounge with a fresh coat of white paint and some new display furniture. The deliberations over what new furniture would be best suited for the Historical Society’s purposes was long and drawn out because while we knew that the old moveable displays had to go, we did not know what a good replacement for them would be. In the end, we opted to purchase furniture that is easy to move and versatile enough to be reused in the future for other exhibits (as opposed to highly specialized furniture meant to accommodate a specific type of object).
Glass display cases will flank one side of the wall while a rail and cable system will occupy the south and west walls. The cases are large enough to accommodate the documents and small objects of the archive but are small enough to be out of the way during hosted events and parties. Additionally, they would provide adequate protection for original documents that we would wish to display so that I wouldn’t have to worry for their safety day in and day out. As for the rail system, it was chosen because it would be able to accommodate everything from an oversized painting to a tiny portrait through the use of steel cables that slide along the rails installed close to the ceiling. We believe them to be great additions to our gallery space because they can be adjusted vertically and horizontally to change exhibit arrangements without putting new holes in the wall every time! 😁