What does it take to install the Period Rooms?

Q: What does it take to install the Period Rooms?

A: A whole lot of people!

In future posts, we’ll describe how the Schenck House was moved, but right now we are in the thick of preparing the entire floor to re-open to the public. A great deal of dust was generated from the construction of the past two years. Melanie Tran is pictured here vacuuming chairs in the Danbury Room. Melanie is a volunteer in the Conservation Lab, who is interested in attending a graduate training program in art conservation. Getting experience in a conservation lab is one of the requirements for a graduate program.

Here are two of the Museum’s art handlers, Jason and Jim, working with our current intern from the University of Delaware graduate program in art conservation, Jakki Godfrey. They are reinstalling the doors on a piece of furniture called a kas. The kas was recently treated anoxically for a pest infestation. The object was placed in a chamber and the oxygen was exchanged for argon gas, causing the wood eating insects to be exterminated. This technique has the advantage of not leaving toxic residues behind.

The vacuuming and reinstalling will continue for the next couple of weeks.

Please come and visit when the rooms open!

Lisa Bruno

Objects Conservator