Unburying the Third Floor: A Collections Adventure
By Ashley Adams Serveiss, Collections Manager & Archivist
Scroll through above for a glimpse of the transformation of the former art storage room on the third floor of the Cushing House!
At our volunteer luncheon last Thursday, Shelley, our Operations Manager, said it best: “We don’t really have a slow season.” While other institutions might experience a brief lull now and then, we are unfamiliar with the concept here at the Museum of Old Newbury. There is always something happening at 98 Fruit Street, and the last month has been no exception!
Over the past four weeks, a dedicated crew of staff, interns, volunteers, and professional movers have been working on the third floor of the Cushing House to prepare for a big project that is expected to yield even bigger results. The endeavor in question is what we’ve unimaginatively dubbed “The Third Floor Project,” and it involves moving thousands of collections objects in advance of a much-needed plaster repair and painting project. The end result will be an entire floor of dedicated collections storage space with room for staff, volunteers, and researchers to work and study.
When I first came to the MOON several years ago, I was interning for Bethany while finishing my graduate degree at Simmons. At the time, the third floor looked much like it did last week – furniture, objects, and decorative arts were stacked, piled, and boxed in (literally) every nook and cranny, and had likely remained this way for some time. I still distinctly remember the day Bethany walked me through the third floor and excitedly exclaimed, “It won’t always look like this, I have a plan!” If there’s one thing I can confidently rely on, it is Bethany’s innate ability to put action to words. Now, several years later, we are witnessing those words becoming action in real time.
One corner of the Toy Room before the move. Something for everyone!
Here is what the Toy Room looked like after we had already moved dozens of smaller collections objects.
Last week, Sam Clewley carefully assembled and lined nearly a dozen museum grade shelves. Last week, several of us moved as much as we could into those shelves to make way for the moving crew. Between Sam, Lead Collections Volunteer Sierra Gitlin, Bethany, Shelley, volunteer Scott Nason, and myself, we very quickly filled every shelf in the former Art Storage Room.
Another edition of “Hoarders Buried Alive,” except this is the Gentlemen’s Bedroom! Every drawer in every piece of furniture was also filled with collections material.
At the end of last week, the amazing crew from Splitrock Moving and Logistics spent an entire day relocating the heaviest objects, including bulky furniture, unwieldy artwork, framed samplers, and even a small piano! In the former Archives Room and Gentleman’s Bedroom, the floors are not being redone, so all of the furniture was consolidated to the center of each room. In the Sampler Room, Toy Room, and Military Room, everything had to be moved downstairs to the second floor Library, or upstairs into the Topknot, for temporary storage.
It was a long day, but also a productive one. I think that sometimes we see things so often that we become blind to them, and this was certainly the case for me. I had walked by a milk crate on the Toy Room floor at least a dozen times over the last couple of months, but never realized it was chock full of silver molds from Towle — molds I had been earnestly searching for since last winter! This is the case with many things we found, and will continue to be the case as we assess, catalog, and rehouse these collections in the coming months.
The Toy Room, completely devoid of objects! We’ve carefully sheeted any extant display fixtures ahead of the plasterwork and painting.
Once the plasterwork and painting are complete, we will begin carefully examining and cataloging collection items and housing them in appropriate storage on the third floor. This will be a team effort, involving staff, interns, and volunteers. Our goal is not to hurry into putting collections back, rather, we plan to take our time and have developed a well-thought-out plan. When complete, this project will further elevate the standard at which the Museum of Old Newbury operates, allowing us the brand-new opportunity to welcome scholars of Newbury history, decorative arts, and more to study museum objects up-close and in-person. It will also provide valuable workspace for our incredible Collections Committee members and volunteers to catalog and work with the objects in their respective specialty areas. I cannot tell you how excited I am to see all of these dreams become reality!
The current state of the former Art Storage Room, now our Collections Storage Room #1. As you can see, the shelves are packed after only a few days!
It might be tough to recognize, but this is the Second Floor Library.
It is packed to the gills with collections, but fear not, this is only temporary!
We are immensely grateful to our donors, without whom this project would not be possible. I am excited to jump into this with our amazing team of interns and volunteers over the next few months. Cataloging and properly storing the bulk of the collection has been a longtime dream for many, and we are thrilled to make this a reality. Stay tuned for more as this project progresses throughout the summer!