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Detail of exhibition detailed floor plans and elevations
October 1, 2022

From the Vaults to the Gallery Walls: Creating Exhibitions from CHS Collections

October is Archives Month, a time to acknowledge and celebrate archives across the country, from the smallest historical societies and special collections libraries to the National Archives and the Library of Congress. All of these institutions play a vital role in preserving millions of records so that histories are not lost, destroyed, or forgotten. Through exhibitions, these valuable records can be placed in relation to one another and given context and full explanation. What follows is a behind-the scenes tour of the journey CHS’s maps took as they traveled from the vaults to the gallery walls of our Mapping a Changing California: From the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Century exhibition.

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From the Vaults to the Gallery Walls: Creating Exhibitions from CHS Collections

In its vaults, the California Historical Society (CHS) holds an extensive array of manuscripts, photographs, maps, artifacts, scrapbooks, and ephemera. Making these materials accessible to people across the state, and the world, is part of our mission. While our digitization program is rapidly expanding so that items are viewable online, we are also fortunate to have gallery space where our staff can curate stories of California—highlighting what we have in our collections, filling gaps in the historical record, and bringing to the forefront histories that deepen our knowledge of this vast and diverse state. Through exhibitions, documents and artifacts can be placed in relation to one another and given context and full explanation.

While CHS frequently connects with other archives to support our exhibitions, most often we source materials from our own holdings. Such is the case with our latest exhibition, Mapping a Changing California: From the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Century, which was drawn from our collection of more than five thousand maps. The show was organized by guest curator Paige Laduzinsky with direction and support from CHS’s Director of Exhibitions & Engagement, Erin Garcia.

The process of creating an exhibition—from the first discussions over subject matter, to fleshing out context and historical background, to installing often rare and fragile artifacts—requires many months. What follows is a behind-the scenes tour of the journey CHS’s maps took as they traveled from the vaults to the gallery walls.

Collections staff reviewing a map from the CHS archive
Collections staff reviewed hundreds of maps and shared their findings with the curators, working toward final selections.

 

 

Collections staff scanning records from CHS archive
Maps selected for exhibition were scanned and, if needed, sent out for conservation.

 

Curators developing content
Curators hit the books to learn about the maps, then wrote the in-gallery texts. The texts went through multiple rounds of editing and review by outside advisors, then were sent to a designer for layout.
Close up: Measuring a map Sample of a wall plan for exhibition development Sample of a floor plan for exhibition development

The curators began designing the show by first carefully measuring the maps for frames and vitrines. Curatorial staff prepared detailed floor plans and elevations to ensure that everything would fit in the allocated spaces. A designer began creating graphic materials and helped staff decide on a color palette for the galleries.

 

Interior: Sterling Art Services
Once the layout and design phases were completed, art shippers transported the maps from CHS to Sterling Art Services for framing.

 

Gallery installation: Patching and painting the walls
To prepare the galleries for installation, Raleigh Thompson (on the ladder) and his crew of painters patched and painted the walls.

 

Gallery Installation: Preparing the show
Then, preparators Gina Borg (left) and Gavin Lee (right) began installing the show.

 

Detail of exhibition installation
Framed maps were hung on the walls, and supporting collection materials went into vitrines.

 

Front of CHS showing vinyl installation
Signage vendors installed vinyl signs on gallery walls and hung exterior graphics.

 

Staff working on exhibit installation
Staff and preparators printed out paper wall labels and made adjustments to materials in cases.

 

Preparators measuring light levels
Preparators measured light levels and adjusted lights as needed.

 

Mapping a Changing California entry wall to exhibit
And on August 25, 2022, we opened our doors to the public!

 

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