A Room Revisited

I am interested in using this "blog" technology to highlight a few of the ongoing projects here at The Alice. There are many elements here that inherently change: the exhibits come and go, events are presented each month, and our dedication to conservation means that the collection itself undergoes transformation - I'll highlight some recent projects in that realm in another blog. However, our public may not realize that there is also the conservation of the museum building, rooms, structures... our outer shell - and this creates change in the museum appearance, and in the way each visitor experiences the museum.

Yesterday I finished hanging the artwork and placing the objects back into what we call the Sheraton Room. This is the second floor bedroom in the northwest corner, named for the style of chairs that grace the room. The Sheraton Room has been the home of our collection of silhouettes since the museum opened in 1924. If you have been here for a tour you may not have realized this fact. The silhouettes were haphazardly hung and thus gave little indication of their integrity as a wonderful collection.

The silhouette collection as it was displayed in the Sheraton Room before renovation:


In the process of examinging each room in the museum we prioritized the Sheraton Room for repair of a window seat damaged by steam. The window seat was skillfully rebuilt by Roger Bodine and Steve Fessette, afterward Steve painted the woodwork and floor of the room. Of course, everything was removed to allow for this renovation. Moving the objects back afforded the opportunity to hang the silhouette collection with care and planning.

Docent Seana Remillard was a great help during the process of hanging the silhouettes and other artwork. After plotting out where each piece would be hung we tackled the concrete and terracotta tile walls! I hope the results speak for themselves... but you must tour the museum to really experience these wonderful, diminutive works of art!

And here is the silhouette collection today: