The Eureka Springs Historical Museum is putting the finishing touches on a new on-site archival storage space for their collection of framed art — one with better climate control and less UV light intrusion that also adheres more closely to current museum industry standards. It’s been a long and tedious process, sorting and preparing the many works of art for the relocation, but museum staff say they are thrilled to be making progress with their conservation efforts. It is a project that will benefit visitors of the museum for generations to come, even if they never see it.

“Museum work is maybe 25 percent public-facing and 75 percent behind-thescenes. From conservation efforts and collection management to exhibit curation and construction, research and digitization, fundraiser planning and facilities maintenance, there is so much going on in a museum that the public will never see. While visitors are eager to pay for dazzling exhibits and unique interactive experiences, generating funding for simple but crucial items like archival-safe storage materials can be a challenge,” noted museum director Jeff Danos.

So it was a great relief when the Carroll County Community Foundation awarded ESHM a $1,763 Giving Tree Grant to assist with the museum’s relocation of their fine art to a more suitable art storage space within the museum.

Danos elaborated: “The museum’s existing art storage space was shared with the second-floor HVAC unit, which contributed to substantial fluctuations in temperature and humidity – not good for art. This important grant funding paid for archival-safe metal rolling shelving for our new art storage space, plus a dedicated dehumidifier and acid-free conservation materials that act as protective buffers between the different works of art. Secure storage covers that fit over the rolling shelving were also procured to prevent the build-up of dust. Altogether, these materials will greatly assist the museum in better preserving the fine art in our collection, ensuring that it will still be available for public display for many years to come.”

“We greatly appreciate the efforts of the Carroll County Community Foundation and their support of local non-profits, and we thank them for assisting us in fulfilling our mission to collect, preserve, document, and exhibit objects of historical significance to Eureka Springs, and to present them in such a manner as to educate and inspire residents and visitors alike.”