The latest technology in archival storage equipment will help preserve and protect fragile exhibits at Cleveland’s Museum and Cultural Center at 5ive Points thanks to funding from the Tennessee State Museum.
“We are using this money to improve our archives by ordering some better storage shelving,” Debra Watkins, curator of the museum in downtown Cleveland, said in a phone interview. “It’s actually a really cool unit — there’s some special museum tech involved. It’s going to free up a lot of our storage space, so we can bring more of our storage in-house.”
The funding was provided as a $50,000 grant through the General Assembly as a portion of funding for the State Museum in Nashville.
Storage is a challenge for all museums, and the new system will allow Watkins to keep exhibition material in a controlled climate where it’s easy to access, she said. The museum’s off-site storage is not as environmentally controlled.