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Securing Adobe to Metal

Patricia Duany11-18-2024 15:37

Hi all, I'm looking for suggestions to somewhat secure an artwork that features adobe sculptures sitting ...

Katherine Ridgway11-21-2024 18:08

Hi Patricia, At a previous job, we would loan to museums that were in earthquake prone parts of the ...

1. Securing Adobe to Metal

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Patricia Duany
Posted 11-18-2024 15:37

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Hi all,

I'm looking for suggestions to somewhat secure an artwork that features adobe sculptures sitting on small, steel shelves. They have flat bases and some weight to them, but it's planned to be on view long-term and we're in an earthquake-prone area. Normally we would use museum wax to secure components like this, but we're concerned about whether the adobe and the steel would react with the wax. Are there other products that might work better, or should we be okay with using the museum wax?

Many thanks!

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Patricia Duany
Collection Manager + Database Administrator
San Jose Museum of Art
San Jose CA
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2. RE: Securing Adobe to Metal

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Katherine Ridgway

Posted 11-21-2024 18:08

Hi Patricia,

At a previous job, we would loan to museums that were in earthquake prone parts of the world. It was a long time ago, so there might be more up-to-date ideas out there. We frequently used quake/museum wax to prevent damage and also special "quake mounts" like these https://collections.asianart.org/seismic-protection-for-art-and-antiquities-preparation-of-display-mounts/. I've used weights inside of artifacts (if feasible and the artifact is in good condition) to help keep them from "walking" off of shelves. I know that there are special systems that can be built into cases to keep the artifact still while the floor shakes. It looks like The Getty has more information here: https://www.getty.edu/projects/seismic-mountmaking/ Maybe there is a way to create a system that allows the shelves to stay still if the wall moves?

I hope this helps!

Kate