Columbia County Historical Society Paintings Storage

FAIN: PG-50166-07

Columbia County Historical Society (Kinderhook, NY 12106-2200)
Helen M. McLallen (Project Director: May 2006 to September 2007)

The construction of a storage unit and hanging racks for artwork, primarily portraits and landscapes from the early 19th century to the present that document the Dutch cultural heritage of the Hudson Valley region and towns such as Spencertown and Kinderhook.

The Columbia County Historical Society is requesting funding for new paintings storage. Current storage is a two-tiered slotted particle board bin. The structure is inadequate, endangering the paintings and their frames, and paintings too large for the bin's 4'h x 4'd slots are stacked against the wall and the end of the bin. After reviewing the alternatives with paintings and frames conservator Anne O'Connor, the society proposes to construct an improved bin supplemented by wall-mounted steel mesh art racks. The combination, along with dedicated display space for rotating paintings exhibits, will ensure the long-term safety and accessibility of the society's entire paintings collection.