Ossuary used in Jewish funeral practices 1st century B.C.E On display in The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story starting tomorrow.

Registrars have many duties and wear many hats but one of my favorite registration duties is condition reporting.  Which is exactly what it sounds like; I report what the condition is of an object. 

Last week, I had the privilege of working with the staff from the Hebrew University on the installation of our new exhibit, The Birth of Christianity:  A Jewish Story. As each crate was opened and its artifacts unpacked, HMNS Collections staff worked along side of the Hebrew University staff checking every detail of the artifacts to assure they had survived the long journey from Jerusalem intact and unchanged.  So I’ve really been up close and personal with a lot of antiquities lately.  (Ossuaries are even cooler when you can see the chisel marks.) 

Once we agreed that all was good, it was time for the objects to be moved into the cases for the duration of the exhibit.  The movement and positioning of high-value artifacts that are fragile or delicate or heavy or any combination of the three is a tricky thing, always left to professionals.  And that’s what I really want to tell you about: the guys.

Every museum has them, formally called exhibition preparators, more commonly (and affectionately) known as the exhibit guys.  You know that expression ‘jack of all trades, master of none’?  Yeah, that doesn’t apply to our guys.  If the exhibit designer and the curator want something to look just so, it’s the guys that make it happen.  They can build temporary walls and exhibit cases, paint ‘em any color; hang signage, labels, artwork; and wire up the electronic stuff too. They pretty much do it all and do it well.  I’ve been working with and watching them for years through many, many exhibit installations but the best is watching them handle the objects.

These are bottles, plates, amphoriskos, beakers, modiolus (measuring-cup) and unguentarium created during the 1st century CE On display in The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story starting tomorrow.

For The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story, all the guys moved large heavy crates right where we needed them in the gallery.  I observed Carlos and Victor gently placing delicate Roman glass and slender metal implements into their exhibit case.  Glen, Mike, Carlos, and Victor lifted thousand year old stone ossuaries out of crates, onto tables where we examined them, then smoothly moved them to their exhibit platforms.  While all this movement of artifacts was going on they communicated verbally and visually.  Their physical movements were steady, exact, cautious, sure-footed, and rarely wasted.  Verbal communication was usually short and direct, mostly in English with a little Spanish thrown in.  However, the patter can become jokey and teasing once an object, crate, or case bonnet is secure and everyone relaxes for a minute or two.  Mike and Carlos are usually the instigators of this behavior.

Some of “The Guys” lower a 2000 yr old bath tub that weighs one and a half tons into the exhibit. You can see it, starting tomorrow in The Birth of Christianity:A Jewish Story.

In every exhibit, there’s at least one ‘hoo-boy-this-is- HEAVY’ object.  For this particular exhibit, it was the stone tub.  I haven’t a clue what its actual weight is, the Hebrew University staff and the guys could certainly tell you, but it needed some special equipment and handling by the guys. 

So, they brought in a gantry that they’ve rigged themselves.  It breaks down into a few large parts, a large long I-beam at top, triangular sides with wheels, so they can easily transport and assemble it where it’s needed.  There are also differently sized shackles and rope chains that are kept in a big wooden box Glen made.  Included in all this are straps of strong but lightweight material that can wrap around an object to steady it while being moved.  So the guys expertly got everything in place, always moving slowly and carefully.  The tub got lifted out of its crate and the gantry moved over to the exhibit platform.  Then oh so slowly, slowly, cautiously, gingerly the tub was lowered to its exact spot.  Well, ok, exact spot more or less.

That’s a really brief description of a process that took quite a bit of the morning.  Those of us not directly involved with the movement (like your truly) stood way the heck outta of the way but ready to rush in if needed.  The guys were doing their standard excellent job but we sorta held our breath from time to time anyway.  It’s not so much that a moment like that is tense as it is that everyone is really hyper-focused on what’s happening.  But it is a wonder to behold the guys in action, way more entertaining than most sports.  And I shake my head in amazement most every time I watch them.  Thanks guys!

Special thanks to Eydie Rojas for the installation photo.