Take a peek behind the scenes—or under the rug, in this case!—at how we safely mount unusual objects in the museum.  When you think of artwork in the museum, you probably imagine paintings in frames and sculptures on pedestals, but the museum is full of all sorts of artwork that demand unique and different ways to safely display them.  This rug is being installed in the new exhibition, Jane Busse: Innovations in Weaving.  For this installation, nine woven rugs are hung directly on the walls and seem to float in front of the viewer.  How do we make a rug “float”?

For each rug, a muslin sleeve was prepared with a strip of Velcro sewn to the back.  The muslin is then hand-stitched to the rug.  The Velcro’s mate is attached to a wooden cleat which is hung on the wall.  To mount the rug, the Velcro comes together under the guidance of gloved hands (like the one in grey seen here) which line them up and pat them together for a secure (and invisible) mount.   When the exhibition is over, we will gently peel the Velcro apart and remove the sleeves by snipping the stitches.  Stop by the museum before September 2 to see all nine “floating” rugs in Jane Busse: Innovations in Weaving.