By Cathy Ingalls, Albany Regional Museum board member
Starting on Aug. 13, the Albany Regional Museum will close for five months so volunteers and staff can install what’s being called “the largest ever transformation of exhibits.”
On that day from 2 to 4 p.m. before shutting its doors, the museum will host its annual member appreciation event, where those attending can take a final look at the current displays.
The plan is to reopen the museum to members on Jan. 19, 2023, and then to the public on Jan. 24.
There will be 14 new exhibits, said Executive Director Keith Lohse. “Rotating exhibits is necessary to keep the museum interesting, to discover different stories, and to preserve objects by letting them rest in storage.”
Top down view of the new exhibition space layout. Larger objects and graphics will be used in these displays, along with more hands-on and AV elements.
Longterm exposure to light, along with changing humidity and temperatures can lead to a deterioration of artifacts.
Topics for the new exhibits were selected based on two factors: community feedback from a survey sent out in 2021 and on the objects and photos in the museum’s collection.
Here is a list of the upcoming exhibit topics:
Albany’s founding families. An introductory panel will rotate information about the Monteiths, Hacklemans, Burkharts and others.
Hub City. How Albany got that name traceable to transportation, starting with ferries, streetcars and wagons.
Power. The importance of the Willamette River and canals to industry, including the use of water wheels and early hydroelectricity.
Industry. Photos will highlight major businesses, including Veal Furniture and Oregon Freeze Dry along with a special section on Albany Iron Works.
Agriculture. Local products will be on display and the tools used to cultivate them.
Dairy. What life was like growing up on a dairy farm.
Logging and the Albany Timber Carnival. Tools of the logging industry and hands-on display of the Timber Carnival.
Photo studio. There will be a small display of equipment and photos from local businesses.
Early theater. The initial display will showcase local vaudeville theater and props.
Education. This exhibit will looks at the history of public schools from the first schoolhouses to current GAPS.
Architecture. This will feature architect Charles Burgraff and the S.E. Young building (home to the museum).
Chinatown. The exhibit will portray businesses found there and when and why they disappeared.
Mercantile. This display will feature smaller businesses, initially focusing on historic mercantile shops in early Albany.
Kid Zone. This hands-on area will focus on movement and racing.
Image of the new Kid Zone themed around movement.
A video & additional photos showing the proposed exhibit areas can be seen on the museum’s website: www.armuseum.com/newbeginning.
Both volunteers and prop materials are needed to pull off this change, Lohse said.
Sanding and assembly of the wood panels used in this hands-on guess the crop game is just one of the wood working projects in need of volunteers.
Right now, help is needed on wood working projects, including sanding and assembly. Beginning in late August, volunteers are asked to take down the current exhibits and then in September install mobile walls, and in the middle of October assist with the preparation, priming and the painting of the mobile walls and display props.
Here is a list of items needed for the new exhibits:
red logging suspenders
men’s black spat shoes or loafers
women’s black Oxford shoes
black wool or cotton stockings, (not modern hosiery)
old wooden pallets and crates
barn or reclaimed wooden boards/siding
canvas painting drop cloths
new paint brushes, roller pans, pan liners, roller handles, new heads and extension handles
and old white cotton sheets.
About 50 percent of the funding needed for the change-out is on hand, but more funds are needed, Lohse said.
Three levels of sponsorship are available: $500, $1,000 and $2,500.
To set up a sponsorship and to learn its benefits, visit www.armuseum.com/newbeginning or contact Lohse at 541-967-7122 or at klohse@armuseum.com.
Early supporters of the project include the Linn County Cultural Coalition, NW Natural, Pacific Power Foundation, Oregon State Library and grants from Oregon Heritage and Oregon Humanities.
Collections and Exhibits Manager Amy Bozorth along with Clara Scillian-Kennedy Exhibits Assistant are the project’s designers and primary managers of labor while Lohse is serving as the sounding board and the fundraiser for the displays.
Currently the museum at 136 Lyon St. S is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
