{"id":24,"date":"2015-03-23T12:01:05","date_gmt":"2015-03-23T12:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/composites-graphicdisplay-php\/blog\/?p=24"},"modified":"2020-02-12T00:12:05","modified_gmt":"2020-02-12T00:12:05","slug":"charlotte-museum-history-tells-stories-preserves-areas-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/3acompositesusa.com\/blog\/charlotte-museum-history-tells-stories-preserves-areas-past\/","title":{"rendered":"Charlotte Museum of History Tells Stories & Preserves Area\u2019s Past"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"1b634c0b4e34498a80e6bad20ca7beb5_f577\"<\/a>
\nA perusal of The Charlotte Museum of History<\/a>\u2019s web site yields a succinct yet significant explanation of exactly why the museum collects and displays artifacts.<\/p>\n

\u201cMuseums collect for various stated purposes,\u201d reads the \u201cAbout the Collection\u201d opening statement \u201cbut in the end all the objects and documents serve the same purpose \u2013 to tell a story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"220362fde01bfb7388d12c94cb55bda2_f578\"<\/a>The Charlotte Museum of History has been telling stories of the Charlotte, N.C., region since 1976.  And, for more than the past three years, Charlotte-based ACI Design has been helping the museum spin its tales while preserving precious artifacts in both permanent and rotating displays incorporating Sintra\u00ae, Dibond\u00ae and Gatorplast\u00ae graphic display boards.<\/p>\n

\u201cInitially, we responded to a museum inquiry about graphics,\u201d said Dain Richie, president, ACI Design.  \u201cWith additional visits, we\u2019d take samples of 3A Composites USA products \u2013 some of which the museum had never seen \u2013 and let them know what we could do with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Charlotte Museum of History encompasses 36,000 square feet, including three galleries and a changing second-floor exhibit space that takes the Charlotte\/Mecklenburg County story from the 18th century to the 20th century.  Situated on eight acres in east Charlotte, the museum property also is home to the Hezekiah Alexander House, the oldest surviving house in Mecklenburg County built circa 1774 and listed on the National Register for Historic Places.  The museum\u2019s continuously growing permanent collection consists of approximately 7,000 artifacts and 6,000 archival items.  The varied artifact collection includes furnishings, textiles, tools, clothing, toys and numerous household items dating from as early as the Carolinas\u2019 colonial era to the late 20th century.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to be able to tell stories through these artifacts,\u201d said Lee Goodan, exhibit coordinator, The Charlotte Museum of History.  \u201cWe not only collect and preserve, we research and interpret these pieces for the public.\u201d<\/p>\n

Historical facts and interpretations are posted on signage describing each exhibit piece \u2013 with Sintra graphic display board often selected for mounting or direct printing of this information.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had used Sintra in the past, and it was our \u2018go-to\u2019 substrate,\u201d said Goodan.  \u201cSintra is lightweight, durable and flexible.  It can be heat bent for structures and mounted to casework.  Sintra gives me some flexibility to be able to switch out objects.  Labels mounted on Sintra as the substrate are easy to change out with Velcro fasteners.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSintra is a natural for exhibits,\u201d said Richie.   \u201cIt\u2019s not as heavy or brittle as acrylic, and it\u2019s a well-known brand.  Clients ask for Sintra by name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"5e2762cd96e3001ef1849e4da7b6e0ee_f576\"<\/a>Sintra was selected as the mounting substrate for \u201cCharlotte Stories:  Our Collections, Your Treasures,\u201d a temporary display that opened in 2008 featuring area family heirlooms both owned by and donated to the museum.  ACI Design used 3mm and 6mm bright white Sintra to mount 34 object labels, 13 reader rail labels, six large text panels and three small text panels for this exhibit that features a wide variety of artifacts from early medical instruments and pottery to antique furniture and long rifles.<\/p>\n

\u201cCharlotte Neighborhoods,\u201d a rotating featured exhibit that showcases changing neighborhoods, opened in 2006.  This exhibit highlights the featured neighborhood\u2019s earliest history, its present day and projected future, according to Goodan, who said the neighborhood\u2019s challenges also are explored as well as its architecture.<\/p>\n

Photos, maps and postcards depicting the neighborhood are mounted on 3mm bright white Sintra.  The largest prints measure 24 inches by 48 inches \u201cto keep the weight down,\u201d according to Richie, who floats exhibit panels off museum walls utilizing cleats made from 12mm bright white Sintra and bonded to the panel backs.<\/p>\n

To date, this rotating exhibit has featured four Charlotte neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easy to change out this exhibit in less than 30 minutes,\u201d said Goodan.  \u201cCleats are attached to the wall, and new panels have complimentary cleats fabricated to them.  The Sintra makes these panels lightweight, so they\u2019re easy to move and install.  As the panels get larger, it becomes even more flexible. We\u2019ve been able to heat bend the Sintra to fit curved walls.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sintra also served as the signage substrate for \u201cCharlotte\u2019s Pole to Pole Flag\u201d permanent exhibit that opened in 2006.  This display commemorates the Charlotte flag\u2019s visit to the South Pole in 1964 with the late George Melvin Ivey, who served as president and treasurer of the former J.B. Ivey and Co. department stores in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.   The flag visited the North Pole in 1985 with Ivey\u2019s nephew, Erwin M. Jackson, Jr.  ACI Design mounted seven rectangular, four routed oval signs and five routed round signs on 6mm bright white Sintra to provide explanatory information about this collection, which is preserved within an acrylic exhibit case.<\/p>\n

\"a95b87ff13f73ff7d014a08e7efc379d_f579\"<\/a>In \u201cThe Crossroads of Commerce\u201d permanent exhibit, which opened in March 2008, the museum combined artifacts depicting the area\u2019s economy from both the 19thand 20th centuries.  This exhibit focuses on the area\u2019s early gold mines, agriculture and cotton mills operating during the Civil War era as well as Charlotte\u2019s expansion in the 19th century to include street lights and trolleys.  Additionally, area artifacts from both World War I and World II are presented.<\/p>\n

ACI Design was able to update existing casework for \u201cThe Crossroads of Commerce\u201d exhibit with Dibond graphic display board.  In order to maintain a consistent look, risers in nine showcases were covered with 3mm white Dibond.<\/p>\n

\u201cDibond is archival and safe to use in our cases,\u201d said Goodan.  \u201cIt was shaped over the existing structure.  Routed Dibond was used to cover MDF (medium-density fiberboard) columns in free-standing shapes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recommend Dibond when more structural strength is needed,\u201d said Richie.  \u201cWe can bend and shape it, while eliminating fasteners and framing systems.  We also like the finishes available on Dibond.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe routed grooves in the Dibond risers so we could update the look with new content,\u201d according to ACI Design\u2019s Richie, who said images were UV-direct printed onto the Dibond panels.<\/p>\n

Gatorplast was chosen for its archival qualities to create back graphic panels in the cases.  Images were directed printed on 3\/16-inch white Gatorplast graphic display board.<\/p>\n

\u201cGatorplast is conservation quality and meets the requirements of the U.S. National Park Service,\u201d said Goodan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Crossroads of Commerce\u201d showcases were finished with nine headers and five various-sized text panels mounted on 3mm bright white Sintra.<\/p>\n

Photography courtesy of ACI Design<\/a><\/p>\n