Psychedelic Solutions: Unconventional Exhibition Displays for Rock Posters and 2D Materials from The Summer of Love

Anisha Gupta; Victoria Binder

Anisha Gupta Mellon Fellow in Paper Conservation, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Victoria Binder Associate Paper Conservator, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Abstract

As museums shift to displaying works on paper in unconventional formats and on a larger scale, conservators are forced to create innovative and possibly untested solutions. This talk will discuss the mounting and installation of over 200 psychedelic rock posters for the exhibition The Summer of Love Experience at the de Young Museum. Since the curator and exhibition designer wanted to display the posters unframed, the paper conservation lab strived to come up with a solution that was safe for the objects but also feasible within the time frame and budget. We tested a variety of mounting methods and materials for different concepts, all of which will be outlined.

This exhibition also included the mounting and installation of a 21’ x 10’ billboard that consisted of fourteen individual screenprints. The goal of this project was to create a safe installation and display method for the billboard. This included treatment to stabilize the artwork and preparation to mount the billboard with hinges and magnets, working closely with the carpenters and mountmaker.

Other challenges in this exhibition included determining how to display posters under flashing lights to simulate animation and creating a case that incorporated different material types such as thick illustration boards, printing plates, and acetate sheets and films.
Click on Video link on the right to view presentation.

Author Biographies

Anisha Gupta, Mellon Fellow in Paper Conservation, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Anisha Gupta is the Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in paper conservation at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. She is a graduate of the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation where she specialized in works on paper with a minor concentration in photographic materials. Her previous experience includes graduate internships at Tate, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Currently, Anisha serves on AIC¹s Equity and Inclusion Working Group.

Victoria Binder, Associate Paper Conservator, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Victoria Binder is a conservator of works on paper at the Fine Art Museums of San Francisco. She received her B.A. in art history from New York University in 1997 and her M.A. and C.A.S in conservation from the State University College at Buffalo in 2007. Prior to FAMSF, she was a fellow at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and held conservation positions and internships at the Brooklyn Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Northeast Document Conservation Center, and three private practices. Her publications and presentations have included innovations in dry cast pulp fills for seamless repairs, digitally generated fills for photographs, an iPad system for microscopes, and research on offset lithography and the making of the San Francisco psychedelic rock posters. Victoria most recently held the position as BPG Program Chair for AIC.