Ever wonder what happens to museum artifacts when they’re not on display? Join Mennonite Life for a special behind the scenes event inviting the public into museum storage for a rare, informal look at the work that goes into preserving local history.
On Friday, August 22, visitors are invited to drop in between 10 a.m.–12 p.m. at the Mennonite Life Collections Building to experience how museum professionals care for fragile textiles and artifacts. The event will highlight ongoing collections work, with a special focus on the museum’s show towel and quilt collections.
Show towels are long, delicately embroidered linens. Most were made by young women in 19th-century Pennsylvania German and Mennonite communities as a way of displaying intricate needleworking skills and expressing faith and family identity.
Mennonite Life Curator Emily Immel will demonstrate how these delicate objects are stored using archival materials. Watch as she physically tags and rolls towels onto archival tubes, an important preservation method that helps protect them for generations to come.
For the museum lovers, the textile enthusiasts, and the simply curious, this drop-in event offers a unique opportunity to connect with local history in a new way. The event will also showcase the impact of Mennonite Life’s member and donor support in preserving local treasures.
While this event is free to attend, we welcome donations to support Phase 2 of our object storage project, helping us improve our facility and care for more items in our growing collection.
