UpDate - Vol. 13, No. 26, Page 14
April 7, 1994
Gallery setting is important feature of each exhibit

     For studio artist and art historian Belena Chapp, curator of the
University Gallery, attention to the visual impact of exhibitions is second
nature. It's also a lot of work.
     "A gallery curator needs to be an art historian who can swing a sledge
hammer," she says.
     Designing gallery space to accommodate an exhibit is never a matter of
taking one exhibit out and popping the next one in. Each is carefully
thought out. Much like a scene change in the theatre, the gallery's rooms
are physically changed "between acts" to showcase each individual exhibit.
     Gallery changes are much like set design-walls are moved, painted,
arches made, spaces rearranged to showcase the works on display to their
best advantage. And, although preparing the gallery rooms is an art in
itself, gallery preparators have to be careful not to do such a good job
displaying the work that the display upstages the art that viewers have
come to see. Quality and subtlety are their by-words.
     "Good design doesn't intrude on the enjoyment of an exhibition, it
just enhances it," Chapp said. "We have to be careful not to get too caught
up in the clever not to over-design. The objects dictate the shows. People
are not there to see the color of the walls. They are there to see the
objects."
     In designing a show for the University Gallery, Chapp works with a
gallery preparator, who helps get things hung and on the walls, and with
students enrolled in a curator's apprenticeship program who do much of the
"nuts and bolts" work.
     There are a number of things to be mindful of, such as physical space
and accessibility issues, Chapp said. "We are asked to follow the Americans
with Disabilities Act which mandates ease of traffic flow for wheelchair
maneuvers and for things like large print labels," she added.
     The gallery itself, located in Old College, was formerly a dining
hall. The west gallery, which was a kitchen, presented such challenges as
what to do with the hood of a vented stove. The main gallery is a
"gargantuan space," Chapp said, with 20-foot ceilings and fake walls
covering rows of windows.
     "We either have to pick items to fill the space or reduce the space
for smaller items, " she said.
     Some of Chapp's favorite exhibit presentations over the years have
been "There's a Surprise Inside," a display of cereal box premiums from the
collection of Wally Wallworth and John Wallworth. For that, cutouts of
Casper the Friendly Ghost and the Shredded Wheat spoon men flew above cases
of memorabilia.
     In contrast, the exhibit "Brandywine Valley to the Bay" had a very
sophisticated and refined look to it that caused Philadelphia Inquirer art
critic Edward Sosansky to comment on how well it was displayed.
     For the current exhibit, "Orthodox Icons from a Modernizing Age from
the Collection of Mr. Leslie M. Burgess and Dr. Sarah Jastak-Burgess,
Burgess-Jastak Foundation," Chapp has had arches mounted on many walls and
placed the icons on them. Light levels are very low and radiate on the
icons and the exhibit labels.
     In the West Gallery, currently housing the exhibit "Amber: Golden Gem
of the Ages," which features selections from the collection of amber
recently given to the University by Dr. Sarah Jastak-Burgess and Leslie M.
Burgess, Chapp had walls painted a quiet green to offset the various shades
and hues of the amber on display.
     As the year goes on, there will be nine to 12 exhibits at the gallery
and the settings will change each time.
     The arches will disappear; the walls may not stay green; it will be a
lot of work. But, if gallery visitors never notice the change of scene,
Chapp will be pleased: she and the others who work so hard to prepare the
exhibits will have done their job well.
                                                  -Beth Thomas