It Came from Storage: Canvases, Curiosities, and Other Objects from the Museum Vault

New Exhibition | November 6, 2021 – February 27, 2022 | Nordhausen Gallery

Zither owned by Frank C. Reich

1870-1904, Gift of Fred, Frank, and R. G. Reich, The Columbus Museum G.1960.5

Bride’s bowl given to Rhodes and Nina Browne

Columbus Guards, 1889, Gift of Sandra Strother Hudson, The Columbus Museum G.2007.51

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Hocking Glass Company, Sweet tea pitcher

1930s, frosted green uranium glass, Gift of Jonathan Frederick Walz, Ph.D., The Columbus Museum G.2021.42.1

Museums are, by nature, collecting institutions, but most only have the capacity to publicly display about ten percent of their holdings at any particular time. The contents of The Columbus Museum’s collections storage area have remained a closely guarded secret, known by only a few…until now. It Came from Storage spotlights rarely-seen objects from the Museum’s collection while offering a behind-the-scenes perspective on policies and procedures in the museum world. With Columbus-born artist Alma W. Thomas’s cat, Mickey T. Bell, as a guide, discover objects that are not as they appear, multitudes of music makers, strange beasts, and glow-in-the-dark surprises! Museum staff are also pulling back the curtain to offer a look at how art and artifacts enter the collection, as well as the history of the home and garden (and ghosts?) that constitute the Museum site. Coming soon to a gallery near you—if you dare!

Cover Image: Holly Andres, Behind the Old Painting, 2008, mounted chromogenic print, Museum purchase, The Columbus Museum G.2010.115