Craft: At Home Reproduction Object Exhibit
Watch the Education team reproduce Major George Peter’s 19th-century steel pocket watch, from the Tudor Place Collection & Archive, with recycled materials found at home.
20 Minute Craft:
Pretend you are working at a museum. Your historic object, or “artifact,” is too fragile to put in your exhibit. You will have to make a copy!
Look at your object. What materials do you see? What colors do you see? Use recycled materials to craft a reproduction of your object. Now it is ready to go on display!
Materials:
– Glue, tape, scissors, markers
– Decorations of your choice
– Recycled materials
– Object you want to recreate (we chose a watch from our collection catalog)
Talk Together:
Why would a museum create a copy, or “reproduction,” of an object instead of putting the real one on display? Sunlight can harm objects, like paper. Sometimes an object is too fragile to display for extended periods. Occasionally, a reproduction object is made to complete a matching set.
Craft as many reproductions as you’d like to complete your At Home Reproduction Object Exhibit!
Go further! Learn about Collections Management:
At Tudor Place there is a person in charge of keeping all the historic objects safe. This person is called a “collections manager.” The collections manager decides if an object can go on display in an exhibit, or if the museum should make a reproduction. Collections managers do lots of other types of work, too. Learn more here:
“A Day in the Life of a Collections Manager” (Museums Association, 4 minute video)
Make a mount for an object in storage (British Columbia Museums Association, 5 minute video)
Make a custom box for a teapot (Mount Heritage Center, 12 minute video)
Questions? Comments? Photos to share? Email us with your Education at Home needs: education@tudorplace.org
