Dressing down

So, like most cultural institutions, the Chicago History Museum has a blog. It's a pretty neat resource and a great way to get an inside look into the dark and dirty workings of a museum. My favorite entry? The one about de-installing Chic Chicago, the huge costume exhibit that was up from summer of 2008 until last month.

I was part of the de-installation team, so if you want to get a look at the sort of work I do on a daily basis, check out the slideshow of the de-installation process. I show up about half-way through - see if you can spot me!

Okay, and my favorite picture from the entire slideshow is the one of me on my knees in front of a huge dress, called the butterfly gown. If it looks like I'm sticking my head and arms up under the skirt, that's because I am. We were trying to push a built-out support peice (what essentially amounts to a body pillow) through the torso of the gown to make sure it doesn't collapse under it's own weight in storage. A worthy endeavor, certainly, but one that made it look like I was giving the gown a very thorough pelvic exam. Say it with me now: "awkward."