Experiments with Beads and Ceramics

Visible Storage Cases, with ollas

Visible Storage Cases, before ollas

When designing an exhibit, there are innumerable details, concerns, and concepts to keep in mind. These range from what is best for the artifact to how best to convey the exhibit's message to the general public.   The Imperial Valley Desert Museum acts as the steward to a collection of over 200 ceramic artifacts, locally called ollas, from Imperial and eastern San Diego Counties.  An entire blog post can be devoted to the conversations on how the ollas should be displayed for cultural sensitivity and education purposes(and hopefully I will write that post soon).  This blog looks at the purely physical and conservation aspect of creating an exhibit for breakable ceramics in an earthquake prone area.  

From the beginning of the design phase, we knew we wanted to mount the ollas in a sand-like material that would absorb movement instead of placing them on any kind of stand or shelf. While that would allow a larger number to be put on display and create interesting visuals, the threat of earthquakes ensured that we wanted to keep the ceramics all on one level.  We knew we wanted the olla display to remind people of seeing them out in the desert, with a large photographic mural by Michael Field as the background to help create that illusion.  

Thanks to a Preservation Assistance Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, we were able to have Dr. Nancy Odegaard from the Arizona State Museum act as a consultant on this project.  The original idea of putting the ollas in sand, as they had been found in archaeological sites and would have most likely been placed while in use, was vetoed.  Sand posed a number of problems from a preservation standpoint. It's abrasive, and would over time interact with the ceramics, leaching minerals from the clay.  Eventually, Dr. Odegaard suggested smooth, non-reactive glass beads roughly the size of grains of sand.  Dr. Odegaard and Jessica Brody worked with Swarco Industries, which manufactures "reflective glass beads for reflective highway safety applications."  After seeing several samples, one variety of glass bead (FP96 Ty-III glass beads) was selected to be used as the base for the ollas.  A grant from the local Bureau of Land Management, the NEH Preservation Assistance grant, and a generous donation of materials from Swarco meant that the museum was able to get 120 square feet of beads to stand 1.5-2 inches deep (180 gallons of beads!) to become the olla base.

The case was built and installed by Weldon Exhibits, with a panoramic photograph by Michael Field in sepia tones as the background.  Director Neal Hitch built the individual plinths that would create slightly different heights for some ollas without placing them in danger from earthquakes.  Then came the careful and nerve-wracking process of moving ollas from the museum's storage room to their new home in the permanent exhibit- which Dr Hitch and I spent over a week doing after the museum was closed for the day.  The beads cushion the ollas well, and can be moved almost as easily as sand in order to create small depressions for individual ceramics to rest.  

The end result was that over 100 intact or nearly intact ollas were able to be moved from backroom storage to being on display for the first time in almost 40 years.  While I'm hoping we won't have to test the theory anytime soon, they are in the most earthquake safe display we could develop.  The surprising result was how amazing the cases look.  The beads reflect display lighting and seem to glow and sparkle, making the ollas look as if they are jewelry on display.  The beads manage to look similar to sand, creating the desired "natural" desert look. They also, in the words of one Kumeyaay elder, "sparkle like quartz.  Those of us that are old believe in magic and we see that in the sparkles." 

Close up of glass beads and small olla

Ollas on display with glass bead base.