The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 38, September 23, 2007, Article 13

THE GALLERY MINT MUSEUM VISION

On September 7 an item about the planned Gallery Mint Museum appeared
on Blogging Arkansas, a web site featuring Arkansas businesses.  The
article describes the vision for the future museum:

"You are standing in the sun-lit atrium of a newly constructed building
set in a pine forest in northwestern Arkansas. In front of you, an
immense, two-story waterwheel turns slowly to the sound of gushing
water. Attached to the giant wooden wheel are various shafts, gears,
pulleys, levers and other mechanical devices, all moving in their own
syncopated rhythm. These moving parts in turn drive other machines:
big bellows puff air into a blast furnace; a rolling mill squeezes
metal into thinner and thinner strips; a drop-press hammer is cranked
back into position. You hear the heavy clang of a sledge hammer
slamming down on hand-held steel die. In the background, a tour
group chats excitedly among themselves. The air smells like wood
fire and melted metal. A buzz of energy fills the place. Welcome
to the Gallery Mint Museum.

"As you tear your eyes off the mesmerizing mechanical motion of the
turning water-wheel, you see other galleries and hallways opening
invitingly beyond. Through one window you glimpse a museum conservator
in a state-of-the-art laboratory, working to {restore an old screw
press}. Other technicians are cataloging and researching the Museum's
collection. You pass a large library full of numismatic reference
works relating to minting technology; at its tables several researchers
are busy gathering information from out-of-print books and manuals.

"Once inside the main exhibition area, you stroll through 6,000-square
feet of exhibits, galleries and living-history worksites, where historic
minting methods are being re-enacted. You note that permanent exhibits
are devoted to each of the major minting technologies, including hand-
hammered minting (Greek, Roman and Medieval), Chinese coin casting,
rolling mill coinage and screw press and steam press technology. You
see that each of the historic United States minting facilities is
represented by an exhibit devoted just to it. The role of the
engraver, the private minter and many other aspects of the numismatic
arts are also presented with attractive, interactive displays. Two
smaller galleries contain traveling exhibits from other museums
and artists.

"In another section of the building, you see a few classrooms and
activity centers where accredited seminars and classes in engraving
and minting technology are being taught. One large, multi-purpose
area serves as a conference room and public rental space, a place
for outside groups to hold meetings or social events.

"There are other areas of the museum building where the casual
visitor is not allowed. But one can be assured that the collection
storage, vaults, workrooms, museum offices and other behind-the-scenes
areas are also carefully laid out and planned in accordance with
professional museum standards.

"Before you finally leave the Museum, stop by the Gift Shop and
see the amazing variety of gifts and goods that relate to money
and minting. There are puzzles, games, artwork, and many other
money related items. There are books, books and more books. And
of course, there is plenty of coinage available for purchase as
well: modern-day proof and mint sets from countries all over the
world; reproduction coinage from the Gallery Mint; bullion coins,
Biblical coins for the tourists.

"This then is the vision of the Gallery Mint Museum. A world-class
research facility with a comparative collection, a complete library
and state-of-the-art laboratory. One with strong, on-going educational
and outreach programs, including living-history demonstrations of
minting technology, seminars, and classes in engraving and minting
technology. One that is active in publishing books about minting.
One that abides by the guidelines of ethics and accreditation that
have been established by the American Association of Museums (AAM).

"This vision can be encapsulated in a simple mission statement: The
Gallery Mint Museum is devoted to the preservation and advancement
of the numismatic art forms and technologies.

"Preservation in the sense that we will keep and preserve for
future generations the physical tools and machinery of minting;
Advancement in the sense that we will become a center of ongoing
research and discovery of the numismatic arts."

To read the original blog entry, see: Full Story

To visit the Gallery Mint Museum Foundation web site, see: gallerymintmuseum.org/

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

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