1/30/2024 | Angela Whitlock, CSRA

Have you ever wondered what the museum staff works on during January and February while we are closed to the public? 

Most people are familiar with “spring cleaning,” staff at Museum of the Grand Prairie have opted for “winter cleaning” instead! With the museum closed during these months, we can work on large projects in areas that our visitors do not often see. 

Last year, we completed a large artifact storage reorganization project. This massive undertaking involved updating collections information and images within our databases, meticulously cleaning artifacts, recategorizing artifacts (if needed), and organizing the items within The Rankin Center, our new large artifact storage building. We also repainted a second artifact storage area within the museum. 

This year, museum staff have been using this time to reorganize, restructure, and revamp our educational materials.  This project required the temporary relocation of all the educational materials from their storage area to the Education Room, where museum staff sorted and categorized them to prepare for future educational programming.  

While the educational materials were being reorganized, an additional set of museum staff was on hand for the “winter cleaning” portion of the project, which involved thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing the storage area where these materials belong.  

In the final stage of this project, museum staff will re-house these educational materials on new, sturdier shelving that makes materials more accessible and allows museum staff to clean around and under the shelving more easily.  

When this project is finished, it will allow museum staff to continue creating fun and exciting programs!  

#BehindtheScenes