SCoTT (Small Changes Think Tank)

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Hi Everyone!

I am looking forward to the PACCIN Conference! I will have a table and will be chatting with people in the engagement room. If you attend the conference, please drop by and say hello. For those who are not going, please post your ideas in this forum!

My inspiration for SCoTT was... tape.

Before the 1920’s, packages were bound together using adhesive and paper. Today, the use of brown polypropylene plastic packing tape in the art handling industry is ubiquitous. Preparators worldwide have used a mountain of this plastic tape for decades, and none of it can be recycled. The question should be asked, why not use modern paper-packaging tapes for slipcases and boxes? They are readily available, can be recycled with the box, and you do not have to add adhesives like our forefathers.


Do you have a small idea that could improve our industry? It can be something as small as... tape. Incomplete thoughts and ‘idea-sparks’ are welcome and wanted in this forum. Your idea will turn (plastic) mountains into molehills! Come on, what is your idea?

-Matt

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Visit SCoTT at the PACCIN Conference engagement room and post your ideas here!

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Let's get an 'Idea spark' going: Our industry uses a lot of plastic. My immediate thought goes to the enormous amount of plastic we use to wrap paintings and framed works before they are shipped. Do you have an 'idea spark' on how we might go about packing artwork differently? Do you have any additional ideas on how we can reduce plastic usage in our industry?

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Hi Everyone,
I attended my first PACCIN conference, and it was fantastic! I met so many great people at the SCoTT table in the Engagement Room and had some really great chats. We started with small ideas, built on some, and need to grow others. I will post here about the issues we discussed over the next couple of weeks. One of the concerns is what to do with purpose-built gallery furniture after an exhibition ends. One recurring thought was creating an email group or list-serve with local institutions, museums, colleges, and galleries that could reuse these items. Another person mentioned offering gallery furniture on Craigslist and said she has never had to throw anything away because of this. What does your institution do to make your gallery displays more environmentally friendly?

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Hi All,
Sorry, I haven't posted in a while. Life got in the way! Erwin from the Denver Art Museum sent me this really fantastic tape guide. He said, "This chart helped me to identify the types of tapes I needed, adhesive types, backing, application, etc." It is super handy! Additionally, it gives other data, including the tensile strength of the tape listed. Some of the paper tapes have a higher tensile strength than the plastic tapes. A good reason to switch over from plastic tape to paper tape for slipcases and cardboard boxes. The link is below. Thanks, Erwin!


https://www.findtape.com/shop/comparison-matrix.aspx?cid=16