New member, freelance mount maker, website - uk

[Tony Jones]

Hi All,

Thought I would say hello. Nice to see something on the internet concerning our specialisms.

Thought that some of you might be interested to see some of the types of mounts and displays I have worked on.

I hope it is ok to post a link?

http://www.tonyjonesmounts.co.uk

Best wishes,
Tony

[T. Ashley McGrew]

Hey Tony,

From my perspective not only is it okay to post a link, because your site includes some really nice work, I see it as a really positive way to engage with the community as a whole. I personally encourage folks to share the work they do with their peers as long as images are cleared with the owners of individual objects shown and that it doesn't function strictly as an advertisement (easy to avoid if you just provide information (visual or otherwise) that can be beneficial to our members. I would suggest though that you might want to post a link in the mountmaking section on the forum page since there are individuals registered on the site that may only subscribe to that section of the Forum (in other words when a post shows up in the mountmaking section they get an email alerting them) in addition I would encourage you to join the Mountmakers group - here is a link from the 3rd international event held in Chicago. http://fieldmuseum.org/happening/mountmakers-forum-past-forums (http://fieldmuseum.org/happening/mountmakers-forum-past-forums)
Hope to see you at the 4th International Mountmaking Forum May 14 and 15 2014 in Santa Fe, New Mexico USA. It is an amazing part of the world and attending could very likely represent an un-paralleled professional experience. Please pass on PACCIN's greetings to all of our hands-on collections care brethren in the UK.
With best regards,

Ashley

[Tony Jones]

Thanks Ashley, very kind words. Indeed it was my intention to share some examples of my work with a view to engage with people who do the same thing for a living. Here in the uk the profession is largely hidden and varies in expertise and specialisms through museums and galleries. There is no forum or events which specifically cater for such individuals. As such, finding new techniques and processes usually involves learning through experience and observing displays in Museums and Art Galleries.
I am always fascinated to see the work of others, especially where difficult problems need to be solved.

Tony

[Jamie Hascall]

Hi Tony,
I really enjoyed your site and am sorry I haven't had a chance to comment sooner. It really shows your process well and makes me want to come visit and get a closer look at everything. I especially liked the big oak stump. Doing things like that is truly daunting.

I hope you do get a chance to come to the 2014 Forum here in Santa Fe. I feel it's going to be a great event. I sadly was not able to attend last year's Forum in Chicago and every time I look at pictures and papers from it I feel I missed a real opportunity. It's a wonderful group of folks and some truly great ideas and techniques being shared. I know it's a stretch from the UK, especially if you are in private practice, but the fact that it's a no fee conference helps a bit.

Good luck and I hope to meet soon.
Jamie Hascall
Chief Preparator
Museums of New Mexico
Santa Fe

[Tony Jones]

Hi Jamie,
Thanks for your feedback. I must confess my colleague Simon is responsible for much of the larger steelwork. The oak stump was from Seahenge, a beach based wooden circle. It was extracted from the sand and we had the problem of displaying it in the correct orientation. An A frame would not allow us to get close enough to the wall, so an adjustable frame needed to be fabricated so we could maneuver the stump into position and fine tune the mount. This allowed us to position the mount on the wall and secure the stump.

I would love to be able to attend the 2014 Forum, however I just can't really justify the expense and time off at the moment. I will try to follow what I can online. Thanks for the warm welcome.
Tony