By Robert W. Dalton
Lizzie Richards ’23 spent the spring semester making sure there was a place for everything and everything was in its place.
Richards, a history and art history double major from Columbia, South Carolina, was part of Wofford curator Dr. Youmi Efurd’s team working on a relocation and storage project in the Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts. The project is supported by an Institute of Museum and Library Services Inspire! Grant for Small Museums.
“I’m doing inventory and preparing the room for new storage racks,” says Richards. “I want to use as much space as I can in a sustainable way.”
The grant funded the purchase of the storage racks and the relocation of items to be stored there. Richards has been filling the new racks with a wide variety of works.
"I want to make sure there’s a precise location for everything so people can find something quickly if they need it,” Richards says.
Olivia Hartley ’24, an art history major from Barnwell, South Carolina, focused on inventory and preservation work. She is continuing that work this summer.
“I was nervous at first handling these old, fragile things,” Hartley says. “My job is to make sure everything is in place. If something needs care, I make sure it gets the care it needs.”
Efurd says in addition to providing funding for storage, the grant has provided students with opportunities to explore collections management, and for some has shaped their future career paths. A case in point is Hartley, who was weighing two options. Her experience with Efurd’s team has given her a third.
“I wasn’t sure which direction I would go in, teaching or research,” Hartley says. “Being involved here opened me up to collection management. I’ve enjoyed being able to look at objects up close and study them. It’s exciting to work on preserving the past and making sure people can continue to enjoy these works.”