Mount Design, Fabrication & Installation
Mountmaking
Our elegantly designed mounts secure and protect objects on display.
What are the qualities of a good mount?
A safe and secure mount should support its object without causing damage, but also protect the object while on display. Also, mount construction should incorporate the proper materials: steel for heavy objects, brass for delicate items, acrylic for books, and forms for textiles. Finally, a well-designed mount should not distract from the display of its artifact.
Why are these qualities important?
Displaying an object discreetly while protecting it for the duration of the exhibit is the purpose of a good mount. A poorly built mount can do far more damage to an object than any external force by improperly supporting the object’s structure, and inexperience can lead to damage during fitting, installation or deinstallation. The delicate balance between safe display and optimal presentation drives the art of mount design. A mount should fully support the object yet not draw visitors’ attention.
Why is ELY the best company to provide mountmaking services?
Our mountmakers have experience with all types of objects and appropriate materials. From delicate fish bones to fully articulated dinosaur skeletons, ELY has mounted a wide array of artifacts. We have installed exhibitions in earthquake zones where all objects required seismic mitigating mount designs. At our shop or onsite, we can fabricate in steel, brass, acrylic, archival foams and many other materials. We appreciate the great responsibility of working with irreplaceable artifacts, and we work with our clients to develop the most appropriate design. After final fitting for installation, our mountmakers color match the mount to the object so that it retreats from view.
Clients
Through the African American Lens
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Library for the Study of George Washington
Mount Vernon Ladies' Association
Golden Eagle Pilot House
Missouri History Museum
Ubuhle Women: Beadwork and the Art of Independence
Anacostia Community Museum
Jefferson and Slavery at Monticello: Paradox of Liberty
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Exquisitely Evil: 50 Years of Bond Villains
International Spy Museum
Sant Ocean Hall
National Museum of Natural History
Samurai: The Warrior Transformed
National Geographic Museum
Dinosaur Mysteries
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Age of Mammals
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Arctic Studies Center
National Museum of Natural History, National Museum of the American Indian
Musical Instrument Museum
Mountmaking
George Washington and His Generals
Mount Vernon Ladies' Association
A Son and His Adoptive Father
Williams Center for the Arts Gallery, Lafayette College
Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers
National Museum of American History
War Stories: Reporting in the Time of Conflict
Newseum
Our Lives: Contemporary Life and Identities
National Museum of the American Indian
Walters Art Museum
Mountmaking, Permanent Collection
Resistance, Creativity and Survival
Anacostia Community Museum
Spy Treasures of Hollywood: Highlights from the Danny Biederman Spy-Fi Collection
International Spy Museum
The Allure of Pearls
National Museum of Natural History
The Public Vaults
National Archives and Records Administration