National Museum of Wildlife Art / An Arakawa solution

The National Museum of Wildlife Art is unique among American art museums, distinguished by its mission and location. With collections of nearly 4,000 works of art, the museum strives to enrich and inspire public appreciation of fine art and humanity's relationship with nature by focusing its exhibitions and programs on wildlife. Situated on a butte in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the museum overlooks the 20,000-acre National Elk Refuge and is on route to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.

Inside the museum you might not see Arakawa Hanging System’s products on display at first glance. That’s because they’re designed in such a way as to not impede the art viewing experience. In fact, that’s one of the main reasons why Ron Gessler, the museum’s Chief Preparator is such a fan of their products. Granted, he’s got lots of reasons to love Arakawa, but it was that ability of the product to nearly blend into the background that made him notice it in the first place.

As Ron tells it, “I’m one of those people that museum security always pays attention to. Other patrons are looking at the art while I’m poking around beside it, seeing how it’s hung.” That’s exactly what he was doing when he entered the National Gallery in Washington, DC a few years ago. “I was taken aback by these tiny little wires that were being used to hang these huge paintings,” he recalls. “I called up a friend who works there and asked him what they were using, and that’s how I learned about Arakawa [Hanging Systems].”

But there was one small problem. The National Museum of Wildlife Art had installed permanent track systems during their construction phase, so Ron had to find a custom solution that worked with his existing track. He found that his existing track was actually installed upside down as compared to the standard Arakawa track mounts. But that didn’t stop Arakawa from coming up with a custom solution comprising of fabricated cylinders and small steel balls that could be used to hang Arakawa fasteners on the existing track system. Gessler remarked, “After a few rounds of R&D we fell in love with the product. It cuts deinstallation time by 90% and it cuts installation of new exhibits in half.”

Now Ron recommends Arakawa Hanging Systems to people all the time. There’s a newly opened Center for the Arts in Jackson Wyoming that installed Arakawa rail systems during their construction phase based on his recommendation. The Arakawa difference for Ron Gessler? “Most of the other hanging products that I’ve run across are touted as no damage, interchangeable, and easy to use, but that stuff is just downright ugly. Arakawa has a great looking product, but the irony is it just blends right in.” And that’s just what he needed.

To learn more about one of the best collections of Wildlife Art in the world visit the Museum online at http://www.wildlifeart.org. And if you happen to be in Jackson Hole stop in and see it in person. And say hi to Ron if you see him.