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"I Think We Found Bigfoot"

“I think we found Bigfoot in the Chesapeake Bay Gallery”. As much fun as that would be, I knew it wasn’t true. But after hearing this comment from a coworker, I still went running out to the gallery with a camera. And I found this…a big, hairy looking beast, but one made from a large pile of fiber optic cables that were once part of the interactive displays. Our “Bigfoot” is another sign that the deinstallation of the gallery is progressing nicely.

Our “Bigfoot”

Right now the room is a mess of sawdust and chunks of plaster where the walls are coming down. As soon as an area is cleared of artifacts, the Exhibit Design and Facilities Management teams step in to take out the cases, walls and murals. The gallery is constantly changing and without all the design walls in place, the room looks twice the size it did before.

There have been some interesting questions popping up too. Just how many staff members does it take to safely lower a 45 foot rowing barge from the wall to the floor? The answer turned out to be 26 or the number of staff members who volunteered to help. We actually needed every one of them. The boat’s not extremely heavy, but we needed a lot of people to help ensure that it would be supported all along its length in order to prevent damage. Our helpers included Lyles who can be seen waving at the camera. This photo shows us after the boat was lowered and we were adjusting it’s position in a custom made cradle.

Find Lyles

The pieces left on display need special handling or removal and include a large piece of stained glass and a mirror along with boats that will have to be moved by a crane and rigging company. So stay tuned as the takedowns and demolition continue.

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