The Red Mill Museum Village is proud to announce their brand-new collaborative workspace, the ArtifactLAB. Located on the second floor of the Red Mill, this project is a collaboration between the Red Mill Museum Village and the Collectors of Rare and Familiar Tools of New Jersey (CRAFTS of NJ).
CRAFTS of NJ is a non-profit organization created with the purpose of encouraging interest in early trades and industries and fostering the identification, study, preservation and exhibition of early tools and implements. Their members include many of the most knowledgeable individuals in the tool fraternity who will be generously volunteering their time to help identify the thousands of tools in the Red Mill Museum Village collection. Each of these tools being inventoried and put on display help tell the story of the skills and innovations that helped to craft the nation.
The public is invited into this space to get a behind-the-scenes view of how and why museum professionals clean, document and catalog museum collections. On the days that there are no CRAFTS or RMMV members working in the ArtifactLAB, there will still be opportunities for interaction and learning. Tools from the museum's collection will be displayed in visible storage (a concept of providing access to items normally stored out of sight) with an iPad to look up further information on each item.. There will also be both physical and digital games to give children of all ages the opportunity to learn about sorting, classifying and working with tools in interactive and entertaining formats.
The Open House will be held on Saturday June 21st 12-3 and is included with museum admission (which is free for members). After that, the ArtifactLab will be open on every regular admission day for visitors to explore, play, ask questions and uncover the hidden stories that artifacts hold.
