The ArtifactLAB is a collaborative workspace and community playspace where visitors can learn what goes on behind the scenes at a museum! 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). There are also 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 ArtifactLAB is included with museum admission (which is free for members). A volunteer will be working with the collection and available to answer questions every Friday from 1-3 all summer long.
