CHALLENGE:
SurroundArt was sole-sourced by the Smithsonian Institution to serve as the interpretive consultant, fabricator and installer for the In Stabiano exhibit for their Natural History Museum in Washington DC.

The exhibition In Stabiano: Exploring the Ancient Seaside Villas of the Roman Elite brought to light art objects and archeological artifacts found in four ancient Roman villas located on a bluff overlooking the Bay of Naples and the modern city of Castelammare di Stabiae, approximately 4.5 kilometers southeast of Pompeii. The villas were first discovered in the 1740's, looted of fresco fragments and other art and reburied. Lost again for two centuries, the villas in Stabiae were later rediscovered in the 1950's.  

The exhibition consists of 71 artworks and artifacts from the archeological site. These comprise the bulk of the exhibition. The majority are fresco (25) and stucco (11) fragments.

SCOPE OF WORK:
The project scope first entailed working with the exhibit organizer RAS (Restoring Ancient Sabiano).

SurroundArt was tasked with interpreting the exhibit design prepared by an Italian architectural firm to fit within the gallery space of the Smithsonian Institute's Natural History Museum. SurroundArt was also worked with the Smithsonian's Conservation Department to ensure that all material used for fabrication of the exhibit would meet their standards. Once all space and technical requirements where established for the exhibition, the SurroundArt team audited the entire exhibit to fit US ADA standards, and made the necessary adjustments to the design to ensure compliance.

For the next step of the project, SurroundArt prepared detailed drawings of all of the exhibit furniture and fully executed the fabrication of the entire exhibit including cabinetry, vitrines and the complete graphic package for the exhibit. SurroundArt then installed both the exhibit furniture and the artifacts for the exhibit.

The entire scope of work for this project was completed within four weeks.

Post note: After a successful run at the Smithsonian Institute, the RAS contracted International Arts and Artists, a traveling exhibit firm, to travel the exhibit around the US. Surroundart consulted with IA&A as how to interpret the exhibit into a traveling venture design.