Secrets of Museum Display Case Design, with Stéphanie Bilodeau

Making the Museum

How do you make a museum display case disappear?

This episode is a masterclass in museum display case design. To the untrained eye, museum display cases look like what you’d find in a gift shop. But under the hood, they couldn’t be more different — and they are 100% unique to the museum world. Secrets we’ll reveal: art envelopes, non-offgassing, air exchange rates, and how glass is never, ever just glass. How can a display case be sealed, yet also designed to leak? What exactly makes a museum display case conservation grade? How do those little packets of silica gel work?

Stéphanie Bilodeau, (Director, Sales and Business Development, Zone Display Cases in Québec City, Canada), joins MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to reveal the “Secrets of Museum Display Case Design.”

Along the way: reclaimed wood from Oregon, ordering a lot of insects, and falling in love with an industry.

Talking Points:

1. What Makes a Display Case "Conservation-Grade"?
2. The Basics: Microclimates, Art Envelopes, and Air Exchange Rates
3. How to Balance Conservation, Operation, and Design
4. Can a Display Case Look Antique but Be Modern?
5. Think You Know Glass?
6. I Need a Display Case - Now What?

How to Listen:

Listen on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311

Listen on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G

Listen at Making the Museum, the Website:
https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast

Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor:
https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/

Guest Bio:

Born and raised in Québec City, Stéphanie has an extensive academic background in science, with multiple years of focused studies, including a specialization in entomology and a marketing certificate from Université Laval. She joined Zone Display Cases in 2011, drawn to the company’s collaborative and people-centered culture. Over the years, she progressed from Internal Sales and Project Management to Director of Sales and Marketing in 2018. Known for her energy and sociability, Stéphanie is highly skilled and passionate about supporting the various trades within the museum community. Her scientific expertise offers a unique perspective on artifact preservation, helping to showcase and protect cultural and historical treasures.

About Making the Museum:

Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture.

Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/

Links for This Episode:

Zone Display Cases:
https://www.zonedisplaycases.com

Email Stéphanie Bilodeau:
[e-mail]

Stéphanie on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/st%C3%A9phanie-bilodeau-52269177/

Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast:

Contact Making the Museum:
https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact

Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger

Email Jonathan Alger:
[e-mail]

C&G Partners | Design for Culture:
https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/

Making the Museum, the Newsletter:

Liked the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a newsletter on exhibition planning and design — for museum leaders, exhibition teams, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.)

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