(gentle instrumental music) - [Narrator] Coming up next in a special episode of "Treasures Inside the Museum," go behind the scenes at the Preservation Society of Newport County to see how major exhibits come together.

We'll meet the dedicated professionals who combine their collective experiences to make sure every detail is attended to.

And be there for an opening night gala when a new exhibit is unveiled to the public.

(gentle instrumental music) (gentle instrumental music continues) (gentle instrumental music continues) (cheerful music) Every year, thousands of visitors from around the world come to tour the Newport Mansions.

For many, it's an opportunity to peak inside the homes of America's wealthiest families from the Gilded Age.

- The Gilded Age gets started right after the Civil War, and it goes to about 1915.

There's lots of debate about when it begins and ends, but it's in the latter part of the 19th century.

And certainly as that period evolves, the houses get bigger and bigger.

You had big time architects like Richard Morris Hunt, who came in and erected Marble House and The Breakers.

Most of the people who were coming to Newport were coming because it was a great summer destination.

It was a great resort area.

It was one of the best resort areas in America.

- [Narrator] The Preservation Society of Newport County has made it possible for generations to walk through these grand houses originally called cottages.

Each one is carefully curated with authentic furniture, priceless antiques, and extraordinary works of art.

- Seeing these houses is incredibly important in terms of understanding historical context, but what ends up happening is the objects that help tell those stories get lost in furnished rooms.

So being able to remove these objects from their natural settings and putting them in spaces where you can observe them more closely and understand the stories they have to tell is an incredibly valuable educational tool.

And also goes to show that what the Preservation Society does is maintain both the incredible architecture of these spaces, but also the objects that fill them.

Because without objects, these are just houses instead of homes.

- [Narrator] There are however many objects in the society's collection that have not been on display and stories that haven't been told.

Now, a newly renovated exhibit space inside of Rosecliff is changing that, allowing the curtain to be pulled back and revealing items that might have been lying dormant in the archives.

- Our exhibit space is on the second floor of Rosecliff in what were formerly bedrooms of the house.

- Our space at Rosecliff is so important because it allows us to pose opportunities for close looking.

Our mansions are fantastic, but they're overwhelming.

And you walk into a space like Chateau-sur-Mer and it's really hard to see the trees for the forest.

It's really hard to narrow one's attention on individual objects when you're so overwhelmed by the ornate, by your ornate surroundings.

And so the galleries at Rosecliff are perfectly scaled to allow for those moments of communion with individual objects.

- [Narrator] But how does an idea for an exhibit come together?

What objects will be displayed and what stories will be told?

The process begins with the assembly of a team.

(cheerful music) - We start the process quite early, more than a year in advance if we can, usually three years in advance, talking about subjects and topics that are relevant to today.

It's sort of the irony of working in a historical institution.

We have all this great knowledge about history, but we really try and focus on bringing up subjects and themes that are relevant to our audiences now so that they can understand and learn from history.

- When you have the seed of an idea for an exhibition, you have to begin thinking about, how can I translate this into the physical space of the galleries?

What kinds of objects and groupings can I choose that tell different facets of the story?

You have to think about the layout of the spaces that you're dealing with.

- Ideas for exhibitions come from everywhere.

They can come from an experience I have at a park with my children.

They can come from major anniversaries that are taking place in our general culture.

They can come from new acquisitions that we have in our collection.

- [Narrator] In this case, the idea was to create an exhibit called The Celestial City.

And it came about as a result of a challenge presented to a new hire.

- This idea for Celestial City actually started as a part of Nikki's interview process to become the collections curator at the Preservation Society.

- The exhibit is called The Celestial City: Newport and China, and it celebrates Chinese and Chinese American contributions to Newport from the 18th century through the Gilded Age.

- And she, within a week period, was able to find this information about Mabel Lee and Grace Yip Typond and Alva Belmont.

And this triangular configuration of Chinese American women basically as a driving force for the final passage of the 19th Amendment.

- I was really interested in learning more about the experiences and the contributions of Chinese immigrants in Gilded Age Newport.

And I was also interested in particular in the story of Chinese women suffragists who I knew played a critical role in the suffrage movement.

- And so Nikki started with the concept of the Tea House at Marble House and why would Alva have built this beautiful building based on Chinese culture because there's no other connectivity in Alva's life.

(cheerful music) - In order to build the checklist for the exhibition, I went treasure hunting through the mansions.

I spent time, hours, just touring our properties and building an initial checklist of objects that captured my attention and objects also that were alluding other folks' attention because maybe they weren't on the tour route directly.

Maybe they were hidden in shadows.

And I wanted the exhibition to feel like a revelation, to feel like an unearthing of cultural treasures that folks had simply overlooked on our tours.

And I also toured the mansions with my collaborator, Dr. Bing Huang, who has expertise in Chinese art history.

And we would go into the properties together, we would pull objects out of the shadows and we would swap ideas and share our perspectives and build together the basis of our interpretations in the gallery.

- She and I sit down together and talk about big themes we wanna address, collection items we really wanna make sure we include in these exhibitions.

She formulates a checklist and she and I discuss back and forth about what are primary themes and how they can be organized in the four rooms that we have available as a part of the exhibition.

- My role is then to go over her exhibition checklist.

I make sure first that everything is where it is supposed to be, so we're in the right place when we need to move it.

- It really is a team process from an internal perspective, identifying and deciding objects that will go in exhibitions.

(cheerful music) - [Narrator] The moving process begins when the list of objects is narrowed down.

Deciding which pieces make the final cut will be an ongoing process driven by a number of factors from the narrative of the story to the exhibit space itself.

- At Rosecliff, we have four different gallery spaces, which we treat chronologically and also thematically.

We have one gallery that's focused on the China trade in Newport from the 18th century through about the 1870s.

And then we have three satellite galleries that all focus on different themes related to the Gilded Age.

And once you have that framework, you begin to populate it.

- [Narrator] To get an idea how each space will come together, the team arranges pictures and descriptions on the walls.

- [Nicole] You're seeing our minds attempting to translate a checklist that we've had on 9 by 11 sheets of paper into the physical space of the galleries, really for the first time.

So those tapes are marking the location of objects.

In many cases, the size of different objects.

It's in the process of attempting to translate from the 2D paper to the 3D space of the galleries your vision for the exhibition that you make last minute adjustments that you couldn't have anticipated until you were actually in the physical space of the gallery and bringing objects together for the first time.

- [Narrator] Meanwhile, other group members are gathering the selected pieces and preparing them to be moved to Rosecliff.

- We have our exhibition checklist, our final object list that was developed.

I used this beforehand to figure out what objects where I needed to pull them from which property.

And then also as we bring objects out for display, we can use this just as as reference to see where they go.

So here we have a list of the different jade and precious stone pieces that are gonna be in the exhibit.

They're on display at The Elms.

- [Narrator] For everyone involved, including the collection's technicians, the process is slow and meticulous.

- So the process of when we're moving objects from one house to another, sometimes we have to end up moving a couple objects out of the way to create a proper path so we're not hitting into them.

For example, at Hunter House, taking down the mirror and removing a chair for the exhibition.

We have to work as a team, figure out how it's hung on the wall, and then make the pathway so we can put it on a table to properly wrap it up and transport it to where it needs to go.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] It's an exercise that will repeat itself dozens of times in the weeks leading up to the opening of an exhibit.

Each piece is unique and requires its own series of steps that need to be taken before it can be safely moved.

That can include moving or rearranging other delicate items in order to safely get access to the object on the list.

The collections team and conservation team work together.

Each piece is handled with the utmost care.

(tense music) - Our objects are most at risk during the transport period, so we just need to make sure that everything is properly packed and cushioned before it is moved.

So there's less risk to it.

- Always gloves, gloves are important.

It's a very tedious thing and sometimes it's nerve wracking 'cause certain objects are more fragile than others.

(tense music) (tense music continues) We make sure that we pack everything in like acid free tissue, acid free boxes, depending on the objects, you know, how it's wrapped properly.

Furniture, again, making sure that there's enough hands to move it.

Sometimes we have to take a drawer, drawers out of a piece before it's moved onto a transport vehicle and brought over to Rosecliff.

(tense music) (tense music continues) - [Narrator] One by one, the pieces arrive at Rosecliff and are brought into a staging area.

- They're coming from a variety of places and we need a secure place to bring them to.

And we bring 'em into this room for temporary storage until we're ready to begin install and either hang them or put them in the case that they're gonna go into for the exhibition.

- [Narrator] As objects arrive, they are measured and carefully inspected to make sure they'll fit properly into the exhibit space.

Some mostly larger items are finding their way to the platforms and pedestals in the exhibition area.

Everything is laid out in a way that will give visitors an up close look while maintaining a safe distance.

- The details span from how things are hung on the walls to the schedule for installation, the schedule for deliveries.

- [Narrator] Meanwhile, collections manager Lauren Landi is unpacking a group of jade pieces that have just arrived.

- These jades all come from the Elms collection where they were a gift from a descendant of Julius Berwind.

Half our properties are represented in here with different objects.

So it's nice when different collections from different houses can all come together and be displayed around one another.

- [Narrator] One of the benefits of being a part of the team here is the occasional opportunity to take a moment to appreciate an object up close.

- Usually they're up in a big case and you can't really get a chance to look at the details, but they have some great motifs on them, like this piece here, we have a bat.

We also have some sort, these spirals that are almost like tentacles, so some nautical themes.

And by being displayed here in the exhibition, visitors will get to view these details a little bit more closely than they can see them as they're normally exhibited.

- It's just two weeks until the opening of The Celestial City and the glass bonnets have arrived that will protect smaller, more fragile items in display cases.

Some of them have already been labeled by the curator.

- This is the top of our case.

And Nikki Williams, our curator, she decides the layout of the objects, where pieces are going to go.

And she's just put notes for me here on the lid of this bonnet where she wants the different jade, so I know the amber bottle is gonna go here.

- [Narrator] But before the pieces are set in place, there's one more step.

- I'm also gonna actually have to cut Mylar to go underneath them.

(gentle music) The Mylar, you just wanna have a barrier between the painted surface of the case and the object just as added protection.

As you can see underneath, we have the Mylar protection.

(gentle music) It's just cut to the size of the base of the object.

We have many pieces of jade in our collection, but these five that are gonna be in the case are ones that she has selected because they tell the story here that she most wants to tell.

(gentle instrumental music) (gentle instrumental music continues) - [Leslie] Identifying objects is a long process, so it begins with, of course, a subject determination for the exhibition.

And then it's combing through our database, our collections files, and through our physical houses to identify what objects are best to help represent that theme and the storyline that we wanna create.

(gentle instrumental music) - These are ivory chess pieces that are usually on display at Kingscote, but where they're on display, they're sort of like in a low shelving, glass covered case.

And you gotta have to like crunch down to look at them.

And you can see all the detail in the carving of the ivory.

(gentle instrumental music) We have some plates from the collection at Hunter House, and I'm just gonna lay them out so it can be marked where the holes need to be made so they can hang in the case.

(wrapping rustling) They're Chinese made porcelain plates all from the 18th century.

Most date to around 1760, 1765.

So we have these little plate hangers on the backs of the plates.

And we will put, where this little tab is we have, we'll drill in hooks for them so they can hang securely off of them, and then be upright in in our hanging case.

(gentle instrumental music) - [Narrator] With just days to go before the opening, paintings are being hung and furniture placed, all with pinpoint accuracy.

There's an unspoken urgency as the final pieces are arriving at Rosecliff.

At this point in the process, the smallest detail overlooked could lead to a delay.

- We're still waiting on a number of objects from Conservation.

There are always last minute fixes and last minute adjustments to be made.

- [Narrator] Conservators are onsite making last minute fixes to ensure every item will look its best.

(gentle instrumental music) (gentle instrumental music continuse) Not everything here is from the collections at the Preservation Society.

The custom made lanterns have arrived from Boston.

- The lanterns that are part of the exhibition are by contemporary artist Yu-Wen Wu.

- Artist Yu-Wen Wu created for The Celestial City five large scale illuminated lanterns that honor Chinese contributions to Newport.

- She takes archival imagery and materials and creates these sort of panoramic landscapes that discuss a variety of topics.

- [Narrator] Now, they need to be installed in one of the galleries, but there are challenges.

How shall they be arranged in the room and how will the lights be powered?

- We can gang all of them together.

They'll all fit through that easily.

- [Narrator] Rosecliff was built using different construction practices than are in place today.

And the team first has to figure out how they can securely hang the five lanterns from the old ceiling.

- Did she tell you also the hole is like two inches off center?

- [Narrator] Meanwhile, in another gallery, a rare banner has arrived from a museum on the west coast and needs to be exhibited in a climate controlled space.

The delicate piece is unpacked and laid out, taking care to make sure it fits perfectly.

- Yeah, I think we need to shift a little bit to the right.

We're there.

- [Narrator] Once the team is satisfied, the bonnet is carefully installed over the exhibit and there can be no more tweaking.

- When it comes to supplementing our internal checklist of objects that we have with loans, that can be a pretty tricky process because we don't have access to every institution's database.

We have to go off information that's available publicly, but then also reach out to curators and other collections teams and institutions to see what they have that might fit within this subject.

- The banner was carried in the 1912 suffrage parade through New York City by the president of the National American Women's Suffrage Association named Anna Howard Shaw.

And the banner says, "N.A.W.S.A., National American Women's Suffrage Association, Catching up with China."

So it alludes to the fact that American women were looking to Chinese women abroad who they believed had won, who they heard had won the right to vote in China as a model for their own political struggle.

And that banner has never been publicly exhibited.

- When things get in, we install them.

We make sure that they're looking their best, that they're safe from any potential hazard if somebody trips or any sort of, you know, undetectable human interaction that we'd like to avoid.

So it's a process that requires a lot of planning, a lot of people, and a great deal of cohesive teamwork and communication.

- [Narrator] Back in the first gallery, there's finally a consensus on how the lanterns will be arranged.

- This lantern is really more about- - [Narrator] And the museum staff has come up with a solution on the best way to feed power and hang them safely.

(screwdriver whirring) - The five lanterns focus on the themes of arrivals or Chinese migration, first, to the American West and then eastwards to cities like Newport.

The second lantern focuses on the trade in Chinese commodities that grew Newport's wealth.

The third lantern focuses on Chinese entrepreneurship in Newport and all across the United States.

And the fourth lantern focuses on the Chinese Exclusion Act.

And the fifth lantern celebrates Chinese women's contributions to the American women's suffrage movement.

(gentle music) The lanterns really capture the sweeping epic history.

We try to tell in the exhibition more broadly, and I consider them a model really for the exhibition in that they embody this effort to bring together diverse sources to really recognize and honor Chinese and Chinese American individuals whose contributions to Newport have been overlooked.

- [Narrator] Final changes have also been made to the scripts that will accompany the exhibition.

- [Nicole] Generally, there are some guidelines for how long an object label should be.

We try to keep them under 150 words.

We try not to write labels for every object in the exhibition, although we'd like to, because we don't wanna overwhelm a viewer with information.

We have to be conscious of how much one can take in in a single walkthrough.

- The graphics people use lasers so they can precisely position the last text to match the rest of the gallery.

Even Rosecliff itself, which just completed a major renovation, is receiving last minute touch-ups.

Curator Nicole thoroughly examines every detail.

She wants to be sure that the story she envisioned has come together and the narrative is realized.

(uplifting music) (uplifting music continues) On a warm summer's evening, invited guests have gathered to sip champagne and toast the opening of The Celestial City.

- We're celebrating two things, the opening of the exhibition, which I think you're going to enjoy very much.

And we're celebrating the eight month long, $7.4 million restoration of Rosecliff.

- The exhibition showcase a plethora of Chinese objects collected by American during the Gilded Age, encompassing a wide area of artifacts and photographs from the (indistinct) rooms of the mansions here as well as the Chinese Tea House located here at the Marble House.

- Thank you all again for being here this evening and for your support of the PS and I hope you enjoy the show.

(audience applauding) - [Narrator] After a few remarks, the crowd ascends the iconic Rosecliff stairway.

The doors are opened and everyone is full of excitement.

- Opening night is my favorite night 'cause it means everything's done and you can finally relax.

And it's so wonderful to see people react to object.

- Anyone who comes to an exhibition has a chance to see themselves in history, and maybe not just themselves, but also their own family, their ancestors.

- [Narrator] The months of research, planning, and execution have all paid off.

Tomorrow, the staff will be thinking about the next exhibition, but tonight, it's time to take it all in.

- I think we've accomplished a lot.

We've unearthed a lot of new stories, made many revelations, and I've been really gratified to hear folks in the galleries say things like, "I never knew this about late 19th century Newport.

I never knew there was a significant Chinese community in Newport during the Gilded Age, or I never knew Alva had partnered with Chinese women suffragists in 1912 to help to win voting rights for women."

And hearing those audience responses has been really gratifying.

(gentle instrumental music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (gentle music) (upbeat music) - [Narrator] This program and other episodes of "Treasures Inside the Museum," as well as digital extras, are now available to watch anytime by visiting RhodeIslandpbs.org or the Rhode Island PBS YouTube channel.

Take a private tour with exhibit curators, get an inside look at the conservation process, and go behind the scenes to see hidden treasures, whether you are interested in artifacts, paintings, photography, architecture, or history, you'll be inspired to learn more.