Visible Storage–Study Center

Visible Storage–Study Center

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Photographs: Caroline Voagen Nelson

Treasure hunters and art nerds alike can go all Indiana Jones at the Visible Storage–Study Center, a little-known respite located in the Brooklyn Museum’s Luce Center for American Art. The steel-gray, 5,000-square-foot room stands in contrast to the museum’s lavish galleries, and the atmosphere shifts even more after you enter: The temperature drops and the lighting dims. Such precautions preserve the space’s relics, which include tribal jewelry, modern housewares and more. The Center also offers a behind-the-scenes experience that few museums can match; many institutions with storage centers limit access to scholars and curators. Here, you just walk in as you would to any other exhibit (it’s open year-round). “We’re always looking to use the works of art to tell a story,” says chief curator Kevin Stayton. “The Center offers a richer picture of what our collections are about.”

The 2,000 pieces on view are organized by genre, era and medium. Paintings hang, salon-style, in gilded frames from a series of metal panels. One of the many glass cases holds a bizarre, pink-upholstered Victorian side chair designed by George Jacob Hunzinger; another contains neoclassical marble sculptures. Works are frequently swapped in and out to be displayed, or sent to other museums on loan. But the entire collection can be viewed online (search by type of artifact at brooklynmuseum.org/research/luce) so you can see what’s showcased before heading out. We won’t blame you for wishing you could borrow Benjamin G. Bowden’s streamlined Spacelander Bicycle and take it on a wild ride across the Brooklyn Bridge. 200 Eastern Pkwy at Washington Ave, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn (718-638-5000). Wed–Fri 10am–5pm; Sat, Sun 11am–6pm. $6–$10.—Rachel Wolff

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