The University of Texas Blanton Museum recovers staging space with lateral art racks
Southwest Solutions Group provided a Spacesaver lateral art rack system for The University of Texas Blanton Museum in Austin, Texas. The Collections and Exhibitions department needed to improve a constrained art rack storage room with hard-to-operate ceiling-supported racks, floor-stored boxes, and larger collection items.
A museum collections environment with storage needs for hanging artwork and larger collection items.
The project was completed for The University of Texas Blanton Museum.
The project supported the museum's art rack storage room.
A lateral art rack layout was selected to fit the available room and work alongside existing ceiling-supported racks.
The system added organized hanging surfaces for collection pieces in the existing storage area.
The museum needed more usable storage space while preserving access to existing art racks.
A museum art rack room was running out of usable space
The Blanton Museum's art rack room had a constrained layout, with existing ceiling-supported pull-out racks on one side and boxes plus larger items on the other. The museum needed a storage approach that could improve art rack room organization, gain usable storage space, and preserve access to the existing overhead racks.
Limited usable storage space
The museum was running out of space in the art rack storage room. That constraint made it harder to support hanging pieces and larger collection items within the existing room.
Hard-to-operate ceiling-supported racks
One side of the room included existing ceiling-supported pull-out art racks that were difficult to operate. Any new museum art storage solution needed to maintain access to those racks rather than block their use.
Boxes and larger items on the floor
The other half of the room was mainly occupied by boxes and larger items laying on the floor. This reduced available staging space for larger collection items that are not easily stored.
Lateral art rack storage planned around the existing room
Southwest Solutions Group provided a Spacesaver lateral art rack system with vertical diamond grid double-sided frames. The system organized hanging pieces within the existing art rack room and helped the museum gain needed storage space. The layout also allowed the existing overhead art racks to be pulled directly into the aisle of the new system when in use.
Spacesaver lateral art racks with double-sided frames
The installed system used Spacesaver lateral art racks with vertical diamond grid double-sided frames. The frames provided defined hanging surfaces for artwork within the museum's existing art rack storage room.
A layout compatible with existing overhead racks
The museum chose the lateral art rack system because it worked best with the available space. The existing overhead art racks can still be used by pulling them directly into the aisle of the new system.
More organized use of the art rack room
The system helped organize hanging pieces and improved the use of available storage space in the art rack room. It also supported the museum's need to recover staging space for larger collection items.
A storage optimization project coordinated around funding, layout, and installation readiness
The project moved forward after the museum received funding and confirmed that the lateral art racks were within budget. The system was purchased under the Vizient contract, with an approximately three- to four-month product lead time when the order was placed. The museum had an estimated eight- to nine-month timeline from order receipt to installation readiness.
Existing art rack room conditions reviewed
The project focused on an art rack room with ceiling-supported pull-out racks, floor-stored boxes, and larger items. The storage goal was to gain usable space, improve organization, and keep the existing overhead racks accessible.
Lateral rack layout planned around rack access
The lateral art rack layout was selected because it fit the available space and allowed the existing overhead art racks to pull into the new system's aisle. Planning centered on organizing hanging collection pieces within the existing room.
Funding, budget, and procurement path aligned
The museum received funding, and the lateral art racks fit within the available budget. The system was purchased under the Vizient contract.
Product lead time coordinated with readiness
The product had an approximately three- to four-month lead time when the order was placed. That lead time was coordinated with the museum's estimated eight- to nine-month timeline from order receipt to installation readiness.
Lateral art racks installed in May 2026
Installation started on May 11, 2026 and ended on May 28, 2026. The installed system provided lateral art racks with vertical diamond grid double-sided frames for hanging collection pieces.
Storage layout positioned for continued use
After installation, the art rack room had a more organized lateral storage system for hanging pieces and staging needs. The layout also preserved use of the existing overhead racks by allowing them to pull into the new system's aisle.
Improved art rack organization with recovered staging space
With the lateral art rack system in place, the Blanton Museum gained needed storage space and improved organization in the art rack room. The project also recovered staging space for larger collection items that are not stored very easily, while maintaining use of the existing overhead art racks.
More organized museum art rack storage
The lateral art rack system organized hanging pieces within the museum's existing storage room. This addressed a room previously constrained by difficult rack access, floor-stored boxes, and larger items.
Existing overhead racks remain accessible
The new layout allows the existing overhead art racks to be pulled directly into the aisle of the lateral art rack system. This preserved rack access while adding organized hanging storage capacity.
Hanging pieces moved into a defined storage system
Vertical diamond grid double-sided frames created structured hanging surfaces for collection pieces. This helped the room move away from a mix of floor storage and constrained rack access toward a more organized art storage layout.
Staging space recovered for larger collection items
The museum recovered staging space for larger collection items that are not stored very easily. That recovered space supports continued collection handling needs within the existing art rack room.
Before and after: lateral art racks in a museum storage room
Project images show the storage room before installation, including existing ceiling-supported racks and floor-stored items, and after installation of the Spacesaver lateral art rack system.
Need to recover space in a museum collections storage room?
Southwest Solutions Group helps museums evaluate art rack rooms, existing rack systems, and available space to identify practical storage improvements.
If your team needs to recover floor space, organize hanging pieces, or support collection storage needs, request a consultation to discuss your project.
One team from planning through project completion.
