Putting them away

As the delicate ceramics come out of the kiln and need taking home - as well as needing storing at home - there comes the question: how to keep them intact and safe?

Already I have many items made during previous ceramics courses -

... and those are just the ones left out on display - we're running out of space...

The obvious first step is triage -- sorting out what definitely needs to be kept and urgently needs to be kept safe, versus what is a waste of space and should be got rid of. And in between, what to keep on hand or leave out, gathering dust until ... when? For now, I still need to keep some of them - if only to review before the next time I have a chance to develop this project and can focus it more -

Broken bits - to be kept for "a while"

Next is recording, with photographs and dimensions and descriptions. Big job, needs a system, maybe a database? Or maybe just a folder on the computer for the photos, with captions containing dimensions, date, etc -

None of the works have titles (somehow I never even considered titles, these are works in progress not finished Art!) so my plan is to put a small photo for identification on the outside of the wrapping.

Ah the wrapping... Research finds this guidance for shipping delicate items. For the less hazardous task of storage, I'll mostly use bubble wrap - for the flat items at least - augmented with shredded paper for the more 3D and delicate-edged pieces. (Is there a better way?)

Broken bits are layered with crumpled newsprint in the bag;
dimensions have been recorded, for captioning of photos

Finally, gathering the pieces together in one spot - a big box in a cupboard?

All along, I have someone's wise words ringing in my ears - "before you start making it, think about how it will be displayed, and about how you'll transport and store it."