Arrange for an Exhibit

Display Ideas

You can display the stoles in a variety of ways.

They can be…

• …hung from a rope along the wall
• …hung on hangers
• …arranged on tables
• …draped on the altar (keep them away from communion wine or juice!)
• …draped over the pulpit or lectern
• …draped over chairs
• …draped over pews
• …draped over communion railings

While hanging them from a balcony may be visually stunning, the real impact of the stoles happens when people can read the stories that are attached to many of them. So hanging them at eye level is best.

A few words of caution

The stoles are never to be worn. So many of the people represented in this collection were told that they did not have the right to wear a stole. To honor that loss, we see to it that they are not worn. On a practical level, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to preserve these sacred objects. Exposing them to sweat and body oils helps to break down the fabric.

More details and cautions

Visit our Photo Bank to see some examples of how they have been displayed.

PVC Display Stand

Or… if you're feeling a bit industrious, you can easily make a stole display stand out of PVC pipe and fittings for about $15.

Depending on the width of each stole, each stand will display 16-20 stoles:

For each stand you will need:

• ¾" pipe: 4 @ 10'
• "L" fitting: 2
• "T" fitting: 6
• Cross fitting: 1
• End caps: 6
• White shower curtain rod covers: 4

Before you take the pipe home, have your home supply store cut them:

PIPE CUTS

Preparation:

• Make sure that the pipe is clean and free of dirt and grease!
• You can use steel wool to remove the writing on the pipe, or as you put it together, simply make sure that the writing is turned to the back so it won't be seen.
• The shower curtain rod covers come in 5' lengths. With a scissors, cut off a bit more than 1' so it will fit over the 4' lengths of pipe.

Assembly

• The pipe and fittings should fit together pretty easily. If you need a little bit of extra muscle, a rubber mallet will do the trick.
• Put an end cap on one end of each of the 1' lengths of pipe.
• Simply put the stand together using this drawing as a guide:

Hanging the Stoles

• While one person can do this alone, having a few extra hands will make this much easier - one or more people to hold the stoles in place and one to slip on the shower curtain rod cover.
• Lay the stoles over one of the horizontal pipes:



• Beginning at one end, slip the rod cover over the pipe and the stoles:



• Once the rod cover is in place, you can fine tune the placement of the stoles, making sure that the ends of the stole are even and hanging straight down (avoiding an A-frame effect), and that the stoles are evenly spaced across the pipe.
• Take great care that the stole, or anything attached to it, is not damaged by the rod cover.
• Continue with this process on the remaining horizontal pipes.

Thanks to the New Hope Presbytery for providing the inspiration for this design! They came up with the idea of using the pipe and the rod covers, hanging the lengths of pipe on the wall.