Published 18 Feb 2025 | Louise Cary

Preserving the past with Michigan State University Museum

How do you move 78,000 irreplaceable specimens without a hitch? Discover how Crozier Fine Arts executed a massive preservation project for Michigan State University Museum, safeguarding a century of natural history during its transformation.​

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Crozier truck in front Michigan State University Museum

Crozier successfully concluded a large project with Michigan State University (MSU) Museum to pack, relocate and safely store 78,000 specimens while it undergoes a renovation. The Museum began as a natural history collection and included vials of pin bones, taxidermied bats, and skeletons of Asian and African bush elephants which all had to be meticulously packed and transported for safe storage.

A project of this scale and complexity required a diverse team with specialist skills. Crozier Texas’ Special Projects group assembled a team from Crozier’s Miami, Washington DC, Connecticut, and Los Angeles branches. They coordinated nearly fifty team members over the course of the three-month project.

“The safe relocation of 78,000 specimens in this historic collection has been a career highlight for me. The team at MSU was wonderful to work with. It was a real team effort and I'm proud of everyone involved.” — Craig Cole from Special Projects Texas
“I’ve been incredibly impressed by the problem solving, the care, and the attention to detail shown by the Crozier team.” — Mary Worrall, Director of Collections, MSU

See time lapse of Crozier team members dismantling an African elephant below.

Louise Cary

Louise Cary

Events & Partnerships Manager, Crozier Fine Arts

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