A place for everything and everything in its place -- that's the goal at the Holter Museum of Art, where a brand-new organization system is being installed to bring welcome order to the museum's permanent collection.

The Holter is technically closed for the first few weeks of January, but behind its calm exterior, the place is bustling: The museum store is getting a facelift, new exhibitions are being installed and, back in the storage vault, the Holter's array of paintings and ceramics -- which number close to 1,500 -- are getting new digs.

A series of metal-mesh doors and a few sturdy cabinets might not seem like anything to get excited about, but they'll make a big difference to the museum in several important ways.

For assistant curator Cheri Thornton, the new system means that when somebody inquires about a piece, she'll know exactly where it is -- and be able to retrieve it.

Previously, Thornton would have to turn down or delay requests because of how time-consuming it was to find things in the vault, which was stacked wall to wall with art, arranged however it would fit.

"It would take a whole day," says Thornton. "It wasn't accessible."

Now that there's some room in the relatively small storage space, the museum can actually think about expanding its collection. Plus, existing pieces will be stored much less haphazardly, ensuring their preservation for years to come.

While construction continues in the vault, the Holter's displaced artwork is getting the star treatment by museum staff. Helena artist Phoebe Toland is taking stock of each and every item before passing it off to photographer Kurt Keller for documentation.

Keller's images and Toland's info will be fed into a new database, which will ultimately be available to anyone online. Overall, the changes mean the collection will be much more accessible to art lovers, other museums -- for sharing purposes -- researchers, and, of course, museum staff.

The project has resulted in an unexpected bonus for the public, too.

In the High Gallery, many works from the permanent collection have been hung in an eclectic display, making the airy space look like an oversize version of the quintessential artist studio: a joyful collage of colorful paintings, drawings and prints by Montana's most beloved artists.

In the middle of it all, Keller is working all day every day with his camera to complete the documentation process before the museum re-opens to the public Jan. 25. "Out of the Vault" will be on display through Feb. 24.

Keller says it isn't often you get to see so many pieces from the Holter's permanent collection. His personal favorites are from a family of artists by the names of Josh, Bob and Gennie.

"I'm just a whole DeWeese family art fan," Keller said.

For information call 442-6400 or go to

www.holtermuseum.org.

Reporter Emily Donahoe: 447-4083 or emily.donahoe@helenair.com