Summer parties mean more people viewing your d'cor and less time for you to spend on decorating your house. Creating an art gallery in your home is a great way to achieve high impact with modest effort. Your art selections will tell your guests a lot about your personal style. Plus, a home art gallery is easily changeable to suit the season, a special occasion or your mood.

The art preservation experts at Tru Vue, a Chicago company that makes preservation quality glass for the framing industry, offer these tips for creating your home art gallery:

* Choose your theme. Will your gallery consist of works by favorite artists? Shadowboxed mementoes from personal experiences or family history? A portrait gallery of family members? Or, a mix of all these styles? Practically anything you treasuremovie tickets, theater playbills, old record covers, sports memorabilia, musical instruments, clothing - can be framed and displayed in your art gallery.

* Select the location. You will want a spot where guests are sure to seeand admireyour gallery. It's up to you if you want the gallery to be a focal point for a room, or a subtle compliment to an overall design theme. Avoid spots where your artwork will be exposed to direct sunlight, but also keep in mind that indirect light and artificial light can both damage artwork too. Never hang important pieces directly over a heat source or in an area with high humiditysuch as a bathroom.

Consider creating a family portrait wall. Galleries also look great lining a staircase wall. Hang artwork at eye level for someone of average height. Place smaller, more detailed pieces in small spaces, like hallways, where impact is less important than content.

* When creating groupings, select frame styles that are compatible with the room d'cor, and mat styles and colors that coordinate well with each other. You might consider organizing pieces with a particular theme that compliment a specific room in the house. For example, you might frame pictures of family members cooking or sharing a meal to create a food-themed art gallery in your kitchen.

* Once you've chosen a theme and location, arrange your gallery pieces by laying everything out on the floor first. This will help determine adjustments, accurate measurements and the overall look of the collection. Whenever possible, align the tops or bottoms of various pieces in the group.

* To ensure you and your guests will enjoy your art gallery for years to come, be sure to properly frame and preserve each treasured piece. A custom framer can create display cases and frames to show off and protect each memento or piece of art.

'An independent custom framer can enhance your pieces through their design talent, creativity and knowledge of preservation products like acid-free mats and ultraviolet protection glass or acrylics,' says Kathy Carter McLin of Tru Vue. 'Galleries and museums maintain a controlled environment so that light and humidity do not damage their artworks. Each piece in your home gallery is just as important to you.'

Custom framers can help protect your gallery pieces from fading, becoming brittle or yellowing with age by using the proper mounting techniques and quality glass such as Tru Vue Museum Glass and Conservation Series glass and acrylics. Acrylic products, are more lightweight than glass and provide a secure environment for artwork. They are a great alternative to glass if you are creating a gallery for a child's room, a high traffic area of the house, or if your home is located within an earthquake zone.