If Your Institution is Hosting or Offering a Traveling Exhibition
Make a Plan
- Develop exhibition team and make
task assignments.
- Define time-line
- Develop
budget
Exhibit Documentation
- Exhibition contract
Sample Contract #1
Sample Contract #2
- Facility Report
| The Standard Facilities
Report (available from the American Association of Museums)
may be required or for in state loans, you may use the NMAM
Facility Report |
- Insurance
a. Issuance of Certificate of Insurance and related reporting
to insurance carrier
b. Sample
Insurance Request Form for Exhibitions
- Reproduction and credit requirements
a. Restriction of photography and use (images for press and publicity,
and educational use only)
b. Credit line for ownership, sponsorship, organization, etc.
c. Photographic restrictions (Is photography allowed in the galleries?
Under what conditions?)
- Exhibit Checklist
- Crate List
- List of special equipment needs
- List of furniture, mounts, and graphics
that will travel with the exhibit
- Packing List with packing instructions
- List of Special Requirements for
the exhibit
- Indemnity
documents, if required
Make sure you can meet the requirements before you sign the contract.
- You can NEGOTIATE for those things
that are problematic. (Note that it is frequently possible to
find a compromise on issues.) It is ultimately most important
that the borrower be able to demonstrate a level of professional
care in their ability to safeguard the objects entrusted to them.
- If there are special conditions
that must be met, those conditions should be in place when the
exhibition arrives.
A Space for Traveling Exhibitions:
- It is important that every museum
have a temporary/rotating gallery space. This space need not be
a huge dedicated area, but if possible 1000 sq. ft. is good. This
will allow sufficient space for most, smaller exhibitions that
will circulate to your museum. As for crate storage, part of the
temporary/rotating gallery can be walled off, using modular walls,
and the crates hidden from public view. The same space can be
used for Unpacking and Staging.
Transportation and packing
Receiving the Exhibition
- Arrangements will be made well in
advance and will be communicated to the Borrower. Shipping companies
will generally call at least 24 hours in advance of delivery.
Unpacking and Staging
- A secure area will be preferred
for unpacking the exhibition. The space should be secured from
the public and access restricted to only those people who must
be there. When unpacking, it is important to work in a methodic
and ordered manner, usually one crate at a time. This allows the
unpacking staff opportunity to maintain inventory control and
ensure that packing materials and checklists do not become confused.
- Follow all installation instructions.
a. REVIEW ANY WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS FIRST, BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO
UNPACK AND INSTALL THE EXHIBIT.
b. Wear gloves as appropriate, or as specified, whether cloth,
latex, or bare hands.
Condition Report Books
- All loans and exhibitions will have a condition
report. The condition report is a legal document that should be
understood as part of the exhibition agreement. It is the document
that describes any change of object condition that may occur.
It is imperative that this portion of the exhibition process be
completed and reviewed. In the event of damage or change in condition,
this allows the lending institution to trace where the change
of condition occurred, and subsequently determine who is responsible.
If there is a question about any condition change, it may serve
as the first line of defense in the event of a lawsuit or future
claim. Condition reports may be in a "checklist" format or free
text and will include the following information
Care, Preservation and handling, and Maintenance
- Care — must be at least as
good as care given to your own collection
- If you see evidence of damage
a. Report any damage as soon as possible
b. Document and document
c. Do not repair borrowed objects without written authorization
- Maintenance: This will frequently
refer to the overall housekeeping practices of the museum. The
special requirement of a traveling exhibit include:
a. Monitor the inventory of the traveling exhibitions
b. Monitor climate conditions with hygrothermograph
c. Pest control
d. Overall gallery and object security
Dispersal
- Unless the borrower is the
last venue, they will not have to deal with this issue. Typically,
the lending/organizing museum will deal with these details. However,
if the last venue is requested to disperse the exhibition, there
are budgetary considerations that must be dealt with, as well
as logistical arrangements that should be stipulated in contract
form. Agreements should be made that specifically define who will
perform which responsibilities; who will pay for shipping costs;
and who will receive non-collection items and materials (cases,
crates, text panels, etc.)
Return of loans
- Termination of loan: Loan expires at the end
of reasonable period. Loan documents define maximum loan period
- Return of objects to lender of record (museum
may require proof of ownership in event of uncertainly or change)
- Receipts
- If museum’s efforts to return loans fail, there
will be some provision to claim ownership (abandoned property)
A book to help you:
Lothar P. Witteborg. Good
Show! A Practical Guide for Temporary Exhibitions, 2nd ed., Washington,
DC: Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, 1991.
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Packing
and Crating Information Network (PACIN) was established
for professionals with interest in the packing, installation, exhibition,
and shipping of fine art, PACIN offers annual meetings, seminars
and workshops, semi-annual newsletters containing job opportunities
and articles of interest, and technical publications. Anyone can
be a member of PACIN. Our purpose is to serve as a clearinghouse
for art handling and packing information and as a mentor to anyone
who needs assistance with art packing and art handling problems.
We have 3 publications: "Soft Packing" "The Crate
Itself", "Technical Handbook of Packing and Crating Methods."
These books are for sale @ $ 25 each or $ 65 for all three.
There are two out-of print books that are helpful
resources for packing and shipping:
Art: Studies in the Transport of Painting,
ed. Marion F. Mecklenburg, Washington, D.C.: National Gallery
of Art, 1991
and its companion volume,
Art in Transit: Handbook for Packing and Transporting Paintings,
ed. Merven Richard, Marion F. Mecklenburg, and Ross M. Merrill,
Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 1991.
Untitled.
Fine Art Services, Inc.
2910-B Fourth St NW
Albuquerque, NM 87107
Tel: 505-344-9994, 800-695-4281
information@untitledfas.com
Untitled. Fine Art Services, Inc. provides professional
packing, crating, shipping and storage of fine art. Fully insured
with worldwide coverage.
TCI
Transport
Consultants International
30 Union Avenue South
Cranford, NJ 07016
908.272.6500 phone
Fax 908-272-6516
800.752.7002 (toll free)
Email: info@shippingmadesimple.com
TCI is an association of art and antique handling companies within
the United States. The association was established in 1987 in order
to provide clients with the ability to make one telephone call to
coordinate all of their shipping needs. TCI provides international
as well as national shipping services.
Astilli, Inc.
1807 Second Street #105
Santa Fe, NM 87505
505-988-3505
Fax 505-988-1610
Email: asti4@msn.com
Astilli, Inc. provides art handling services, high quality
art storage, exhibit services, and local and interstate fine art
transport at competitive rates.
Ancient
City Art Crating and Southwest Crating Services
1308 Clark Road
Santa Fe, NM 87507
505-984-3002
Fax 505-986-0984
Email: acac@cratingart.com
Ancient
City Art Crating and Southwest Crating Services provide customized
crating, packing and shipping services.
Garcia & Garcia
Air Cargo Delivery Service, Inc.
1341 Flightway Ave. SE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
505-243-5286
FAX 505-242-8854
Garcia & Garcia can provide
door-to-door shipping services within the state of New Mexico, in
addition to interstate and international airfreight shipping arrangements.
**Disclaimer
This is by no means an exhaustive list,
nor is it meant to be an endorsement on the part of the New Mexico
Association of Museums.
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