Lending of collection material for exhibition

cacheman

Hi All,

I was contacted today by a representative of the Metamorphoses d'Europe organization in Brussels, Belgium asking if I could lend them four or five of my medals for an upcoming show in Oct/Nov of this year in Brussels.

They have assured me that care, transport, etc., would be covered but I'd like to know if anyone else has lent any of their collection to a Non-Profit organization and/or museum so I can pick their brain about all the things I must consider before sending the pieces to Europe.

Does anyone here have experience in lending and documenting lending requirements to be fulfilled by the brrower. Does anyone work with an organization I might tap for lending information?

Any help would be appreciated.

JCMhouston

I have lent a couple of prints and paintings to a museum for an exhibit but they were local so I probably can't help. They had a very simple agreement to insure them at stated value and provide full replacement value if any damage occurred.

coinkat

Congrats- hope it all goes well.

SwK

Hi

I found the ANA great with there planning, they collect the coins, insure them, keep all the packaging to return them, the shippers do all the documenttion, there is a cost to maintain the export documentation but lttle money.

If u need further details write me

br
www.petitioncrown.com

pruebas

I lent dies to the ANA exhibition of "Viva la Revolucion."
I was not particularly impressed with the care that they took in documenting the items nor the terms.
And surprisingly, they failed to measure the items while they were in their possession, so they could not put them in the exhibition catalog. What a slap in the face.

SaorAlba

I will not offer opin on the Belgian museum, since I haven't heard about them, but I know people have loaned stuff to local museums for exhibits and not gotten their stuff back because no accurate records were kept.

ormandh

I passed this question off to a friend who works at a large museum in the area.

Here's the response from our Loans Registrar:

Hi Adria,

I'm not aware of any online site or document regarding guidelines for
loaning objects but there are several things that the Lender should
consider.

First, the Lender should request a "Facility Report" from the Borrowing
Institution. This is a standard document that all museums send to Lending
Institutions (private lenders can request them) to describe the security,
environmental conditions, staff size, insurance, etc. at their institution.

Second, the Lender should request that the museum send him their "Incoming
Loan Agreement". This legal document should contain all the information
regarding the loan, from basic information (like Lender contact info, object
description, dimensions, Lender's insurance value) to more detailed
information (like credit line, photography restrictions if any, special
requests like complimentary copy of the exhibition catalog, etc.)

Third, if the Lender commits to the loan he should request a "Certificate of
Insurance" in English which outlines the museum's coverage. The insurance
should be wall-to-wall (i.e., the artifacts should be insured both in
transit and while on the museum's premises for the duration of the loan).
Note: the Lender will need to provide insurance values.

Fourth, if the Lender commits to the loan he should prepare detailed
condition reports with color photographs of each medal. The Lender should
sign each condition report before the medals are shipped. The Museum should
check the condition when they arrive and sign off on each report, then check
and sign off again before they ship it back to the Lender.

The types of questions the Lender might consider asking are:

1) How are the medals being shipped? If they are going from the US to Europe
there will be paperwork (exporting and importing).
2) Who is packing them (Lender or pay professional packers)?
3) Where are the medals being displayed? In a wall case or pedestal case?
With other objects?
4) Will they be in a locked or alarmed display case?
5) Will they be mounted or displayed flat? If mounted who is making the
mounts (a professional familiar with this type of object)?
6) What kind of environmental conditions will be in place inside (and
outside) of the case?
7) Who will be present for the unpacking, condition reporting, and
installation of the pieces? The Lender? The museum's conservator, registrar,
or curator? Who will be present for the de-installation, condition
reporting, and repacking of the pieces?
8) Is a catalog being produced? Can the general public photograph the
medals? Will the museum allow the use of video cameras or tripods in the
exhibition?

These are just a few things that come to mind. If I think of anything else
I'll let you know. I hope this helps.


-Dan

cacheman

You dah man! Exactly what I was looking for! I owe you one... S

ormandh

Good luck!

cacheman

FYI. This is where the exhibit will be held...the Brussels Town Hall

farthing

Cool! I've had a beer or three many times in the Grand Place in front of City Hall!

farthing