Greater Cambridge Area
Experienced Registrar with demonstrable skills in Museum logistics, insurance, exhibitions, and couriers.
• Management of the Museum’s programme of loans out to exhibitions in the UK and overseas, guiding the process from formal request to approval, despatch, installation, and return. • Development of the Museum’s systems to manage this process more efficiently, liaising with curatorial, conservation and technical staff in each of the collection departments to streamline the management of loans, and working with colleagues across the University of Cambridge Museums network, for example updating the loan agreements better to reflect the legal context of the Fitzwilliam as a part of the University, and making sure this is a document applicable to other University collections. • Instituting a fair and effective method to recover loan costs from borrowers. • Management of short-term loans in for Fitzwilliam Museum exhibitions from UK and international lenders, including all lender liaison, transport procurement, scheduling, display negotiation and couriered installation. Recent exhibitions include Silent Partners: Artist and Mannequin from Function to Fetish; Death on the Nile: Uncovering the afterlife in ancient Egypt; COLOUR: The Art and Science of Illuminated Manuscripts. Advice and contribution to the draft touring contracts, • Audit of paintings and update of terms and conditions governing long-term loans from the Fitzwilliam to the constituent colleges of the University. • Responsibility for compliance with EU Known Consignor regulations, import duty relief codes, CITES, Government Indemnity Scheme guidelines for non-national institutions, immunity from seizure and due diligence requirements, Acceptance in lieu acquisitions, management of the Museum’s fine art insurance cover. • Responsibility for compliance with EU Known Consignor regulations, import duty relief codes, CITES, Government Indemnity Scheme, immunity from seizure and due diligence requirements, Acceptance in lieu acquisitions, management of the Museum’s fine art insurance.
• Manage and develop the Museum’s team of eight registrars, responsible for the loans out programme and all associated operations in the Loans Section, ensure that an appropriate standard of good practice for object care is upheld, and ensure that the risks involved with the loan of objects are identified and managed appropriately. • Ensure that the Museum delivers its loan commitments and maintains its national and international lending profile, balancing demands for conservation and technical resources with other Museum projects. The V&A lends around 1,200 objects to 150 exhibition venues per year, and has some 1,600 objects out on long term loan. • Advise on and manage the Museum’s loans in for small displays and long term loans in, particularly oversight of the maintenance and wellbeing of loans in the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries. • Provide the Museum with advice on all matters concerning Government Indemnity and insurance, particularly in support of flagship South Kensington and touring exhibitions, Contemporary programmes, Theatre Collections displays and Museum of Childhood displays. • Provide the Museum with advice on current issues of national and international concern, such as immunity from seizure, CITES regulations, provenance and ownership, the Known Consignor scheme, and the Museum’s Open Individual Export Licence. • Draw up, administer and maintain an annual budget for the Loans Section, including the allocation of funds for transporting new acquisitions, and maintain a procedure for the recovery of costs from borrowers for loans out. • Develop and deliver Courier Workshop training 3 times a year, alongside a Condition Checking Workshop, aviation security awareness training and due diligence seminars. • Act as a courier for Museum objects and touring exhibitions as required.
• Management of all exhibition loans in to the Museum, from point of approval in principle by lenders, particularly for Elizabeth; South - The Race to the Pole; and William Hodges. • Negotiation and completion of loan agreements and arrangement of Government Indemnity or commercial insurance cover. • Liaison with Conservation and Exhibitions/Design teams over display method and object requirements. • Appointment of and liaison with transport agent for object and courier transport. • Creation of installation schedule and on-site management of installation, including receiving couriers. • Management of exhibition decants and object returns on completion of exhibition. • Line management of one Assistant Registrar with responsibility for exhibition loans and the Museum’s acquisition programme.