Standards for touring exhibitions / Museums & Galleries Commission.

  • Great Britain. Museums and Galleries Commission.
Date:
1995
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: Standards for touring exhibitions / Museums & Galleries Commission. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    will minimise both the risk to the objects and costs. These standards will help to protect the loans and save expense. When planning an exhibition, an organiser has to decide whether to tour. These Standards will help it to determine what resources it would need to set aside or obtain, and to be confident that it embarks on a tour with a full knowledge, not only of its own tasks and responsibilities, but also what it should expect from its collaborators. An organiser is looking for guidance on the acceptable measures for borrowing exhibits. It needs to persuade potential lenders by offering appropriate safeguards. It also needs to know what outline requirements to discuss with potential venues. These standards will help to promote common procedures and standards. A venue is considering how to improve its performance, to help to make the case for attracting better exhibitions. The national standards in this booklet will be a benchmark for the venue’s own objectives and performance indicators. How are the Standards set out? The book takes a functional approach, for example dealing with extremes of humidity is considered in the sections devoted to display cases and packing [see Sections 16 and 30]. This approach also means that there are no separate chapters on disability and multicultural issues. Instead, provision for people with visual impairments is part of the discussion of standards for interpretation, which ensures that textual material is not only improved for those registered as having a disability but is also easier for other visitors to read [see Sections 11 and 13]. The approach we have taken is that the care and attention that is necessary when designing for the needs of one group of people will enhance the efficiency and appeal of the exhibition for everyone. Each section is divided into three parts: The Standards The main part of each section contains the Standards, printed in bold type. These begin with a statement of principle, which every museum should adopt if it organises or hosts a touring exhibition. Naturally, we hope that other institutions involved in touring will also adopt these principles. The standards have been sub-divided, to apply to the main parties involved in touring. Perhaps more than any other museum activity, touring involves cooperation and collaboration with others. Loans may come from other museum collections or from private lenders or artists. Design, transport and other tasks may be contracted out where they are beyond the expertise or capacity of organiser or venue. Above all, touring involves liaison and cooperation with venues. A museum may be a lender, a borrower or a venue at one time or another, so the Standards are sub-divided into these three perspectives. Every Standard looks at the general principle from each perspective, and sets out a list of responsibilities and obligations for each party. In some cases, the lender may not be involved and so is omitted. Guidelines and notes These enlarge on the statement of principles and reconcile the different perspectives set out in the Standards proper. Cross-references [in square brackets] point the reader to other sections where the subject has implications. Sources of advice and help This part includes specific references to a first-stop address or an authoritative publication. These are selective, but include some references to practice in countries other than the UK, and from the USA in particular.