Loan Agreements Crash Course
Here’s a crash course on something more important than we realize: museum loan agreements.
For any member of the exhibition tribe, overlooking what these documents mean could easily spell failure. There is a lot to learn — and here’s an MtM podcast episode with more — but three key loan requirements are humidity, temperature, and security.
Humidity:
Requirements for loaned objects in the borrower’s care are famously narrow. Agreements commonly require 50% constant relative humidity (RH), plus/minus 5% — notoriously hard if your facility isn’t designed for it.
Temperature:
Loans from big lenders often require 70°F, +/- 2°F. Again, not easy. Humble museums in places both hot and cold will struggle without expensive climate control. (More later on how that relates to the climate crisis.)
Security:
Security is another non-negotiable. Most agreements require controlled access, alarms, and surveillance.
If exhibition teams aren’t aware of what these agreements require, they risk underestimating the demands of environmental control, and neglecting coordination with registrars and conservators. And that risks damage to loaned objects, or even the cancellation of the loan.
Here’s the thing:
Loan agreements are strict and serious. Success comes from understanding and embracing the requirements early.
If we’re clever, we can turn these narrow constraints into opportunities: creative solutions that balance conservation, engagement, and innovation.
Warmly,
Jonathan
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MtM Word of the Day:
Loan agreement. A legally binding contract between a lending and borrowing institution, declaring the terms under which objects are borrowed for an exhibition. Loan agreements cover duration, insurance, security, conservation standards like humidity and temperature, shipping, and return conditions.
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Alert! Complimentary Membership Offer
The SEGD Museum Exhibition Professional Practice Group, or ME-PPG, has a pretty hard-to-beat offer, while supplies last:
If you work for a nonprofit museum and need support to join, SEGD has a limited number of grants available to cover a complimentary membership — apply here.
Not ready to commit? Find out more about the SEGD PPG for Museum Exhibition.
