THE TICKER
CONNECTING TO COLLECTIONS
Securing Object Loans for Exhibitions
By Sarah Poole
In every issue of Financial History, we tell you the stories behind artifacts from the Museum’ s permanent collection. But what happens when the collection does not fulfill the needs of an upcoming exhibition? One option is to acquire new artifacts for the collection, but this is only viable if the items are readily available for donation or sale, are within the exhibition budget and fit the Museum’ s collecting mission. More frequently, the exhibition team relies on loans from other collections.
We recently faced this challenge in developing the current temporary exhibition, Worth Its Weight: Gold from the Ground Up. This is the Museum’ s largest exhibition to date and features the highest number of objects on loan, with over 260 borrowed items on display. The 43 lenders that contributed to the exhibit consist of museums, private companies, universities and individual collectors.
The process for securing loans from other institutions can be lengthy. We began seeking out loans for Worth Its Weight more than a year prior to the exhibition opening. The first steps involve researching the collections of various institutions and identifying objects that fit the topics of the exhibition. As an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, our exhibit team was able to visit the collections of various Smithsonian museums in Washington, DC, as well as to connect with other Affiliate museums across the country. The team was also referred to
A handheld trading device and roll of ticker tape from the Museum’ s collection were featured in the Computer History Museum’ s Tools of the Trade exhibit.
additional lenders through various professional networks, exhibit content advisors and exhibition sponsors.
Discovering interesting artifacts from potential lenders is one of the most exciting parts of creating an exhibit. Our research for the gold exhibit led us to gold dentures from the National Museum of Dentistry, a golden sword from the Arab American National Museum and even an example of the world’ s first gold coin from the private collection of Jonathan P. Rosen.
When requesting a loan from another museum, we typically must submit a formal letter or application, as well as a General Facility Report( GFR). The GFR is a standardized report developed by the American Alliance of Museums( AAM), a professional organization that sets best practices for museums in the United States. The report provides information about the physical specifications, environmental conditions and staff policies and procedures in place at a museum. This documentation clearly shows the level of care a museum will be able to provide for objects in its possession.
Once a loan is approved, the lenders and borrowers work together to ensure
Computer History Museum / Douglas Fairbairn Photography
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JUN 9
1784
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New York’ s first bank, The Bank of New York, opens for business at the Walton House in Lower Manhattan, only a few months after the British troops depart from American soil. |
JUN 19
1969
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The NYSE, so far behind on its antiquated paperwork that it has to close each Wednesday so clerks can process trades, appropriates the unprecedented sum of $ 7.5 million to upgrade its computer systems. |
8 FINANCIAL HISTORY | Spring 2016 | www. MoAF. org