Loans from our Collection
Worthing Theatres and Museum welcomes loan requests, and is committed to best possible access to our collections and expertise within our capacity. We engage worldwide, ensuring our collections and programmes reach far beyond the walls of our museum. Items from the collections regularly feature in exhibitions and displays around the UK and overseas. The curatorial team endeavour to facilitate requests whenever possible and where conditions can be met.
Requests to borrow
Formal requests to borrow from the collections should be made using our online loans request form (link at the bottom of the page). Formal requests should include the following information:
What would you like to borrow and why?
- Object(s) requested for loan.
- An overview of your exhibition or project
- Please include the dates and title of your exhibition; name and full contact details of the exhibition/project organiser and venue(s); scope of your exhibition project including any publications, associated learning activities, events, plans to tour.
- Why you would like to include object(s) from our collections
- Tell us why our object(s) are important to the success of the exhibition or project?
Tell us about your venue and facilities
Where available, you should submit the following completed documentation with your loan request:
UKRG Display Case Supplement and continuous environmental readings for the same period as the loan in the previous year. The AAM Standard Facilities Report is also acceptable in place of the above documents.
These documents are useful but not essential at point of loan request. If your loan request proceeds, our Curatorial Team will liaise with you to gather all necessary information about your venue and facilities to enable a full assessment. The more information you provide at the loan request stage, the easier it will be to progress the loan.
Tell us about your lending history
Image: Elm Heads by Robert Koenig
Need help selecting objects?
Timeframe
Image: The Fishers by Stanhope Forbes
UK venues
If you have not borrowed from us within the past three years, we require a minimum of a nine-month notice period. Please submit your formal loan request nine-months before the proposed loan start date.
International venues
Decision Making Process
When a loan request is received, the Curatorial Team arranges for it to be considered. Approval for a loan are based on the criteria outlined below:
- Request received with appropriate lead-in time
- Availability of object(s) requested e.g. not required for an exhibition or display at Worthing Theatres and Museum and not agreed for loan to another venue
- Physical condition of the loan object(s) and their suitability for loan
- Availability of Worthing Theatres and Museum resources to facilitate the loan
- Suitability of the borrowing venue, including the borrower’s ability to meet our standards and requirements
- Status and relevance of the object to the exhibition or project theme and content
- Public access to the objects during the loan period
- The potential of knowledge generation and legacy.
The Curatorial Team will notify you of the decision. If the request is approved, it is conditional on the borrower’s willingness and capacity to meet our loan conditions.
Security, Environmental and Display
Worthing Theatres and Museum principally lends collections in line with the UK Government Indemnity Scheme Guidelines for National Institutions. Part 6 of this document from the Arts Council outlines the safest methods to transport and display objects from national collections.
All loans from our collections must adhere to our security, display and environmental requirements, as well as any object specific requirements, as stated in the loan agreement. Our Curatorial Team can provide further information on these requirements.
All loan venues will be assessed by the Arts Council England (ACE) Security Team in advance of the loan objects being released. A visit from ACE’s National Security Adviser to discuss your facilities and security measures may also be required.
Insurance
For loans to UK borrowers that meet the minimum standards set out in the UK Government Indemnity Guidelines, Worthing Theatres and Museum only requires insurance cover for the total agreed minimum liability stipulated for the value of the loan object(s).
For international and other UK venues, commercial insurance will be purchased by the Curatorial Team through Worthing Theatres and Museum's commercial insurance broker and the insurance premium will be passed on to the borrower. If you wish to use another insurance provider, you will need to submit details of the insurance policy and an insurance certificate to Worthing Theatres and Museum for approval at least two months in advance of the start of the loan.
For international loans, Worthing Theatres and Museum may also accept State Indemnity offered by the Borrower’s Government. A copy of the indemnity undertaking, in English, should be received by the Curatorial Team for approval at least two months in advance of the start of the loan.