Cultural Heritage Institutions
We offer a wide range of services through consultancy or direct contract work. We have worked with museums, historical societies, archaeological repositories, and galleries.
Our experience in registration is extensive. We have worked for large, busy museums, small historical societies, federal archaeological repositories and academic institutions. We have built registration programs from the ground up and patched those that were leaky. We are familiar with all stages of an object’s long life, from initial custody, acquisition, accessioning and hands-on collection care and maintenance to handling accidents, disasters and deaccessioning.
We specialize in organizing collections that have been mismanaged or unmanaged. We clear registration backlogs, recover and return old loans, and work with staff and community stakeholders in developing a meaningful and ethical deaccessioning process. We have developed policy and procedures for deaccessioning, found-in-collection and undocumented objects.
Knowing what you have, where it is and why it is in your storage area is the first step in gaining institutional control over your collections. We offer professional collections inventory services tailored to your collection and its specific needs, ranging from simple presence/absence or partial inventories to comprehensive, 100% inventories. Our complete inventory services include initial inspection, project design, uncrating and unboxing, condition reporting, preventative conservation assessment, object photography, stabilization, housing or rehousing, provenance and institutional research, and detailed reporting. All inventories can be integrated into your existing collections management system or delivered in alternative formats to suit your requirements.
Knowing the condition of an object is vital to its long-term care and management. With exceptional care and attention, we offer condition reporting services in the form of detailed, accurate and functional reports. Reports include high-resolution imagery and standard formatting, so information is easily located.
While we do not provide object transportation, we work closely with professional art handlers and manage art transportation logistics. We also offer professional and discrete courier services, escorting valuable objects to ensure their safety and proper handling.
With contributions to over 63 exhibits, we have a wide variety of experience producing, designing, installing and deinstalling exhibits. We also monitor existing exhibits for any needs or maintenance such as failed mounts, vandalism, security, lighting adjustments as well as temperature and humidity issues.
We are experienced in executing, processing and managing both incoming and outgoing loans.
We have experience designing collection spaces, designing and managing integrated pest management programs, and we offer climate and security assessments. We offer constructive and meaningful suggestions for improving your space and how to do it within the institution’s budget.
Whether you are looking to sell, insure, file a claim, or simply wish to know the value of an object, we provide professional and confidential appraisal services of fine art, collectibles, antiques and antiquities. We offer individuals and institutions pre-acquisition valuation and up-to-date appraisals for insurance, loans, or deaccessioning.