This presentation will give a unique insight, from a Registrar’s perspective, into the Beirut Glass Research Project, a successful collaboration between the British Museum and the Archaeological Museum in Beirut, part of the American University of Beirut.
On the evening of 4 August 2020, a man-made port explosion devastated the city of Beirut. The Archaeological Museum’sRoman and Islamic glass gallery’s collection of archaeologically significant glass vessels, which had survived for 2,000 years, was shattered in a matter of moments.
However, after the explosion, Curators at the Archaeological Museum managed to identify eight vessels that were salvageable and could be reconstructed. The British Museum secured vital funding to bring hundreds of fragments from these eight shattered glass vessels from Beirut to the UK to be sensitively reconstructed by the British Museum’sConservation Department and a Trainee Conservator from Beirut. The eight reconstructed glass vessels were then exhibited in the British Museum for three months, before they returned home to Beirut for public display in the permanent glass gallery at the Archaeological Museum in Beirut.
The talk will tell the story of the journey of these vessels and how the loans administration was tailored specifically for them. The project’s key milestones will be explained step by step with particular focus on the central role of international collaboration and the extraordinary efforts of colleagues in Beirut and London to preserve and share knowledge of one ofthe world’s richest collections of ancient glassware.

Most fine art logistics companies will tell you that invisibility is their superpower. When an exhibition opens, few people understand the meticulous months of planning and preparation that go on behind the scenes. On this panel, several leaders in the art logistics field will discuss the global network and association of fine art shippers who assemble to move art seamlessly across the globe. Their war stories of shipping cultural artifacts and masterpieces will unveil the remarkable unseen world behind shipping international fine art exhibitions.

Fire risks pose a significant threat to cultural institutions’ collections.
To improve preparedness and mitigate damage, a comprehensive safety plan should be adopted with a complete operations plan that outline procedures for responding to fires. Collaborate with experts and conduct regular self-assessments to identify risks To minimize damage in case of fire, water or smoke and soot hazards, priority should be given to using passive protective covers with an aluminized material over traditional fire resistant materials.
These lightweight covers reflect up to 99% of radiant heat away from artwork, providing superior protection. During fire exercise, those covers have been shown to allow the artwork to stay below 40°C and thus providing maximum protection in an environment that can reach more than 500°C.
By implementing these strategies, cultural institutions can mitigate fire risks and preserve valuable artifacts.
Additional measures, especially operational aspect and ease of handling are key at the time of using this material in an emergency, making passive cover a practical solution for cultural institutions.
Proper training is required to optimize use of covers during an emergency and should be done on a regular basis in institutions.
This workshop, conducted in collaboration with a Registrar from a cultural institution, will provide valuable insights into emergency plan development and preparedness. The Registrar will share feedback and experiences, including the use of materials like heat protective covers.

One of the key responsibilities of museum registrars is to ensure that the information pertaining to exhibition and storage spaces aligns with the standards set forth by ICOM and the Ministries of Culture (or equivalent institutions in each country) for the preservation of works of art and other assets of cultural significance, particularly with respect to loans for temporary exhibitions.
These data are reflected in the Facilities Report document.
Many countries now have a template adapted to their own language, but the most widely used models within the profession are those from the United Kingdom (UKRG) and the United States (AAM). These models are the primary means by which we complete our data, and, when necessary, we require the museums to which we lend our works to complete them as well.
The ERG has been considering the possibility of developing a unified form for use across Europe. This would be a more straightforward and condensed version with binary responses, which would streamline the completion of lengthy and complex forms with extensive information, often including obsolete questions or data that small museums may not have the resources or expertise to address.
The rationale for this proposal is to create a simpler form that covers the more relevant questions and is easy to use for the entire museum community.
The objective of the workshop is to discuss this model with the attendees and debate the convenience of its implementation.

The Science Museum Group cares for the UK’s National Collection of Science, Medicine, and Industrial Collections. We are industry leaders in identifying and managing hazards in museum collections.
While Registrars are not typically experts in identifying or managing hazards, the team at SMG work closely with those that are. As a result, the SMG Registration team have an enhanced knowledge and training which informs our approach to collections management, loan activities, acquisitions, and disposals.
What does this mean in practice? How do we remain diligent to protect staff and the public? How do we manage associated risks? What can we do to ensure legal and ethical requirements are being met? And how do we approach“new” hazards?
This session will explore the challenges and intricacies of hazards management within the framework of Registration. We will review case studies, discuss practical solutions and look to the future of hazards and collections management.

Working with a living artist on an exhibition can be intimidating, especially for a young registrar. Reflecting on myexperience with "Pat Lasch: Journeys of the Heart", we will review the importance of being a dutiful registrar along withbeing able to deal with a personality that is, most of the times, far from our own. We will go over what is relevant and whatwe have to adjust in our own behavior and mind set to achieve a successful exhibition. This includes having a positiveapproach toward the curator and the whole project team. We will then review the takeaways of this particular experience,that inform our job almost everyday. An Exhibition Registrar has to be ready to be very flexible, yet highly methodical andprecise. The focus will be on how to establish an efficient and, even, friendly relationship with our artist, while dealing withexhibition planning. This presentation will not list documents or provide templates, but, instead, be an actual case studyshared with colleagues at any stage of their career. The Exhibition Registrar has become a highly skilled, flexible, knowledgeable figure in the art world. Dealing with an artist is now a necessary skill that is often underestimated. The goalis to be a team, not a clash of personalities. Although we may deal with challenging ones sometimes, we have to keep oureyes on the endgame: creating an experience that is meaningful for the audience and recorded as a rewarding one for theteam.