Guidance for Borrowers Part 1: Initial Planning
1.1 A vision for the exhibition
1.2 The Planning Group
1.3 Key partners
1.4 Location
1.5 Dates
1.6 Prepare a budget
1.7 MMAC Management Committee Lead Contact visit
Please ensure you have read all of Part 1 before submitting your expression of interest form
1.1 A vision for the exhibition
The Expression of Interest Form will require you to write a brief exhibition proposal, giving your rationale for the exhibition and how it may complement wider programming locally or regionally. Consider the themes you are going to explore and what audiences you are hoping to reach – for instance families, young people. The Management Committee is committed to ensuring the Collection is made available to diverse communities and is a key tool for mission for the Methodist Church. In the first instance you may find it helpful to look at the resources on our website for inspiration.
1.2 The Planning Group
The lead-in time for an exhibition is usually one to two years. You will need to form a Planning Group. Ideally this group should include representation from individuals with skills or experience in the following areas: finance/fundraising, publicity and digital media, mission, event management and curation. This group will hold the responsibility for all arrangements and will effectively be the ‘borrower’ of the Collection. One person should be nominated as a named contact who can communicate decisions and sign paperwork. Your group may already include the local Methodist Church, but if not, it will be important to include a representative from the Methodist Circuit Meeting in your area. The Administrator may also be able to recommend someone with experience of showing the Collection elsewhere to support your Planning Group.
1.3 Key partners
For the benefit of your community, you should engage with and encourage support from as many local churches and community partners as possible. Feedback from other borrowers has shown that working together on the exhibition enables collaboration and strengthens community relationships beyond the life of the exhibition. Look to develop partnerships with local education and arts providers, for example representatives from your local art gallery, museum service and arts societies, as well as local universities, further education colleges and schools. Reach out to local grant-making organisations and sponsors who may be able to support you financially.
1.4 Location
Research locations for the exhibition. It is possible to exhibit the Collection in more than one site, although this increases security and invigilation requirements. If space is limited, it is possible to borrow part of the Collection rather than the whole. A list of works of art and their framed dimensions is available from the Administrator or website. The majority of works are glazed.
The Collection will arrive in individual crates. These are large and heavy and will need to be stored locally for the duration of the exhibition. For further information about the size of the crates, please see Table of dimensions of the travel cases on the Forms and Report Templates page.
Your venue should be secure with stable levels of temperature and humidity. If works are to be hung directly on walls, drilling will be required. If your walls are not able to be drilled then you will need to use temporary screens. The MMAC has a small number of movable screens which have been specially commissioned and are available for loan.
See also 2.2 Agree Location conditions and security.
It is highly recommended that members of the Planning Group visit an exhibition of the Collection elsewhere, to see how it is hung, invigilated and interpreted. It will also give some insight as to how you might display the Collection, what worked well and what you might seek to improve on. You will find information about our touring programme here.
1.5 Dates
Consider the works of art you would like to borrow and the dates you would prefer to exhibit them. You will be able to discuss this in more detail with your Lead MMAC Committee Contact/s. Most exhibitions run for about four to six weeks’ duration. Local events, national celebrations and school holidays are an important consideration in planning your dates. You will also need to plan your opening hours to reflect the capacity of your team of volunteer invigilators.
1.6 Prepare a budget
It is important to prepare a draft budget so that you have a clear idea of the costs involved from the start. An initial sum of £5,000 is recommended, which will cover the lending fee, professional carriage in both directions, the printing of promotional material, nail to nail insurance and any additional travel required by MMAC Committee Members. If you need to employ an Art Technician to support the installation/de-installation then this will be an additional expense (see 3.2 Hanging the works of art).
The fee to borrow the entire Collection (approximately 55 items) is £1,500. This pays for administration expenses, the support of two members of the MMAC and nail to nail insurance provided by the Methodist Church. The lending fee reduces depending on the number of works borrowed, down to a minimum fee of £250. You are invited to offer more if you would like to help the MMAC Management Committee to cover the costs of caring for the Collection.
The borrower will be expected to pay for the cost of transport, both from and to storage. Depending on distance and the number of works borrowed, professional carriage could cost up to £1,500 each way. A list of approved carriers will be supplied by the Administrator. The Planning Group may wish to consider applications for grants or local sponsorship to meet these expenses. A list of potential grant-giving bodies can be supplied by your Lead Contact.
Your Expression of Interest Form (available here) should be sent to the Administrator: Liz Millard artcollection@methodistchurch.org.uk (020 7467 5214)
1.7 MMAC Management Committee Lead Contact visit
When your initial planning is complete and your Expression of Interest Form has been received by the Administrator, a MMAC Management Committee Lead Contact will be in touch to arrange an initial conversation. Following that meeting, a site visit will enable the MMAC Lead Contact/s to see the planned exhibition site(s), view your exhibition plan (see 2.1 Development of your vision for the exhibition), make any recommendations or suggestions and meet all the relevant people. At the site visit the Facilities Report (see Forms and Report Templates) will be completed.