1. Registrar at Museum Ludwig, Cologne – a chance to be different
Amsterdam 2010
Dear colleagues,
Dear fellows,
The general theme for the conference is being green, a theme taken
from a 1970´s song performed by Kermit the frog which not only refers to
environmental sustainability but also to the courage it takes to be
different.
This general theme was the main point which made me think it could be
useful for registrars joining this conference to hear about my daily work
at Museum Ludwig.
Kermit is also present in my office as a life guard. I thought it was a good
idea to have a sympathetic life guard near whilst working in a museum
and allowed him to move with me when I became registrar!
Being green is not only thinking about ecological and technical resources
but means a lot more in connection with working processes and
procedures.
As you see I have chosen Max Ernst´s painting „Au Rendezvous des
amis” as background for my speech.
It shows a group of artists and literary figures which met in Paris in the
1920ies to discuss, organize congresses and exhibitions as well as to
argue. They finally founded a new art movement – The Surrealism.

2. I think that registrars are all in many ways part of a Rendezvous des
amis! We work together on exhibitions and permanent collections.
Each of us has to fulfil requirements not only of our home institution but
is also part of the international registrars community looking for common
standards to make work more efficient. For these reasons we together
discuss and sometimes argue while we are organizing congresses and
exhibitions!
As you all know this has to do with a lot of self responsibility.
Each of us – as individuals - has to develop his- or her own self every
day in response and sometimes in advance to the changing and the
different demands and. Being flexible is daily essential.
Most of us work single or with less personal equipment but still
increasing quantities of work.
On the other hand there are new opportunities supported by electronic
data processing and more experiences we make from working together
with international partners - for example - on exhibition tours including
various insurance companies, art shipping companies and other
industries involved in loan business.
Influences are coming from in- and outside. Let us bring them together
with – each his or her - own ideas. Please remember the painting: It´s a
rendezvous of friends working in close association but each one still is
an individual, looking to construct an own space.
Well anyway: I was asked to give you an example of how a registrar
works in a museum of modern art in Germany

3. So please enjoy some reflections about my work at Museum Ludwig!
When I started to be the first registrar in a Cologne museum in 2004 one
of the curators – wohe had been working at Museum Ludwig for a very
long time - asked me: “And now – do you know what you have to do?
No, of course I did not know what to do at this time but was kindly asked
to find out!
Before Museum Ludwig had a registrar the curators, conservators and
the administration all were involved in parts of organizing exhibitions and
handling outgoing loans – works a registrar normally is in charge to do.
But they were happy to be released from these jobs when I began my
work.
Because of more than 25 years working for the Cologne museums I am
aware of most of the facilities and problems of all museums in Cologne
but especially of those at Museum Ludwig as I have been working there
most of the time. I was always interested in all working fields at “my”
museum and was asked many times for my opinion, which ist a great
honour to me! Very quickly I learned that being a registrar does not only
mean working in the museum but also working outside as courier and in
cooperation with colleagues from all over the world. From the first
European Registrars meeting I joined in Wolfsburg I learned that there is
a close relation between all museums and institutions working on loan
business and so there is a great chance for cooperation. Of course I am
not only due to my work very much interested in optimizing working
processes in German museums and institutions and so I did organize a
work shop for German registrars according to packing specifics, aspects
of quotations for transportation and customs formalities. This work shop

4. was very well attended by the colleagues and brought a lot of new
members for the German association called Registrars Deutschland.
Joining local registrars communities is the first step. What is needed next
is that the membership continually discusses work issues in order to
encourage the exchange of views not only during meetings but also
while working on a project.
Remaining flexible while the quantity of work is still growing made me
think about more effective and efficient solutions and also to ask for!
I realized that before I can step in to actually make things different I knew
it would be necessary learning about all working fields that are part of a
museum or institution. The terms of reference of a curator are completely
different from the job order of a conservator and both are not asked
working - for example - on logistics when there is a registrar available.
Working in the administration department only gave me the
understanding of a small part of museum life – but working as registrar
opened the whole door of varieties.
As the registrar is the one at a museum or institution who has to bring all
parts together who are taking part on an exhibition or loan procedure,
it´s her or him who is mostly interested in a good communication
between parties involved.
Please nether forget: One of the bases for professional work is the
respect for each human being even couriers and directors!
In the first years I was registrar responsible for exhibitions and
permanent collection assisted by a colleague:

5. Now a colleague is working on permanent collections loans and I am
responsible for the exhibitions.
Museum Ludwig presents a lot of projects every year which means a lot
of motivation to all of us. (There are around 13 exhibitions a year and
about 500 outgoing loans!) To keep motivation up is one of the most
important assignments. On the other hand it is necessary to watch
working processes carefully.
When a young team was completed in 2008 we started to build working
groups and found out that the flow of works has to be verified in many
ways. For example: Due to the fact a registrar was settled in the museum
the duties of documentation had changed.
We established various appointments in addition to the weekly meeting
of curatorial staff, Administration, conservation department and technical
staff to improve internal communication.
The City of Cologne requires an annual review process between superior
and employee. This goes together with a benefit system which is
practised in other German Cities as well.
These appointments shall help to review your daily work and develop
visions for future activities.
It also gives the superior the opportunity to get aware of the
responsibilities of each employee.
Both is necessary for living working procedures and a good
communication.

6. Increasing workflows means that all persons involved need the same
technical knowledge and resources. Various training programmes are
available at the City of Cologne for all employees, others can be joined
for example at the advance technical college for conservation and also
private schools and more for all working fields.
Registrars Deutschland offers workshops for members as well as
mentioned previously. It is up to the Registrars to initiate and design
workshops. Insurance for example is an important issue!
In a museum or institution which presents art to the public you will find a
lot of risks which have to be reduced to an acceptable minimum to avoid
damages. Insurance companies offer a standard of conditions with
exclusions that have to be watched carefully before a project is planned
and realized.
And think of the discussions about state indemnities we had also at the
European conventions!
Being Registrar at Museum Ludwig also means a lot of administrative
work. Museum Ludwig is an institute of the City of Cologne what says it
belongs to a public organization. Public organizations are not able to
deal with companies like private organizations can. The City of Cologne
with its museums as a contracting authority has to follow (Ok, I will do it
very slowly…) the regulations of the official contracting terms for award
of service performance contracts (in German: VOL). The Municipal Audit
Office has to control the legal use of finance resources and the municipal
contract office for tenders has to take out tenders of all variations
conforming to the law.

7. For cultural affairs are the responsibility of each federal land of the
federal republic of Germany the City of Cologne has to report to
ministries of Nordrhein-Westfalen. Of course all institutions supporting
projects have the right to be informed about the way finance resources
are used. In fact this means a big responsibility and knowledge of
regulations from the beginning. At Museum Ludwig it is the exhibition
registrar who is responsible for the part the museum has got in these
procedures.
As I learned, for a lot of museums and cultural institutions it is cruel
hearing about regulations! But as you may agree some of the matters
due to the fact you have to start a tender for example for art
transportation can help you organizing your daily work – Think about the
time a public tender takes before you have the result – including all steps
and formalities. At least it means months in advance to an opening. So
you will need loan lists months in advance to an opening – I mean loan
lists which have to do something with the exhibition at least. The loan list
is the base for a good service specification which is a main part of each
tender!
To get complete information I thought a questionnaire which should be
sent to lenders well in advance to tenders would be useful. This paper
wok has been worked out with colleagues who are interested in a
professional work as well as I am. In this questionnaire all information
according to a loan such as packing requirements, instructions for
transportation, insurance issues, credit line for catalogue and
publications can be added. In the best case there is a maximum of
information which you need in order to realize an exhibition project. I
must admit, this does not work all the time. We all know that loan

8. business quite often is a last minute thing. Working on work flows and
communication could help to get this issue more organized and helps to
make working life easier for everyone involved. To help myself and give
a base for further generations I am working on a standard Crate-,
Packing- and transportation specification for Museum Ludwig which
should make it easier to provide information to lenders and shipping
companies about handling of outgoing loans. This also would help to
prepare service specifications in case you have no detailed advice from
the lender. Of course not all issues of packing and transportation can be
put into a standard but most of them can.
As we all know not only the museums and institutions work on loan
matters but also insurance companies do. Most of the projects are
abstract to them. They trust in information provided by us and bear the
risk of millions! It´s a duty to work transparently.
Fine art shipping companies are organizing transportation, courier trips
and their employees are handling art. This is also a very high
responsibility which we trust in.
I have been talking to insurance companies and brokers as well as to
shipping companies many times in order to build up a market for
Museum Ludwig and get a view of their possibilities. Sadly not all
companies are able to take part on the tenders according to exhibition
projects because this means a lot of work to them and of course only one
can win while for all others it was just work. Due to the formal procedures
a tender always takes a lot of time and this reduces time left for working -
for example - on logistics. As a responsible for tenders and realization of
installation works it is up to me to discuss the duties with the Contract

9. office for tenders and the companies as well. It is often a work of
mediation between administration and commercial world. Who ever
worked in the administration of a City and as a registrar will understand
what this means!
In the beginning it was hard work but meanwhile there is a lot of
acceptance between the museum and the City departments. It takes a lot
of courage – often of being different - to reach this acceptance and stay
independent. Independent means to follow the regulations but stay to
reality. The City of Cologne for example asks for an assessment based
on 100% price. References shall make sure the company is able to work
on the planned project. Everyone here will understand – I hope – that
this is a thing which does not have to do much with real life! If a company
is under pressure to offer the best price it is obvious that they can not
follow their knowledge all the time. And the less information they get from
the service specifications the more they can and must build up their own
scenario. So at least you will get estimates which do not fit to the project
to be realized. You will have to officially entrust a company who´s
estimate does not have anything or almost anything to do with the
invoice at least. Unless this practise is not very useful the service
specifications must contain a scenario which is most expectable. And
registrars should work hard to insist on a fair assessment. This is a
matter which should not only be of interest to registrars working in public
museums and institutions but should be of interest to all of us!
It is hard work to get aware of even exotic lender countries and their
conditions in loan business before you start working on an exhibition but
it is worth diving into!

10. The relations to the companies working on exhibition projects are
marked by professional distance in times of taking part on tenders and
loyalty in times of realizing the project.
This is a highly sensitive matter!
All this is of highly interest to all German registrars. So Registrars
Deutschland is preparing a workshop which shall give registrars and art
shipping companies the opportunity to get into a dialogue about practical
aspects of tenders. Especially the services specifications shall be
discussed and key points for daily cooperation shall be settled. The
results will be proved by lawyers to make sure they do follow legal
facilities.
Gladly being responsible as a registrar at Museum Ludwig does not only
mean to safe money and fulfil requirements of the official contracting
terms but also safe human, ecological and technical resources.
Sharing courier responsibilities with colleagues from other institutions is
very useful and safes a lot of money and time! Museum Ludwig has got
close associations with museums and institutions from all over the world
and the employees – mostly the conservators – overtake courier trips for
colleagues or let them take care of Museum Ludwig art mostly whilst on
transit.
Getting aware of the special talents of colleagues is another point which
can help a team being more effective. To the registrar this is an
important issue due to installation works. To give an example: You
should not make a colleague jump on a scaffold when he is afraid of
heights!

11. When we work with external hanging teams it is my duty to work out
conditions also for daily working times and breaks, because I have to
build up a temporary team!
Finalizing an installation with a résumé and learning for future projects
costs some time but helps you to avoid failures next time.
After the conference in Basel, where there has been a session about
working together with living artists I initiated a contract which has to be
accepted by the artist and the museum as well. At this time we are
working with the first contract. The contract settles frames for financial
resources and also time limits.
In the beginning of my work as registrar at Museum Ludwig I worked out
loan contracts for exhibitions and permanent collection together with
curators, the administration and a lawyer. This contract follows
international standards for loan business as well as the existing law.
Since the registrar – not only at Museum Ludwig - is working as an
interface, it is her or him to be involved in many aspects. And there is still
a lot to learn and to do – To me it´s great fun – and I hope to all of you as
well!
Thank you very much!