The Cultural Exhibitions and Fine Arts Indemnification Scheme (the Indemnification Scheme) provides Government-backed, fully insured indemnity cover for temporary exhibitions organised by accredited Victorian cultural institutions.

Galleries and museums can apply to the scheme to cover this potentially prohibitive cost for both the exhibition period and transits associated with temporary exhibition programming.

The scheme aims to:

• Facilitate the presentation of significant temporary exhibitions throughout Victoria by removing the potentially prohibitive cost of insurance.
• Promote best practice in exhibition and risk management across the gallery and museum sectors.

Eligibility

The Indemnification Scheme accepts applications from organisations that have undergone a satisfactory risk management and site accreditation assessment.

Indemnified exhibitions may be:

• Drawn from local, interstate or international sources.
• Presented at a single accredited venue or toured to several accredited venues within Victoria.
• Toured both within Victoria and interstate, in which case indemnification covers only the Victorian component of the tour and the transits to and/or from the interstate venues.

Applications must also be for exhibitions on the Fine Art Indemnification Scheme Annual Schedule, unless discussed with the program manager prior to submission.

There is no limit to the number of times an organisation can apply for indemnification.

Closing Dates

In March each year Arts Victoria contacts galleries and museums across the State to determine a schedule of exhibitions that may require indemnification in the next financial year.

Fully detailed applications are required to be submitted by one of the four closing dates (see Overview section), which must be a minimum of 8 weeks prior to the requested Indemnification start date. This lead-time is to allow a considered assessment of the project and to enable discussion and referral to take place where appropriate.

Applications

You must complete the Touring Victoria - Indemnification application form to be eligible for consideration. This includes:

• An application summary
• Details of the works, installation, transport and condition reporting (including a security checklist)

Download the application form and full guidelines as a:

• PDF (75 KB)
• Word document (186 KB)

Applications will be assessed and prioritised according to the following criteria:

• Has the organisation undergone a satisfactory risk management and site accreditation assessment through the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority (VMIA).
• Will the exhibition make a significant impact on the applicant organisation.
• Will all security, transport, packing and handling will be carried out according to the Security Checklist (found on pages 8 to 10 of the application form).
• Is there a confirmed itinerary.
• Is the budget and marketing strategy commensurate with the scale of the exhibition.

Other areas of consideration include:

• The legal status of the management organisation.
• The proposed itinerary, including specific accredited venues.
• The exhibition budget.
• Identification of the objects for display.
• Security, packing, transport and courier arrangements (in all instances professional standards must be met, specific requirements are to be decided for each exhibition).
• Referral to the relevant risk management and site accreditation assessment reports.

Indemnification Committee

Applications are assessed by an Indemnification Committee, appointed by the Minister for the Arts, which includes representatives from Victorian galleries and museums.

The current committee members are:

• Robyn Sloggett (Chair) - Chief Conservator, The Ian Potter Museum of Art
• Janine Bofill - Registrar, National Gallery of Victoria
• Brett Dunlop - Manager, Melbourne Museum
• Veronica Filmer - Registrar, Geelong Gallery
• Kirsten McKay - Curator, Castlemaine Art Gallery and Historical Museum
• Alice Cannon - Conservator, Paper and Photographs, State Library of Victoria
• Robert Lindsay - Director, McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park

Valuation of Works

As part of the assessment process, all valuations of works to be covered under the Scheme are reviewed.

In order to verify values more effectively you must provide the source of the valuation. In situations where the valuation may be contentious (eg where the valuation is made by an artist of their own work), the person who authorises the application should verify the estimate using an independent source (a third party valuer or by reference to recent comparable auction prices).

As a recipient of Arts Victoria indemnification support, you are required to:

• Sign a standard agreement with Arts Victoria before cover can be confirmed.
• Publicly acknowledge the support of the Victorian Government using specific logos and text
• Acquit your grant by completing a written report on the outcomes of your project.

Standard Agreement

Recipients of indemnification must sign a standard agreement with Arts Victoria before cover can be confirmed.

This agreement outlines the standard conditions under which indemnification is provided. Once a signed copy of the agreement is returned to Arts Victoria, the VMIA will issue a Confirmation of Cover document that finalises the indemnity for the exhibition.

Logos and Text Acknowledgement

Logos

The Arts Victoria logo device must be included on all promotional materials produced by the grant recipient in relation to the funded activity.

These may include (but are not restricted to):

• Posters, fliers and brochures
• Advertisements
• Invitations
• Information and education kits
• Signage
• Programs and catalogues
• Websites.

The size and position of the logo should be commensurate with the level of funding provided by the Victorian Government through Arts Victoria in relation to other supporters.

The Arts Victoria logo device is available in a variety of formats, please take note of the guidelines for its use.

Text Acknowledgement

The following text acknowledgement should be used:
[This Exhibition] is indemnified by the Victorian Government through Arts Victoria

Exhibition Report

Recipients of Indemnification must provide Arts Victoria with an exhibition report within 90 days.

For further information about the Indemnification Scheme contact:

Fiona Beckwith

T: 8683 3137
fiona.beckwith@dpc.vic.gov.au