Exhibitor Insurance: The Coverages Needed For Art Exhibitions

Museums are always looking for an exciting change that’ll get people in the doors, and one way they can accomplish that is with rotating exhibitions. These dynamic showcases not only rejuvenate the experience for frequent patrons but also captivate new audiences, drawing them into the world of art, history, popular culture, and more.

Yet, behind the scenes, traveling exhibitions carry a significant insurance risk. Comprehensive specialty Exhibitor Insurance is crucial to ensure these institutions and exhibit organizers are protected.

In this piece, we’ll delve into the essentials of Exhibitor Insurance: its necessity, coverage specifics, and how a partnership with Distinguished can equip your clients with the tailored coverage they require. This way, your client can put on the best possible show for their patrons with the peace of mind you get from comprehensive insurance coverage. 

Who Needs Exhibitor Insurance?

Exhibitor Insurance is necessary for anyone planning a non-permanent or traveling exhibition. This can include arts spaces, traveling exhibition companies, exhibit designers, or museums that do not own a permanent collection or one that reserves space for rotating collections and galleries. 

It can also apply to all different kinds of exhibitions, including: 

• Art
• History
• Natural History
• Science
• Popular culture 

What Does Exhibitor Insurance Cover?

Exhibitor Insurance at Distinguished covers all the most common exposures you’d expect a traveling exhibition to face. 

This includes:

• Transit Coverage: Covers accidental damage to works in transit, especially breakage for 3D pieces or objects, puncture for paintings on canvas, and water damage to the subject matter or any exhibitry.
• Theft: Covers theft of any loaned exhibitions while on display or in storage.
• Accidental Breakage: Covers breakages caused by accidents, like by a child, guest, or janitor.
• Additional Property Coverage: Covers both pieces in the exhibition and property involved in the exhibition, like frames, crates, display cases, signage, other subject matter or exhibitry, and packing materials.
• Storage Coverage: Cover the exhibitions while they’re at storage facilities and consolidation sites that are needed between exhibition venues.

Not seeing a coverage your client needs? Feel free to reach out to our team to clarify policy specifics and see how we can get them the coverage they’re looking for. 

How Much Does Exhibitor Insurance Cost?

The cost of Exhibitor Insurance is largely driven by a couple of major factors, including:

• Exhibition Value: The overall cost of the exhibition and all its items.
• Duration of Show: The length of time the exhibition will need insurance for.
• Number of Transits: The number of times the pieces will need to be moved.

Other factors our underwriting team might consider are:

• Type of Transit: The methods by which the exhibition will be moved from point to point.
• Type of Property: The kinds of property on display and their unique exposures.
• Fragility of Property: How easy it would be to have pieces break through accidents while on display or in transit.
• Number of Venues: The number of locations the exhibits will need to be insured at.
• Venue Security: The kind of security at the venues protecting the exhibits from damage or theft.

The best way to get a more specific quote for your client is by submitting business with us. Simply sign up, fill in an application, and then email it to our team. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at fineartandcollectibles@distinguished.com. 

What Are the Benefits of Distinguished’s Exhibitor Insurance?

At Distinguished, our team has extensive experience in the Fine Art and Collectibles industry, all of which we use to create policies that give institutions the comprehensive coverage they need for their exhibits.

If you choose to partner with Distinguished for Exhibitor Insurance, you’ll get benefits like:

• Flexible Policies: We can extend the policy term to accommodate add-on venues at the end of the first run or amend the values during the policy term for changes in objects or pieces going to different venues.
• Industry Experience: Beyond our team’s own experience, we also have access to a vast network of industry experts to help us guide your exhibitions’ insurance needs.
• Convenience: With Distinguished, a single policy will cover various show durations, multiple venues, and shipments of different distances and values.
• Transit Knowledge: We understand concerns and issues with international shipping, customs handling, and courier situations and can accommodate those as needed. 
• Easy Policy Renewal: We can offer your client an annual exhibition policy that renews each year, with a policy limit that best accommodates the total values of the rotating shows for that cycle of upcoming exhibitions.

Partner With Distinguished Today

To get your museum clients the Exhibitions Insurance they need from Distinguished’s Fine Art and Collectibles program, start by registering your agency with us. Following this, fill out an application with details about the exhibition dates, transit information, and the collection pieces on display.  

Should you need further clarity or have inquiries about our Fine Art and Collectibles Program, we’re just an email away at fineartandcollectibles@distinguished.com. For more information on what we offer, here are some explainers on some of our other Fine Art and Collectibles offerings:

• Art Gallery Insurance
• Artist Insurance
• Museum Insurance
• Private Collections Insurance
• Fine Art and Collectibles Program Page

Exhibitor Insurance FAQs

Who should take out the policy for an exhibition? Who should be the named insured on the policy?  

Typically, the host of the exhibition would take out the policy. However, if a single owner is lending all the works, then that owner of the collection/artwork can take out the policy in their name.  

With Distinguished’s Exhibitions Insurance, the policy will automatically name owners/lenders as loss payees/additional insureds, so all the insurable interests are represented under the policy. If multiple museums or venues are planned for an exhibition circuit, any of the venues can take out the policy in their name to cover the circuit of shows. However, the one organizing it is the best fit for the named insured and working with the agent to place coverage.

What states is this program available in?

Currently, this program is available to most states in the US, with plans to bring the program nationwide as soon as possible. You can take a look at this list to see whether your state is currently serviced.

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About Distinguished Programs

Distinguished Programs is a leading national insurance Program Manager providing specialized insurance programs to brokers and agents with specific expertise in Fine Art and Collectibles, Environmental and Construction Professional, Executive Lines, Inland Marine, Real Estate & Builder’s Risk, Community Associations, Surety, Hotels, and Restaurants. Property and Liability products are distributed through a national network of agents and brokers. Serving the same core markets and partnering with the most stable and reputable carriers, Distinguished’s high-limit Umbrella programs remain the clear choice in its area of specialty for superior coverage, competitive pricing, and attentive service. Through thoughtful innovation, stemming back to 1995, Distinguished Programs fosters growth and opportunities for its brokers, carriers, and employees.

View a full list of our programs and submit business with Distinguished.

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