Security and Insurance 

A. Security

The museum provides for the security of its collection, facility, staff and visitors through a variety of means, including patrolling the galleries, electronic monitoring of all galleries via closed-circuit television, nighttime motion detectors, electronic fire and theft systems and emergency preparedness plans.

  1. All museum staff are responsible for immediately activating the emergency phone tree if vandalism, theft or damage to artwork is suspected.
  2. Upon initial notification of damaged or missing artwork, museum staff in concert with University Risk Management, and, when applicable, the lender, coordinate a response to the incident. Collection/registration and exhibition staff will submit written reports to the director. Exhibition staff will create a report within 24 hours of discovery of the incident.
  3. A security plan will be created and implemented for each exhibition.
  4. Collection/registration office and collection study center are open only when collection/registration and/or curatorial staff are present; it is locked at all other times. The collection storage room 230 door is open only when staff are working in it or moving artwork to and from this area. Collection storage room 230 is alarmed overnight, on weekends and when staff members are out for more than four hours during a weekday.
  5. In case of a security alarm call, the emergency phone tree will be activated. If an emergency response is necessary, museum staff will follow the procedures established by the museum Emergency Plan. If a false alarm is suspected, museum staff and university police will examine the facilities together and decide whether further action is necessary.

B. Insurance

  1. The collection is insured through the University of Colorado Risk Management Insurance Fund while on the premises of the museum and while in transit under the care, custody and control of museum staff. The Fine Arts Endorsement extends property coverage to ensure against direct physical loss or direct physical damage to artwork. The Transit Endorsement extends property coverage to ensure against direct physical loss of or direct physical damage to property from the time it leaves the initial point of shipment until delivered to its destination. In addition, specific care is taken by museum staff to ensure adequate packing and proper preparation for all shipments.
  2. Unless otherwise required by the lender, artwork loaned to the museum for exhibition, research, gift or purchase review are insured by the University of Colorado while on the premises of the museum and while in transit under the care, custody and control of museum staff. All valuation records and other proof of insurance for loans, pending accessions and collection artwork are kept on file by collection/registration staff with copies sent to University Risk Management if over required value.
  3. Artwork from the collection on loan to other institutions will be insured at the borrower’s expense, either under the borrower’s policy or under the museum’s insurance policy, if the latter is in the best interest of the museum.
  4. Any agreement for insurance arrangements other than that provided by the museum’s policy, including coverage by the borrower(s) or lender(s), must be stated in writing and approved by collection/registration staff. Certificates of Insurance must be provided to the museum for all such agreements. 

  5. Collection/registration or curatorial staff may assign justified monetary values for insurance purposes to artwork in the collection based on current market value. 


Collection/registration staff maintain all insurance records for the collection.