The UK Registrars Group is a non-profit association set up in 1979. It provides a forum for exchanging ideas and expertise between registrars, collection managers and other museum professionals in the United Kingdom, Europe and worldwide.
The group strives to establish and promote standards of good professional practice through publications and seminars and to support national and international standards in relevant fields of work.
Particular emphasis is given to documentation and records, physical care, loans & exhibition logistics and cultural sector legislation. The Group also seeks to provide advocacy and representations in relevant consultations and sectoral developments, where required by its membership. The Group is run by an elected committee; details of their roles are available here. We rely on our membership to ensure the dynamism of our organisation and we encourage ideas from all our members.
Individual membership is open to all those involved in the care, management, interpretation and display of collections in museums, art galleries, heritage centres or any other similar organisations. In addition, corporate membership is available to those companies which supply services to the museum and gallery sector in general.
The website is our main form of communication with members, non-members, other museum professionals and non-museum workers alike. News, events and job adverts are also sent via our news bulletin, which goes out monthly by email to all members.
We aim to share our work with others and are happy for you to download and use our information.
UKRG Committee
Interested in joining the committee? Read about what the roles entail here or contact an existing post-holder here.
David Packer
Chair
I began to pursue a museum career in 1997, and I have been very fortunate. Shortly after a student placement in the Collections Development department at the National Maritime Museum, a vacancy arose there for an Assistant Registrar, and I then spent five enjoyable years in Greenwich, developing a love for the well-hidden, sometimes idiosyncratic world of the registrar. Moving to the V&A registrar team broadened horizons in scope and complexity, and after an Exhibitions department secondment I was able to take up the post of Registrar. Ten years in South Kensington have led to six years in Cambridge at the Fitzwilliam Museum. From the start, I have benefited from the vast experience and solidarity of my colleagues, so readily shared within the UKRG: to take up this post is my latest piece of good fortune, and I hope to serve others just as well for the next two years.
Hannah Kauffman
Secretary
I am currently Touring Exhibitions and Partnership Manager at the British Library, developing their UK and international touring programme and learning how different libraries are to museums! I have been a Registrar for 11 years – starting as a Loans Assistant at the National Portrait Gallery in 2008 before moving to the V&A Museum in 2011 where I managed the V&A’s large and varied loans out programme and team of Assistant Registrars. In my career to date I have worked on all aspects of loans, acquisitions, exhibitions and tours and look forward to sharing this experience with UKRG and getting to know my lovely colleagues on the committee. As Secretary, I am particularly excited about administering the bursary scheme and enabling more members to attend the UKRG’s amazing programme of events and other international conferences.
Dana Mokaddem
Treasurer
Having worked as Exhibitions and Displays Coordinator at Dulwich Picture Gallery, and a previous exhibition role at The National Brain Appeal, I joined Tate last year as a Collection Registrar. Developing experience in both exhibitions and collection management has certainly highlighted for me the importance of knowledge sharing, especially amongst peers who hold an abundance of skillsets! In my roles I have been responsible for exhibition budgets, reforecasting and monitoring costs, as well as processing payments, which I hope will be valuable in this position as Treasurer. I am so pleased to have the opportunity to represent UKRG members on the committee and be involved in wider policy issues for our sector and look forward to contributing to a community which I truly cherish..
Jess Reid
Corporate and Development Officer
I am the National Loans Coordinator at Paintings in Hospitals. I am responsible for ensuring the smooth delivery of the loans programme to health care practices around the UK and for developing and maintaining the collections management system. At times, I also work collaboratively with national museums to help them increase their outreach and achieve a loan from their own collection to a health care practice. Prior to this I was an Assistant Exhibitions Manager at the Royal Academy of Arts assisting with the delivery of exhibitions and international touring exhibitions. My interest in collections management and registration started when I took on the role of Assistant Curator for a private collection. I then went on to develop my knowledge to national museum standards when I became an Assistant Registrar at the Science Museum Group. I’m looking forward to being part of the UKRG committee and taking on the role of corporate and development officer!
Jordina Diaz Ferrando
Events Officer
I am currently the Exhibitions Registrar at Heatherwick Studio, responsible for the coordination of the Studio’s touring exhibitions and various loans projects. Prior to that, I worked on a variety of roles in different museums such as Assistant Registrar at the V&A, managing a wide range of short-term loans out both nationally and internationally; I undertook a graduate placement within the Exhibitions Dpt at the J. Paul Getty Museum, working on the production of temporary exhibitions; and worked at the British Museum for five years on a various roles from Gallery Assistant, Administrator, to Loans Coordinator in Prints and Drawings, where I managed the short-term loans out programme across the globe and looked after the loans in for departmental temporary exhibitions. As the ongoing Events Officer, I am very much looking forward to keep organising exciting and interesting events for the UKRG members this coming year.
Ilenia Scerra
Events Officer
I am the Assistant Registrar at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology in Oxford, where I have been working in a variety of roles since 2015, from cataloguing the Eastern Art collection to supervising evening events. When I first started as administrative assistant for the Registrars Department, I had virtually no idea that I was going to collaborate with the very people working the magic behind exhibitions worldwide! I have then gradually moved into assisting all areas of loans, including in-house and touring exhibitions, as well as coordinating the extensive long-term loan programme to Colleges and Departments at Oxford University. I look at the UKRG as the most inspiring platform for co-operation and support within the sector, and I am ever so thrilled to have the opportunity of giving my contribution to its useful and exciting events programme.
Joanna Weston
Membership Secretary
I am currently an Exhibitions Assistant at the National Gallery, responsible for the smooth delivery of a diverse range of exhibitions both at Trafalgar Square and for international touring exhibitions. I thoroughly enjoy organising exhibitions to promote the appreciation of art for all. Prior to this, I worked for a fine arts logistics company, coordinating the transportation of museum objects nationally and internationally, from contemporary installations to antiquities. I have also been a Collections Art Handler for an auction house, where I handled unique objects and undertook collections management. As Membership Secretary, I look forward to meeting members and helping to contribute to the invaluable work of the UKRG.
Cassia Pennington
Professional Development Officer
I’m currently National Programme Coordinator at National Museums Scotland, supporting museums across Scotland to develop and deliver a wide range of activities using their ancient Egyptian and East Asian collections. I run training under our National Training Programme, as well as part supervising and mentoring Skills for Success learner, all of which I hope to draw on in my role as Professional Development Officer.
My registrarial career started as a Registrar Trainee at Royal Armouries ana Leeds Museums and Galleries, followed by six years as an Exhibitions Registrar at National Galleries of Scotland, working on everything from old masters to performance art. I previously served on the UKRG committee as Events Officer from 2012 to 2014.
Laura Ransome
Supporting Officer
Having previously worked for non-profit art organisations, history and heritage became a real interest whilst working at Morley College as Exhibitions Officer. As Assistant Registrar at IWM (Imperial War Museums), I work with some incredible objects and stories, not to mention amazing colleagues across IWM and the museum sector, as well as lenders from all walks of life. It is such a privilege working across the five IWM branches which are so unique and extraordinary in their own right.
As the new Supporting Officer, I am looking forward to contributing to the work of UKRG and joining the committee for more interesting events and discussions during my term.
Wietske Veenhuis
Web Editor
I currently work as Assistant Registrar for exhibitions at the National Galleries of Scotland. Together with the team we make sure that all the exhibitions at the different venues of the NGS are running smooth and are well planned. We collaborate with museums, institutions and private lenders around the world to set up a large variety of exhibition ranging from Old Masters to Photography and exiting Contemporary displays. Previously I worked in the commercial art sector in Scotland where I learned a great deal of web design, marketing and customer relations. As web editor I hope to keep you up to date on the latest items that the UKRG are working on through the e-bulletin and keep our social media accounts going strong.
Olivia Maguire
Web Officer
I am currently the Registrar at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, responsible for looking after the collection whilst home and away. I was previously based at the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich, responsible for exhibitions, loans, collections and everything in between, in Collections Management at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge, and the years prior in numerous documentation/collection capacities in other museums across the sector. I caught the committee bug whilst preparing for the European Registrars Conference held in London 2018, which was such a rewarding experience. I look forward to meeting more members, sharing ideas and experiences, and helping to improve access to the website over the next two years.
