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.
Aisha Burtenshaw
Chair
I have been working in museums for over fifteen years since leaving University. My first role was in the Exhibitions Department at National Museums Liverpool, before moving to Oxford in 2005 and joining the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology. I have been there ever since and I now head up the Registrars Department. The collections at the Ashmolean are hugely diverse and I am lucky enough to be in a department that works across the whole range, so one day I might be arranging for an Egyptian mummy to be x-rayed and the next I could be packing drawings by Michelangelo or installing Japanese textiles. I am thrilled to be leading the UKRG until 2019, the group has been such a great resource to me over the years as a source of professional advice and to provide support and information from across the sector.
Katie Robson
Interim Secretary
Katie joined the Royal Armouries as Registrar in 2017. She manages the Registrar team, which includes Registrars, Documentation staff and Technicians. Prior to this Katie managed the Registrar team at National Museums Scotland. As Assistant Registrar at National Museums Scotland she worked on a diverse range of loans from racing cars to cloned sheep. At the Barber Institute of Fine Arts in Birmingham she was the Exhibition and Loans Officer and managed a number of incoming exhibition loans and outgoing international loans. Katie was also fortunate to work with the Devonshire Collection at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, which displays objects from centuries of collecting alongside recent works. Katie is a member and former Secretary of the UK Registrars Committee. She completed an MA in Art History at the University of Birmingham.
Daryl Tappin
Treasurer
I have worked in the museum sector for eight years, in various collections management roles, and have also dabbled in the library sector. I’ve spent the past year and half working at the British Museum as an Assistant Collection Manager in the Asia department, though will be starting as an Assistant Registrar at the V&A Museum in July. My current role is very hands on and covers a range of duties, including packing objects for loan, couriering said objects, and installing/deinstalling these at other venues. Prior to this I was a documentation assistant at the Fitzwilliam Museum for two and a half years. I’m looking forward to joining the committee as interim treasurer, and meeting more members of UKRG.
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 an Assistant Registrar part of the Exhibitions and Loans Team at the V&A since May 2018, responsible for managing part of the short-term loans out programme both nationally and internationally and the coordination of short-term loans in for small displays. Prior to that, I undertook a graduate placement within the Exhibitions Dpt at the J. Paul Getty Museum for several months, working on the development and delivery of temporary exhibitions both at the Getty Center and the Getty Villa. Previously, I worked at the British Museum for five years on a variety of roles, from Gallery Assistant, Administrator, to Loans Coordinator in Prints and Drawings, where I managed short-term loans out across the globe and loans in for temporary exhibitions, and coordinated departmental touring exhibitions. As one of the Events Officers, I am very much looking forward to putting on some exciting and interesting events for all the UKRG members.
Emma Denness
Events Officer
As the Exhibitions and Collections Registrar for ARTISTS ROOMS, a collection jointly held by National Galleries Scotland and Tate, I am collaborating with museums and galleries across the UK to showcase the work of 40 major international artists through a programme of solo exhibitions. Prior to this role I have delivered international touring exhibitions at Royal Museums Greenwich, and the loans programme at the British Library which included international and domestic loans out as well as securing loans in for exhibition. My previous experience also includes various collections management roles both at the British Museum and Ashmolean Museum. I have worked on some fantastic exhibitions and been privileged to work with amazing collections from all over the world. I have gained invaluable professional networks amongst peers across the cultural sector and I look forward to putting this to use in my 2 year tenure as Events Officer to deliver a diverse and exciting programme of events (hopefully). I also look forward to meeting and working with new people and contributing to the wonderful work of the UKRG.
Kirsty Millward
Membership Secretary
I am currently Assistant Registrar at The Auckland Project, formerly Auckland Castle Trust – an ambitious vision to launch the town of Bishop Auckland in County Durham as a world-class art, faith and heritage destination. I am the first point of contact for all lender enquiries and process incoming loans for the Mining Art Gallery, Auckland Castle, Spanish Gallery and Faith Museum. Prior to this, I was the Collections Officer at the Design Museum, where I was responsible for the management and administration of the permanent collection, Sackler Library and archives. I have worked in the museum and heritage sector for over ten years now, in a variety of roles at various institutions including National Museums Scotland, Museum of Domestic Design & Architecture and London Metropolitan Archives. As Membership Secretary, I look forward to meeting many of you over the next two years and contributing to the 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.
Nicola Farrington
Web Editor
I am currently Touring Exhibitions Collections Coordinator at the Natural History Museum, responsible for collection objects throughout their global travels. I’ve previouslyworked in touring roles at the British Museum, the Arts Council Collection at the Southbank Centre, and prior to that was Touring and Loans Manager at Crafts Council, where I transitioned from unsuccessful ceramicist to semi-successful collections professional. When not coordinating, I’m still often found making things, whether that be baskets or blankets. I’m looking forward to meeting more members, and keeping up to date more widely through generating UKRG e-bulletins and social media content.
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.
