In any disaster situation, having a plan is the key to mitigating damage and loss. When it comes to our cultural institutions, whose responsibility is to house and care for cultural objects, the stakes are even higher. While insurance might mitigate financial loss, leaving an institution with resources to rebuild, the unique objects stored by museums are often by definition irreplaceable. This is why The Lumiere Group recommends establishing clear institutional roles and plans to mitigate this type of loss, reviewing those plans at a regular cadence, and practicing them to keep the knowledge fresh as museums cycle through staff and volunteers.

An excellent example of our recommendations in practice is our recent partnership with the Museum of Northwest Art (MoNA). The Lumiere Group reviewed the museum’s existing Emergency Preparedness manual to recommend upgrades to their process throughout all phases of a potential natural or human-caused disaster. We considered MoNA’s available resources, including staff expertise and realistic limitations, the museum’s physical location and proximity to a flood-prone body of water among other regionally specific possible threats, and the area’s recent flooding history. Our work focused on key priorities and realistic solutions for this small but treasured art museum.