Barbara Chamberlain

Background

About Barbara Chamberlain

Although I am at heart an art historian and I’ve happily worked as a museum registrar, most of my career and interest has been on the “private side” of collections. An incredible amount of our cultural, historical, and scientific heritage can be found in private collections and outside the protective sphere of public institutions and the professionals trained to manage and care for them. Numbering in the tens of thousands in just the U.S, private collections span a great variety of objects reflecting the wide range of enthusiasts who collect them. They range from small, focused collections of particular interest to exquisitely curated, museum-quality collections comprising thousands of objects. At work I spend most of my day advising my colleagues and clients about private collections management and care in addition to risk management and loss prevention. My work also includes educating future collection managers and registrars to meet the growing need for professional management of the rapidly expanding number of private collections. I also present on private collectors, collections, and museums to help build awareness that we are stewards of our cultural heritage and it needs to be protected and available for many generations to come.