Northern Illinois University
Art Museum
College of Visual and Performing Arts

Art to Lend

If you have items currently on loan through the Art to Lend program, you may continue to keep your art piece(s) in your secure office until further notice without paying the annual rental charge for the 2026 fiscal year. Please help maintain the pieces:

• Should the artwork label fall, with clean hands, try stretching the Plasti-tak putty that adheres the label to the wall, and after it is well-worked, redistribute small amounts again onto the corners of the back of the label and press the label back onto the wall.
• Should a work on paper come loose within the frame, please notify Veronica Storc, Studio Technical Assistant in the School of Art and Design at vstorc1@niu.edu.
• Should you change offices, please notify Veronica Storc to collect the piece(s). It will not be possible to move or rehang the artwork to your new office.

Thank you very much for your interest in Art to Lend program.

Art to Lend Policy

The NIU Art Museum's on-campus loan policy operates under the following conditions:

Limits/Conditions

• For insurance purposes, all artwork from the collection must be installed in a secure area that is locked when it is not occupied by university personnel. This area must also meet basic environmental requirements including proper light levels and temperature and humidity controls for the safe keeping of artwork.
• Loans can be made for a maximum of eight years. After that period, the artwork must be returned to the museum for a thorough inspection and if needed conservation. During this time minor repairs will be made such as reframing, re-matting etc. The eight-year limit will also allow for works to recover from extended exposure to light, which can cause works of art to fade and become brittle. As light levels in university offices cannot always be monitored and/or controlled, limited exposure will help decrease risks of damage.
• The NIU Art Museum reserves the right to temporarily retrieve works of art from borrower for exhibition, photography, conservation or other necessary procedures. If the museum initiates the removal of a work of art, a replacement work can be substituted without incurring installation charges.
• Should artwork from the collection need to be removed, or should the borrowing individual change offices or leave the university, the museum must be contacted to move the artwork.

Fees

Installation fee: this initial fee includes the installation of selected artwork in an appropriate office setting. The installation fee will be charged either for new works brought to an office or for works moved/relocated to another office at any time during the year.

Note: Any piece(s) beyond the above listed will cost an additional $10 per piece.

Annual rental fee: in addition to the initial fee, there will be a yearly rental fee of $20 per piece, effective from the time the work is installed. Works that are on loan will be checked annually by museum staff (during which time the staff member will complete a condition report for each work on loan.) For works already on loan there will be no installation fee. However, the yearly rental fee will be requested.

All funds generated from these fees are used for the direct care and maintenance of the collection, including matting and framing which makes new selections available.