All contractors, including Artists, should have the appropriate insurance for their activity. This should be requested at the contracting stage with copies kept on file.
If the project requires the Artist to work with children or vulnerable adults unsupervised, a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check should be conducted.
When the artwork becomes the property of the commissioner – usually as soon as it is installed, they will take on responsibility for the artwork itself if it is broken or damaged, and also if it causes injury to anyone else or their property. The managing organisation is therefore obliged to have public liability insurance and insure the work for damage. Check with your insurers to make sure your existing policy covers the new artwork.
For large organisations, this means that it should be listed as an asset of the company or local authority on the Asset Register. There may not be a fee for adding the artwork to existing policy unless the artwork is deemed particularly vulnerable or fragile, in which case an annual fee may have to be allowed to cover insurance for loss or damage, or allocate a budget to be charged in the event of such damage.
