Imagine adding an entire addition to your home—while still living in it. You’re juggling construction noise, dust, detours around rooms, and the fragile balance of daily life. Now replace the drywall and beams with priceless artworks, and you begin to understand the complexity of art service projects. Managing the relocation, storage, and care of artworks—each with its own vulnerabilities and values—requires more than logistics; it demands stewardship. That’s where an experienced art service project manager becomes indispensable.
While it may seem like overkill to bring in a dedicated project manager, the decision can actually protect both the artwork and your investment. In large-scale projects, a skilled project manager significantly reduces risks and prevents costly mistakes, often saving time and money in the process. According to the Project Management Institute, organizations that embrace proven project management practices waste 28 times less money, with a higher rate of successful outcomes. Without such leadership, projects often suffer from scope creep, poor communication, and a lack of risk management—all of which are especially damaging when the subject at hand is irreplaceable cultural property.
The stakes are high. According to Sotheby’s Institute of Art, only five percent of the world’s artworks are expected to survive the next hundred years. That astonishing figure brings the challenges of art conservation into sharp focus. Art doesn’t just deteriorate naturally over time—it is threatened by environmental shifts, physical damage, pests, and even the chemicals used in nearby cleaning products. In fact, insurance industry data suggests that up to 60 percent of claims for art damage stem from transportation, and UNESCO reports that thousands of artworks are lost annually due to disasters, vandalism, or theft. Transporting, storing, or even displaying art without expert oversight is akin to balancing a Ming vase on a tightrope.
This is where a project manager becomes more than just a coordinator—they’re a shield. By assessing and managing risks at every stage, a project manager works to protect art from damage and loss. Using structured risk calculation methods that weigh the likelihood and potential impact of an event, they can implement preventive strategies: from selecting the right packing materials to adjusting climate control systems, coordinating with vetted vendors, and ensuring airtight insurance coverage.
Moreover, relocations or exhibitions often involve multiple moving parts—vendors, conservators, insurers, shippers, facilities staff. A project manager centralizes communication, keeping stakeholders aligned, schedules on track, and budgets in check. They apply principles of change management, too, especially when staff or institutional routines are disrupted by a move or installation.
A seasoned project manager understands not just logistics, but the emotional, historical, and financial value of each piece. They handle textiles like heirlooms, ceramics like bone china, and paintings like family members. They know that some artworks carry national significance or sacred meaning and ensure those considerations guide the entire process.
Art is vulnerable—at rest and in motion. Yet with proper care and expert oversight, we can beat the odds, protect what matters, and ensure the legacy of art continues well beyond the next hundred years. That’s why hiring an art service project manager isn’t a luxury. It’s an act of preservation.
Chuck Agro - Project Management For The Arts 