The Little World

Put another way: do not display anything to the public you cannot afford to have broken or stolen.

Also do not expect care and worship of your art, craft, object, or performance. You may hope for it but don’t hype yourself up to demand it. You have very little legal redress for criminal damage and none at all for accidents. If you have not insured yourself with some financial institution – and paid a hefty premium – you are SOL.

Ordinary people are rarely criminal but frequently careless. If you have set traps for them – protrusions, exposed valuables, impossible pathways, etc. expect damage. And do not try to be high and mighty about it – if you produce injury you cannot say you did not expect it.

In other words, fence off your display. Put it under perspex or glass. Light it well enough so that people do not trip over into it. Have wide enough margins and corridors about it to allow safe passage. You endanger people as much as they endanger your exhibit…and injury or insult to them will be very costly to you.

Review the case of Phillip Connolly in the 1970’s and take note…