Registrars to the Rescue

Registrars to the Rescue (R2R) is held in conjunction with the Washington Museum Association’s Annual Conference. In partnership with Art Work Fine Art Services, R2R brings together a team of experienced registrars and collections professionals to support a host museum or museums with collections projects.

Over the course of a single day, volunteers contribute their expertise to complete work that can be difficult for museums to complete with limited staff time. Projects often include inventorying collections, conducting condition reports, and rehousing objects.

Beyond the direct impact on participating museums, R2R offers a meaningful opportunity for professional collaboration, skill-sharing, and networking among peers in the field. Whether attending the full conference or joining for the day, participants gain valuable experience while strengthening connections within Washington’s museum community.

Questions?

Contact Rebecca Engelhardt email, rengelhardt@museumofglass.org or Call 253.284.4705

WaMA Registrars to the Rescue Committee
c/o Rebecca Engelhardt
Museum of Glass
1801 Dock Street
Tacoma, WA 98402

2026 registrars to the rescue volunteer application

We are indebted to the Registrars to the Rescue program! The inventory of the historic Reiman Simmons house gave us a clear understanding of our collection, but also a strong organizational foundation and practical guidance which helped us to move forward with confidence.

Smaller museums need all the help they can get, and this ongoing service helped us more than I can say!

– Harriet Weber, Director of Operations, Quincy Valley Historical Society & Museum

2025

Lake Chelan Museum

Chelan

Volunteers processed 86 garments. This included assigning correct numbers, sewing tags into garments (there were 6 seamstresses!), taking photos, and rehousing the garments in new boxes with acid-free tissue paper. Box inventories were also created.

2024

Lelooska Foundation

Ariel

One of the larger gatherings in the history of R2R, fifteen members of Lelooska Foundation staff, volunteers, and family hosted fourteen R2R volunteers representing regions across Washington (Seattle, Tacoma, Kelso, Vancouver, Ellensburg, Spokane) AND individuals from Oregon and even representing Baltimore, MD!

The team completed over 100 condition reports of works on display in their museum and completed four very complex mounts for garments on display.

2024

Two Rivers Heritage Museum

Washougal

Seven volunteers processed 25 quilts and 5 dresses (cataloging, condition reporting, and rehousing).

2022

Lewis Army Museum

JBLM

Rehoused 20 linear feet of the 9th Infantry Division Archives (one of the organization’s most used resources)

2022

Olympia Historical Society & Bigelow House Museum

Olympia

Rehoused 100 garments, cataloged seven boxes of hats, and rehoused and inventoried two linear feet of sheet music.

2019

Jundt Art Museum

Gonzaga University

Spokane

Inventoried framed works in storage.

2018

Skagit County Historical Museum

Mount Vernon

Conducted inventory and photographed artifacts stored at the museum’s off-site storage area.

2018

Pacific Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum

Mount Vernon

Volunteers rehoused, inventoried, and photographed a collection of 200 quilts.

2018

Sedro-Wooley Museum

Mount Vernon

Completed inventory of maps collection.

2017

Wanapum Heritage Center

Mattawa

Volunteers created storage mounts for Native American Ethnographic artifacts, completed condition reports, took photographs, and readjusted storage housing.