Hi Erin (and Bonnie-Dara),

The AAM and ACUMG have guidelines concerning the responsibility of museum
staff to conserve/preserve accessioned objects in a collection.  These
guidelines are generic - from which each organization must develop a specific
set of rules and regulations specific to the collection with which they are
entrusted.

[I admit my ignorance of guidelines pertaining to fine art according to the
American Association for State and Local History.]

From my point of view:

Placing accessioned objects in the home or office of the President of a
university must not be considered "personal use."  A university President is a
representative of the univesity, and his/her office and home are used for
institutional affairs - dinners, meetings, receptions, etc.  It is equivalent,
in my mind, to having an accessioned paintings hang in the Museum director's
office or the Museum's meeting room(s).

Such objects are not merely "decoration" for someone's "personal" residence.
Rather, these objects perform two functions:

(1) decorating a university (or university-affiliated) facility; and,

(2) promoting the aesthetic and educational merits of the museum collection,
whether implicitly or explicitly (depending upon signage, see below).

Naturally, a museum ought not to choose objects of the highest quality for
this function.  Every reasonable precaution should be taken to ensure the
safety and security of the objects including instalattion by qualified museum
staff, specific limits on exposure to humidity and light exposure, and
proximity to furnishings and people (i.e., stanchions?).  Additionally,
signage should clearly identify the object(s) as accessioned by the museum
(perhaps with didactic text).

Best wishes, sincerely,

Jay Heuman



Erin Quinn wrote:
>I think that the argument could be made that staff are stewards of the
>collection and that you have a responsibility to care for the collections in
>the interest of preservation and education.  Having objects in his home or
>office do not provide the best care and allow for the further deterioration
>of objects entrusted in your care.
>Further, it could be argued that this is a conflict of interest.  The AASLH
>Statement of Professional Ethics states: "All governing authority members,
>administrators, volunteers, and staff members shall avoid carefully the
>reality and the appearance of using their positions or the information and
>access gained from their positions for personal gain."  Using collections as
>decorations is, if not in reality, certainly in appearance, to be using them
>for personal gain,  i.e. prestige,etc.
>And the clincher, also from AASLH: "Collections shall not be made available
>to any individual on any basis for personal use, either on or off the
>premises, or for any other purpose contrary to the adopted collections
>policies."
>And of course, if you don't have an ethics statement or collections policy,
>now is obviously the time to get started. :))
>Erin Quinn
>Collections Coordinator
>City of Greeley Museums
>[log in to unmask]
>www.greeleymuseums.com
>(970) 350-9218
>
>
>
>> Bonnie-Dara Michaels wrote:
>> The University with which we are affiliated has a new President who would
>> like to decorate his office (and possibly his home) with works from the
>> collection. Our practice has always been to refuse such requests.  Are
>> there any official published guidelines - AAM or ACUMG - we can quote in
>> support of our position?
>> Bonni-Dara Michaels
>> Collections Curator
>> Yeshiva University Museum
>> 15 West 16th Street
>> New York, New York 10011
>> Tel: 212-294-8330 x 8815

Jay Heuman
Assistant Curator of Education
Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art
t   435 797 0165
f   435 797 3423
e  [log in to unmask]
www.artmuseum.usu.edu

Education costs money, but then so does ignorance.
Sir Claus Moser (b. 1922)

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