Just an observation, based on years in retail and experience with museums -
in some areas, like the Indian arts field, amateur collectors are as likely
to buy, sell and trade as "non-amateurs". A major force in the field can
easily be someone with so much income that his or her collecting activity
is, in their mind, a hobby. (I know of individuals who have more money to
apply to their hobby as amateur collectors than I do as a dealer.)

When a museum looks to them for advice or aid, he or she is likely to
recommend people that they have done business with or artists they collect
(and therefore have a vested interest in promoting).

Collectors on a board or in any other advisory capacity are certainly very
useful resources, but one that museums need to use with caution and
oversight. In the Indian arts field I have seen repeated abuses - abuses
that have brought income to the collector, collector-board member,
collector-donor, collector-sponsor. In a worse-case scenario, a certain
dealer, who identifies himself primarily as a collector (complete with a
'collection')  in Navajo weavings, with a criminal record, was allowed to
exhibit at a museum, thereby giving him a certain credibility and standing
that clearly he did not warrant.

Distinguishing between amateur collectors and dealers is a useless exercise.
The same pitfalls exist and they are numerous and accumulative. And I say
this as a dealer.

Mark Bahti

-----Original Message-----
From: Sally Shelton <[log in to unmask]>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.museum-l
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tuesday, January 19, 1999 11:10 AM
Subject: Re: Dealers, Conflict of Interest? -Reply


We faced the collectors vs. dealers issue a few years ago at another museum
(not the NMNH), when we were writing our code of ethics. In fact, a number
of people on this list kindly shared their thoughts and experiences.

The consensus on amateur collectors who made no part of their income from
buying or selling collections was: keep 'em, cultivate 'em, they're usually
easy to bring up to speed re disclosure and conflict of interest issues, and
they understand the collections-related issues of the museum in ways that
non-collectors find more difficult. With some careful training (something
every board member should get, initially and annually) and oversight,
private collectors can be your best friends on the board when
collections-related issues are on the table.

The feeling on commercial collectors/dealers was more mixed. We opted not to
put anyone already in the position of making a living from collections sales
into board positions, feeling strongly that there is an immediate appearance
of conflict of interest that would be difficult to resolve. We did, however,
include some dealers on advisory panels, out of the policy-setting sphere.

Sally Shelton Collections Officer National Museum of Natural History