Our institution has in the past solicited donations of vintage and
antique items from the public to be autioned off as fundraisers.  For
the most part, these are "anonymous" with no local significance.  When
pieces have been offered for auction that would have a place in the
museum collection, we asked the owner to consider donating the piece to
the musuem instead of to the fundraiser.  The owners usually comply, and
are happy to have helped build the museum collection.  I don't know what
we would do if a donor insisted that a locally significant piece refused
to donate the item to the museum, but I would hope that we would decline
to include it in the auction.

Our biggest concern in hosting these events is avoiding public
perception that the museum is selling off pieces from its collection. 
We always have multiple signs, and mention in the catalogues, that all
pieces have privately donated specifically as a fundraiser, and have
never formed part of the collection.  Your arts council might be in for
setting up an event with worse appearance--a museum auctioning off
pieces with local historical significance, even if not from the museum's
collection, would not sit well with past or potential donors, I'm sure.

Cheers,


------------------------------------------------------------
Tim McShane, Assistant--Cultural History
Medicine Hat Museum and Art Gallery
1302 Bomford Crescent S.W.
Medicine Hat, AB   T1A 5E6
(403) 502-8587
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