Or do institutions solicit donations to support their mission & collecting
policies regardless of when items might be exhibited?

Mission and collection policies are the primary reason why museums purchase
and solicit donations. Donations and purchases should come with no strings
attached. The exhibition of an artifact serves the eduational and
conservation/preservation mission of the organization. Gratuious exhibition
is a disservice to the public and to the artifact. Some items are too
fragile to exhbit but are suitable for study purposes. Having an artifact on
long term exhibition may interfere with future plans for exhibits. I can
imagine a situation like: "Lets do an exhibit on the impact of immigrants on
the community." "Oh, we can't because we have to have that thingamabob given
by Matilda Doowang on exhibit for three more years." I think your new
fundraiser needs to read up on museum ethics and review your museum's
mission and collection policies.

None of the artifacts purchased by or donated to the institution for which I
work comes with a exhibition guarantee. Rarely does a donor ask about the
exhibition of the items they give. I do however, at the beginning of each
year, have a short (2-3 months) "new to the collections" exhibit that shows
some (certainly not all) of the items that were added to our collections in
the previous year. This is useful to the museum as it shows patrons and
members what types of artifacts we collect, but in no way do I do this
satisfy donors' desire to see their things exhibited.

Heidi Campbell-Shoaf
Curator
Historical Society of Frederick County
24 E. Church St.
Frederick, MD 21718
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Bonni-Dara Michaels" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2003 11:05 AM
Subject: query re standards for exhibiting items purchased/conserved w.
specially donated funds


Our new fundraiser tells me that she will not solicit funds to purchase or
conserve works of art, nor will she solicit donations of artworks, unless
she can guarantee the donor that the work will be exhibited within a year.
Is there a standard practice in the museum world regarding this issue?  Do
institutions only solicit gifts or funds for purchase/conservation of works
that will be exhibited in 1 year? in 5 years?  Do museums get around this by
"publishing" donations/adoptions on their website or in their newsletter?
Or do institutions solicit donations to support their mission & collecting
policies regardless of when items might be exhibited?

Bonni-Dara Michaels
Collections Curator
Yeshiva University Museum
15 West 16th Street
New York, New York 10011
Tel: 212-294-8330 x 8815

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