Liz, there are many circumstances in which a donation is legitimately refused. These include a donation with too many restrictions-- for instance, the object must be displayed at all times, or a certain percentage of the time, or in a specific gallery. A donor might insist that a collection is always kept together, which might not be feasible in perpetuity, or is always displayed in certain ways, such as is the case with the Barnes collection. Many places will only accept an object if it is given absolutely, with no strings attached. This is particularly important if you consider the long view-- someone in 1950 should not constrain someone in 2004. Ann ----- Original Message ----- From: Elizabeth Bleiberg To: [log in to unmask] Sent: 12/13/2004 1:54:34 PM Subject: under what circumstances is accepting a donation NOT ok? Dear friends: Clearly, items of murky provenance and non-mission appropriate topics are those from which we would flee—under what conceivable other circumstance(s) would one’s organization decline a donation of personal property: art, artifact or ?? Is it mostly about the curatorial expense? Does your organization require a stipend/endowment/or donation? Do you retain the option to sell or not display? THANKS! ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).