Jennifer, Interesting topic. I am sure many of us have such stories. Hopefully you are getting a good response. Could be controversial. I have run into that conflict several times. It can be one of the more frustrating elements of museum work. In my case I report directly to my director, as do my curators. He is the arbiter of conflicts over collection care and exhibition concerns. Several times now issues have arisen that gave me concern for the welfare of the objects we intended to exhibit, loan, or otherwise use. Issues of light, RH, security, as well as condition of the object. My concerns are presented along with the desires for use, and the benefits and costs weighed. Keep in mind that the following opinion has nothing to do with an individual's title, and that I use the terms curatorial/curator and collections care/management as general terms relating to overall museum functions. In my personal opinion the primary purpose of our institutions is to protect the objects in our care and make them available to as many future generations as possible. Exhibition and use of said objects is secondary to that protection, and should be done in full consideration of the needs of those objects. That does not mean objects should not be used, but that that use should be filtered through procedures to best extend the life of the object. That may seem painfully obvious to those who really understand the nature of museums, but it is surprising how common it is for that to be forgotten. Essentially collection care should never be under the direct purview or control of curatorial. The two pursuits are in fundamental conflict, and having one report to or subservient to the other can lead to big problems for both staff and objects. Curatorial generally seeks to use objects, which lessens their useable life, no matter how minutely. Collection care seeks always to maximize the useful life of an object for the future. The two must be able to work effectively together, since both are primary elements in the purpose of all of our institutions. That certainly does not mean that curators do not understand collection care, and I also understand many collections managers are referred to as curators of collections(or whatever). The point is that those whose job it is to use our objects should not have categorical authority over those whose job it is to protect our objects. I do know some institutions whose reporting structure fits my category of improper, but who have not had problems, or at least problems I have heard of. That is certainly not unusual. My contention is that such a situation is a potential threat to an institution's artifacts, and should be carefully considered. I freely admit that this assertion is informed by my frustration that curatorial practice is often perceived as the primary purpose of a museum, and that collections care is so often institutionally and financially marginalized within a museum's structure. Bias noted. Good examples from my work history: - exhibition venue that is environmentally improper, but the director is a very good friend of the hosting curator. Solution: no exhibition but long and polite explanation to the potential venue as to the refusal and how they could improve their situation. - light levels are within proper parameters on a print, but curator feels it just doesn't look good. Solution: leave levels like they are and explain them to public. - object up for loan is not in stable enough condition for travel and exhibition. Solution: borrower pays for conservation before installation. I also have a few unfortunate examples if you want them. As obvious as they might be, I think I would prefer they stay off the list. Good Luck. Mark Janzen Registrar/Collections Manager Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection Wichita State University (316)978-5850 Jennifer Hall <[log in to unmask] OM> To Sent by: Museum [log in to unmask] discussion list cc <[log in to unmask] SE.LSOFT.COM> Subject Conflict between a policy of access and a policy of conservation 09/05/2005 01:14 PM Please respond to Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask] SE.LSOFT.COM> I am currently conducting research for an essay that I must complete for my Masters in Museum Studies course. The unit I am studying is Care of Collections and my essay is on the inherent conflict museums have between a policy of access and a policy of conservation. If you have faced this problem in your museum I would love to hear how the conflic came about and how you solved it. Also if you have not found this problem in your museum, how did you avoid the conflict? Thank you, Jennifer Hall [log in to unmask] ========================================================= 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] . 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