Hi Jenny, Is the item not considered for exhibition purely because of condition? If so, perhaps the donor would be interested in helping(financially) the museum get it repaired/restored so that it can be shown with its mate/matching piece. She might even be unaware of the condition issue. I too would resist returning the object for all previously mentioned reasons. Mark Janzen Registrar/Collection Manager Ulrich Museum of Art Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection 316-978-5850 From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jenny Olmsted Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 12:02 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: potentially thorny donor question Hello all, I'm hoping that in the list's infinite wisdom, someone may have advice on what may turn out to be a difficult, or at least delicate, situation with a donor. One of our long-time donors and lifetime members contacted me recently to ask why a piece she donated in 2006 wasn't on display with its matching piece that had been donated in about 1995. She was adamant that if we would not or could not display the 2006 piece, she wants it back. Looking through the donation paperwork, I saw that according to the incoming condition report, the piece was already damaged when it was donated. Presumably this is the reason it was never put on display (this donation took place before I started working at this institution). Additionally, there was no restriction on the Deed of Gift that the object must be on display. My take on this is that, as an unrestricted gift now in our legal possession, we can legally keep the object and display it or not as we deem appropriate. However, given that this donor is also a lifetime member of the society, I don't want to upset or alienate her. Although this object does not seem to be essential to our collection, so there does not seem to be a reason we would want to keep it, I would be against giving the object back as it would set a bad precedent. Have any of you been in a similar situation? How did you handle it? I appreciate any feedback and advice. Jenny Herring Curator ________________________________ Send e-mail faster without improving your typing skills. Get your Hotmail(r) account.<http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_speed_122008> ========================================================= 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).