Hi Erin,
 
I called the donor of the shadow box this morning and was able to pin down a date for when these pieces were turned into art. The dentist was in medical school from 1921 to 1925 and the belief is that the cadavers that were used in medical studies at the U of M were unclaimed bodies from the Minneapolis morgue. The donor's son said he was "quite certain" the cadaver wouldn't have been Native American, but he can only base that on the fact that Native American cadavers were not specifically sought out for their studies. I guess I am not sure where that leaves me - is there a way to "test" these small pieces, and if so, do we need to by law?
 
The rest of your questions on whether we would/ should exhibit such a thing in a shadow box are great ones to pose
to our Exhibit Committee and Board of Directors. I don't know whether we've ever wrestled with these issues as a group before. I think decisions like this have been left to each successive executive director in the past.
 
Thanks for your input and great questions!
 
Cathy Osterman
 
 
Date: Thu, 3 Oct 2013 16:09:09 +0000
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Shadow Box Issues
To: [log in to unmask]

Hi, Cathy,

 

Some things to consider:

               

1)      What is your collection development and exhibit policy (whether or not it applies to human remains) in general? What is the mission of the society? Will accepting the item be allowed under those terms?

2)      Are the cranium pieces human? Yes/No. Why would a dentist have pieces of a human cranium? If the donor cannot or will not answer this question, consider not accepting the donation.

3)      If Yes, what is their age and provenance? If the skull pieces are known to be Native American, although other things in your collection are not, refer to Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).

4)      The International Council of Museums (ICOM), specifically addresses the display of human remains, stating that human remains should be “displayed in a manner consistent with professional standards and, where known, taking into account the interests and beliefs of members of the community, ethnic or religious groups from whom the objects originated. They must be presented with great tact and respect for the feelings of human dignity held by all people.”

5)      If No, they aren’t human, consider finding out from what animal they were made and maybe what was in the son’s mind when he made the shadowbox. Things considered normal in the medical community and even of interest may not have quite the same interest for those who view your collections. If the donor cannot or will not answer these questions, consider not accepting the donation.

6)      Is the item being donated with or without restrictions? Hopefully, your society has a policy in place about what restrictions are acceptable for supporting your mission.

7)      Suggest dental or medical museums that might like to accept it as a donation. University of Minnesota Archives and Special collections or Mayo Clinic Archives and Special Collections come to mind.

 

Well known and prominent individuals in the community are often potential beneficiaries to historic societies, museums, and special collections. It’s important to keep them happy. On the other hand, they may not be aware of understand the scope and content of your collection. It’s ok to point them in a different direction for their artifact donation if you are not able to accommodate them.

 

ESN

 

Erin S Norris, Archivist,

Richard D. Haines Medical Library

 

From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Cathy Osterman
Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2013 10:22 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Shadow Box Issues

 

Hi everyone,
 
My historical society has been offered a shadow box memorializing a well known individual from our town. The individual was a dentist and the shadow box was created by his son, also a dentist. In this shadow box, there are three small pieces of a cranium cut to resemble the 'M' from the University of Minnesota logo where the dentist received training. (Gross, right??) The  historical society does not have a human remains policy and we have in the collection other remains that we know are not Native American. What legal/ethical implications should I be considering before accepting this?
 
 
Cathy Osterman
Curator/ Archivist
Northfield Historical Society
Northfield, MN

 

To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-HOME.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1

This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the named individual. If you are not the named individual you are strictly prohibited from disseminating, distributing, or copying this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. The sender expressly reserves all privileges and confidentiality which might otherwise be waived as a result of an erroneous or misdirected transmission. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message, which arise as a result of e-mail transmission. If verification is required please request a hard-copy version. No employee or agent is authorized to conclude any binding agreement on behalf of Scott & White Healthcare or any affiliated entity with another party by email without express written confirmation by the CEO or the Vice President of Supply Chain Services. Scott & White Healthcare www.sw.org

To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-HOME.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1


To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-HOME.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1