Hello everyone,

I have followed this thread with interest and all the replies have been very good. I am trying, however, to put myself in place of the donor and looking with the eyes of "spirit of community" the theme of the AAM conference just past.

The people in our community, I think, want to contribute in some way and share their gifts, whether they be the gifts of the head, heart or hand. Usually, when someone gets to the point of making an actual donation to a museum they do it in good faith because they believe the
institution is well-run and they have developed a level of trust about its future direction. More often than not,  they do not understand that only a percentage of our collection is on display and that the majority is in storage. So if the gift has not been displayed, they feel
rebuffed. And while it may not be the most outstanding piece in our collection, it certainly held a stellar position in theirs.

I think the issue here is not one of legality or even best practices. Instead, your donor wants to feel appreciated and there must be a way of doing so without changing any policy. Perhaps a program around the piece or put it into a broader context with a group of related objects.
Perhaps the donor has a story connected to it, or some expertise. It could be highligted in the museum newsletter. A small acknowledgement could go a long way.

I think back to when I was director of an historic house museum and an elderly gentleman "stopping by" as we were trying to finish installing for an opening reception later that evening and scrambling for another caterer because the original one backed out at the last minute. No way
did I have the time to talk to him, but I took a deep breath and did talk. He represented someone who wondered  if we would like a painting done in the park outside the museum in the 1930's. And I said sure. It took awhile for the painting to show up but when it did  we made a big
deal out of it. We "unveiled" it at our annual holiday reception and the donor gave a wonderful speech and it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

The donor's late brother was the painter and is associated with the Pennsylvania Impressionists and the donor's father happened to be the leading designer for Lenox for almost 50 years. As a result of the  relationship we developed, the museum acquired a steadfast friend who became
a major donor in monetary and gifts to the collection.

I think we have to have the flexibility to "mine" our communities for the treasures outside our institutions. And in doing so, you will make great friends and fun in the process.

Well, there is my two cents for what it is worth.

Terri McNichol
Museum Consultant

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