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Mon, 29 Apr 1996 12:10:10 -0800 |
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If it is the intention of the organizers to ultimately donate these
artifacts to a public collection, then I don't see that their other
commercial activities present an ethical issue for an exhibiting museum.
However, if these objects are to be sold after being temporarily exhibited
in a museum, the ethics become more problematic. The exhibiting museum
would be allowing itself to serve as a marketing tool for the commercial
enterprise -- both advertising its merchandise and possibly affecting the
value of the objects.
Stephen Nowlin
Director, Williamson Gallery
Art Center College of Design
>I have an interesting ethical question that I would encourage
>people to respond on.
>
>Let say a commercial enterprise is involved in excavating
>archaeological sites not necessarily illegally but primarily for
>economic profit. A particular site is selected by this
>enterprise and is excavated. Lets assume, for this discussion,
>that the site is examined in a systematic fashion and recorded
>properly. At the conclusion of the excavation a significant
>majority of the objects are sold commercially. However, some are
>held back and placed in a traveling exhibit that is quite
>breathtaking. Your institution is approach as a venue for this
>exhibit. Would you have any ethical concerns or would you except
>this exhibit without reservations?
>
>Brian Kimsey-Hickman
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