Deaccessioning and Small Towns

The "paper of record" ran a story today on deaccessioning, and what one feisty individual did to show her dislike of deaccessioned artifacts.

Deaccessioning is the kind of word that makes eyes glaze over and can seem to be the preserve of dusty intellectuals and large museums. But it’s just a fancy name for the sale or giving away of art and artifacts by museums and other cultural organizations, and the dust-up here in this city of about 5,000 demonstrates that such debates occur in all kinds of places, big and small, where people feel protective about materials in their care.

Story here.

Deaccessioning and Small Towns

Deaccessioning and Disposal of Objects from UK Museums: Seminar at the National Gallery, London

The seminar will be held on Tuesday 10 May 2011, and will address the deaccessioning of objects from public collections, changing attitudes to deaccession, and possible reform of existing procedures.

The proceedings will be chaired by Dr Stephen Deuchar CBE, Director of the Art Fund. The confirmed speakers are, Ed Vaizey MP, Minister for Culture, Communications and the Creative Industries; Sir Simon Jenkins, Chairman of the National Trust; Dr Johann Kräftner, Director, Director of the Collections of the Prince of Liechtenstein, Vaduz – Vienna, Liechtenstein Museum, Vienna; Dr Nick Merriman, Director of the Manchester Museum and Convenor of the Museums Association\\\'s Ethics Committee; Dr Nicholas Penny, Director of the National Gallery; Dr Timothy Potts, Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum; and Gary Tinterow, Engelhard Chairman, Nineteenth-Century, Modern & Contemporary Art of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

More info here.

Deaccessioning and Disposal of Objects from UK Museums: Seminar at the National Gallery, London

Deaccessioning Casestudy: "But You Promised..."

The latest issue from American Archivist contains an interesting case-study, “But You Promised: A Case Study of Deaccessioning at the American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming,” which discusses the reappraisal and deaccessioning work done at the AHC over the last decade.

According to the AHC, the article describes a systematic, step-by-step process for responsible and ethical deaccessioning. From legal issues to donor relations, the case study provides a practical method for other repositories wishing to do something about collections that fall outside their collecting scope. You can access the case study here.

Deaccessioning Casestudy: "But You Promised..."