The Acquisition process includes:

• physical transfer of object(s)
• groups of objects that should be inventoried and culled for non-collection quality items
• research into the provenance/history of the object
• review of objects by a collections committee (once it is decided the object will become part of the collection this is where accessioning begins.)

Acquisition Example- NY History Museum Donation

Museum’s generally have a Collection Committee that will meet and decide whether the photographs should be added to the museum’s collection based on the previous findings and whether the photos are:

• Thematically suitable

• In good shape-- won't be a drain on the museum's resources

• Not something the museum will want to deaccession

If everyone agrees that the photos should be added to the collection, the registrar will put together a deed of gift that both the donor and a museum representative will sign that transfers title of the photographs to the museum.

Now the accessioning process begins which we’ll talk about later this week.

Why is Researching Provenance Important?

Example 1. Status of the transferor

Imagine that John Doe donates a clock to the museum and years later Jane Doe comes forward saying the clock is actually hers and that John, who is her uncle, never owned the clock and she has written documentation in the form of two family wills to support her claim.

Example 2. Misrepresentation by the Seller/Sale of fake collection items

Edna Russmann, a curator at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, has said that about one third of the museum's Coptic art — early Christian Egyptian art — collection is fake. Although chemical testing on the works has not yet been completed, Russmann said she is fairly certain that 10 to 30 of the pieces are fake and that about half of the remaining objects have likely been recarved or retouched.

In a case of misrepresentation the plaintiff must show that the defendant acted intentionally and that the plaintiff had reason to believe that they were being given honest information.

In New York laws that have to do with the sale of fake artwork place the most responsibility on the art merchant.

An art merchant is described as someone who deals in works of fine art or has knowledge or skill in the area of the work of art. Therefore a museum would have to argue that it had no skill in fine arts- hardly a convincing or attractive position.

Example 3. Ethical issues

As we talked about last week, and you saw in your reading, museums need to keep a close eye out for the illicit import, export or transfer of ownership of cultural property, and be aware of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and Fish and Wildlife regulations.

Project

This semester we will be using the following Museum (created for this class) to go through the steps of managing a museum collection. Take a look at the below Mission and Scope of Collection and “donate” something to the Museum. Please use your imagination! This does not have to be a real object it can be something you find online or it CAN be a real object that you have at home that you make up a story about. For example: you can “donate” a flyer, makeup cases, costume, props, musical instruments. Anything!

MUSEUM OF VAUDEVILLE

Collection Policy

Mission Statement

The New York Museum of Vaudeville is dedicated to being the foremost museum of its kind. The museum manifests this commitment by establishing, preserving and documenting a permanent collection that reflects the vitality, complexity and unfolding patterns of this genre of performance art; by presenting exhibitions, performances and educational programs of unparalleled significance; and by sustaining a library and archives for research.

Scope of Collection

The Museum collects material culture artifacts, audio and moving image recordings, archival documents, photographs and posters related to vaudeville primarily from the New York area from the 1860's to present day. Material will be accepted outside the New York area on a case-by-case basis depending on its significance to the cultural history of vaudeville and/or its relation to the New York region.

I’ve created a website for our museum. I've given each of you permission to edit the website. Create a sub-page on the website and answer the following questions. Also, take a photograph of your object (or find a photo online. (Further instructions for creating the sub-page on the website are here.)