Art and Antiquities Collections Management Policy
MISSION STATEMENT
The Permanent Art Collection of Davidson College serves as a research center by offering students and members of the Davidson community an opportunity to interact with more than 3,500 works of art. Works from the Collection are also loaned to other regional, national, and international art institutions for inclusion in thematic exhibitions and/or individual retrospectives.
TERMS
The Permanent Art Collection (“Collection”) refers to those works of art managed by the staff of the Van Every/Smith Galleries. Most works are stored in one of two secure, climate controlled storage spaces. They are denoted with a “DC-number” that appears in pencil on the verso of the work and also the frame (where applicable).
Duplicate Works are defined as multiple or redundant copies by the same artist within the Collection. Such works may be works on paper (photography, digital prints, various intaglio processes, etc.), castings, multiples, artist books, and other media.
COLLECTION GOALS
The primary purpose of the Collection is to support the academic mission of the College, enrich the curriculum, and serve as a resource for student and faculty research. Its goal is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret the art of a variety of periods and cultures for the education and enrichment of Davidson College students, faculty, and the broader Davidson community. In forming the Collection, the College seeks works of art that will play a fundamental role in the pedagogical life of Davidson College, and places a strong emphasis on works that relate to the curriculum of the College.
ACCESSION POLICY
1. Authority
Responsibility for overseeing the acquisitions process is shared by the Office of Planned Giving, Director of the Van Every/Smith Galleries and the Art Department’s Gallery Advisory Committee, in accordance with the policies and procedures set forth in this document and Davidson College’s Gift Acceptance Policy. In determining whether to acquire a particular work, the Director also may consult with the Art Collection Advisory Committee (ACAC) or faculty members with relevant expertise.
2. Acquisition Guidelines
Acquisitions may be made through gift, bequest, purchase, or exchange. New acquisitions should further the mission and collecting goals of the Collection. The College is under no obligation to accept bequests or gifts offered to it. The College may practice selective acquisition, which means the College may choose only to accept certain works that are part of a large group donation and reject others that do not conform to the Collection’s acquisition standards.
The College will consider donations of works of art for the sole purpose of eventual sale, in the same way that it receives real property and other items of value. Such items will not be considered as objects in the collection, though all of the guidelines and procedures specified in this Art and Antiquities Collections Management Policy apply to such items. The College is dedicated to the lawful collection, legitimate trade, and scholarly research of works of art and antiquities. The College supports the spirit and intent of the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illegal Import, Export, and Transfer of Cultural Property of November 14, 1970. The College shall not knowingly or willfully accept or acquire works that have been unlawfully removed from archaeological sites, stolen from public or private collections, exported from their country of modern discovery in contravention of that country’s laws, or otherwise imported into the United States in contravention of any State or Federal laws. (See Section 4, Acquisition Procedures.)
In support of the spirit and intent of the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) guidelines on acquisitions of art that was stolen, looted, or otherwise changed hands illegally during the Nazi era, the College will take due diligence toward not knowingly or willingly acquiring a work that was unlawfully appropriated during the Nazi era without subsequent restitution.
The College shall not knowingly or willfully accept or acquire works that do not adhere to “The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act,” Public Law 101-601 (NAGPRA). Under NAGPRA, museums and institutions of higher education are obligated to inventory and summarize all human remains, associated funerary objects, unassociated funerary objects, sacred objects and cultural patrimony. If such objects are held by the Collection, the College is required to return the objects to the appropriate tribe, if indeed the tribe desires their return.
3. Acquisition Criteria
The Gallery Director, in consultation with the Gallery Advisory Committee, makes final decisions on acquisitions. Additions to the collection should be made only after careful evaluation based on, but not limited to, the following criteria:
a. The work is relevant to and consistent with the Collection’s mission and collecting goals;
b. The work is of high quality and its historical value is significant;
c. The work is in satisfactory condition for exhibition and for study purposes, or the donor is willing to assist with the cost of conservation;
d. If the artwork requires installation costs, such as in the case of campus sculpture, the donor is willing to cover the costs associated with the transportation and display.
e. The College should be able to physically and financially care for the work in a manner consistent with this Management Policy and applicable professional standards;
f. There is evidence of authenticity and satisfactory provenance;
g. There are no unreasonable restrictions or conditions attached to the acquisition.
Any restrictions must be approved by the Director and the Gallery Advisory Committee before the gift is accepted. Restrictions must be clearly stated on the Deed of Gifts and all appropriate accession records.
h. The work is free of restraining title rights, or it must be possible to reach a satisfactory resolution on such restrictions or conditions. Where there are title restraints that cannot be resolved, the College may acquire the work if it determines the work is nonetheless valuable to the Collection; and
i. If the work is acquired by purchase, the purchase price should be fair and in line with the current market value of comparable works. Consideration should be given as to whether there is the possibility of obtaining a similar work as a gift.
4. Acquisition Procedures
The College shall not authenticate, evaluate, grade, or appraise donations for donors. Donors shall be responsible for obtaining and paying for independent, qualified appraisals for tax purposes, pursuant to applicable IRS guidelines. The College assumes no responsibility for the appraisers.
Prior to acquisition of a work, the Director of the Van Every/Smith Galleries shall conduct reasonable independent research and make reasonable efforts to gather from sellers or donors all available information and proper written documentation regarding the provenance, including but not limited to publication history, exhibition history, and representations and warranties of good title. Where appropriate, the Director shall request evidence or documentation from sellers and donors that the works were legally exported from their country of modern discovery and legally imported into the Unite States. All materials obtained in connection with any acquisition shall be maintained in the Collection’s records. Records of Appraisals and Gift Deeds are kept by Office of Planned Gifting and the Van Every/Smith Galleries.
The College recognizes that even after research, some works of art or antiquities may lack a complete ownership or provenance history. In the absence of conclusive evidence that the item was stolen, illegally exported, or illegally imported, the College shall make a carefully considered decision as to whether the item may be acquired. If the College decides to acquire the work, it shall publish information regarding the acquisition on its web site and conduct ongoing provenance research for the work as appropriate. Should the College determine that there is convincing evidence that the item was unlawfully acquired, imported, or exported, the College shall seek to resolve the matter in an equitable, appropriate, and mutually agreeable manner for all concerned parties.
DEACCESSION POLICY
1. Authority
The authority for deaccessioning of works from the Collection rests with the Director of the Van Every/Smith Galleries upon approval from the Gallery Advisory Committee. Additional advice may be sought from the Art Collection Advisory Committee (ACAC).
2. Deaccession Criteria for Works
On occasion, a work may be identified for deaccession by the Gallery Director with the guidance of the Gallery Advisory Committee. Each object must be carefully and individually evaluated. The committee will take the necessary steps to consider appropriate criteria including:
a. The quality of the object; if the object is in poor condition, the committee will consider the feasibility of restoration.
b. The usefulness of the object as part of a study collection.
c. The usefulness of the object if it is a duplicate within the collection (same work, by the same artist, within the same edition).
d. The legitimacy of possession of the object (as reflected in the acquisition policy).
e. The authenticity of the object. If the object is determined to be inauthentic, the committee will consider the usefulness of the object as part of a study collection.
f. Evaluating if the sale of the object is more beneficial to the development of the collection than its retention.
g. Deliberation will take place to determine if the work should be retained for comparative analysis for the purposes of education and scholarly research.
3. Deaccession Procedures
a. The Gallery Director will make a written and oral presentation to the Gallery Advisory Committee.
b. After careful evaluation of the criteria, if it is determined that the object should be deaccessioned from the collection, arrangements will be made for sale of the work. The College’s President must approve any works to be deaccessioned valued over $100,000.
c. The preferred method of disposal will be through public auction. Normally, any funds received from the deaccession of works will be used for new acquisitions or for preservation of existing works in the Collection.
d. The gallery may choose to extend notification courtesy to any living artists whose works are deaccessioned.
e. No member of the College staff, Art Collection Advisory Committee, or Gallery Advisory Committee who has been directly involved in a decision-making role related to deaccessioning an object may acquire deaccessioned works or otherwise benefit from its sale.
4. Deaccession Criteria for Duplicate Works
a. Duplicate works for deaccession will be identified on a periodic basis by the Gallery Director.
b. Deliberation will take place to determine if the duplicate copy or copies should be retained for comparative analysis for the purposes of education and scholarly research.
c. Multiple works will be scrutinized by the Gallery Director, faculty, and, if needed, experts in order to determine the best copy to be retained and preserved.
d. The lesser copy (or copies) will be offered for deaccession upon approval of the Gallery Advisory Committee.
5. Deaccession Procedures for Duplicate Works
a. The Gallery Director will make a written and oral presentation to the Gallery Advisory Committee.
b. Duplicate copies will be visually reviewed side-by-side to determine the educational and research value (if any) in keeping the duplicate object in the collection.
c. Questions to consider: (i) Is the object not suitable quality to justify exhibition, study, or storage? (ii) Would the sale of the object be more beneficial to the development of the collection than its retention?
d. An assessment will be made regarding the better and lesser examples.
e. Once approved by the Gallery Advisory Committee, the better copy will be retained and preserved in the Collection.
f. Arrangements will be made for sale of the duplicate work. The preferred method of disposal will be through public auction. Normally, any funds received from the deaccession of works will be used for new acquisitions or for preservation of existing works in the Collection.
6. Donor Relations/Stewardship
If the work proposed for deaccession has been given to Davidson College, a reasonable attempt will be made to contact the donor(s) to advise them of the action. New works purchased with proceeds from the sale of donated or bequeathed works will be credited to the original donor.
7. Records
The staff of the Van Every/Smith Galleries will maintain records on all works deaccessioned from the Collection. Files will contain all papers regarding the deaccession of the work as well as all original accession papers and photographs.