Report on Collections Agreement 1 April 2011 - 31 March 2012
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APPENDIX Report to Board Meeting of 13 June 2012 Report by Director of Cultural Services REPORT ON COLLECTIONS AGREEMENT 1 APRIL 2011 - 31 MARCH 2012 Purpose of report To provide the Board with performance information relating to the Collections Agreement. Recommendations The Board is asked (1) to note the performance information relating to the Collections Agreement; and (2) agree that the report be referred to Glasgow City Council for information. 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 The Collections Agreement (paragraph 24.1) requires that Culture and Sport Glasgow shall keep Glasgow City Council informed concerning the performance of its obligations under the agreement. 1.2 The Museums Acquisition and Disposal Policy agreed by Glasgow City Council and the Board of Directors of Culture and Sport Glasgow in February and March 2008 respectively also stipulates that the Head of Museums and Collections will present a regular report to the Board of Directors on performance under the Collections Agreement. The Head of Museums and Collections will also present an annual report summarising performance. Once agreed by the Board the reports will be submitted to the Council. 2. BACKGROUND 2.1 This is the annual report on Culture and Sport Glasgow’s performance under the Collections Agreement from 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012. In addition, the report for the 4th Quarter (1 Jan – 31 March 2012) is incorporated within this report. 3. SUMMARY OF PERFORMANCE 3.1 The following is a summary of performance under the headings specified in the Collections Agreement. 4. MUSEUMS AND ART GALLERIES 4.1 Inward loans (other than those connected with exhibitions) There were 15 inward loan transactions during this period: x Renewals: 10 long term renewals: 8 for a maximum 3 years and the other 2 for shorter periods pending redisplay plans. x New Inward Loan: LI.2011.028 Memorabilia relating to air force career of Duncan White McAdam x Returns: 3 return including James Findlay & Co pattern books Glasgow University. Objects borrowed for temporary exhibitions 38 Lenders lending a total of 1045 objects 4.2 Outward loans During fiscal year 1 April 2011 – 31 March 2012, 70 new loan requests were received. Of these 47 were agreed in full, 24 were refused on the following grounds: short notice, condition of objects, current resource commitments, curatorial merit of request, Burrell overseas lending restrictions. 5 Renewal Requests were also received and approved. The following loans out were conducted during this period: x Scottish Museums – 7 Venues, 38 objects Kirkcudbright Town Hall (14 Glasgow Boys); National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh (3 Cadells); Dundee Art Gallery (3 Cadells); Talbot Rice, Edinburgh (1 Katy Dove); Maryhill Burgh Halls, Glasgow (11 stained glass panels by Stephen Adam depicting the Trades of Maryhill and other objects including a lamppost for proposed Transfer); Paisley Art Gallery (Eric Kennington Sculpture); National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh (Ramsay & Burr) x UK: 9 Venues, 13 objects Victoria and Albert Museum, London (Moore & Whistler), Bowes Museum, Durham (Fantin-Latour), Penlee Museum, Cornwall (Garstin), and Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (Lavery). Royal Accademy, London (Turner); Tate Britain, London (Picasso) Manchester Art Gallery (Ford Madox Brown); Royal Academy of Arts, London (two paintings, one sculpture by Degas); British Library, London. (Burrell tapestry) x Europe: 3 Venues 4 objects Musee D’Orsay, Paris (Whistler); Von der Heydt Museum, Germany (2 x Sisleys); Tallin, Estonia (Bosch) x USA: 1 Venue 1 Object Museum of Fine Arts, San Francisco, USA (Whistler). Long term loans returns x 2 ship models were returned from long term loan out from the Scottish Maritime Museum. x 1 Greek Icon on long term loan to St Mungo’s Museum has been returned to the owner. x 3 dehydrated food items returned to Manchester Science Museum. x 3 Morrison paintings returned to private lender (Scotland). Loans Retrospective project – resolved queries x 29 long-term loan items were returned to their owners x 4 long term loans out (two spears and 2 Charles Rennie Mackintosh chairs) were returned x 6 other queries resolved. Community Loan service The Open Museum Community Loan Service enables the collections to be used independently and to reach many vulnerable people who would not otherwise be able to enjoy Glasgow’s fabulous collections. The Loan Service is facilitated by Outreach assistants and operates 3 days per week from GMRC. This year there were 1328 loans to a diverse range of community based organisations across the city. Based on our feedback data, these loans will have reached 25,232 people, inspiring reminiscence, creative writing, intergenerational projects, literacy programmes and the teaching of English for speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Common to all of these activities, the kits promote social interaction and contribute to positive mental health and well being, one of the city’s key social objectives. 4.3 Acquisitions Objects approved or declined acquisition 11-12 53 acquisitions were approved outright: 35 Gifts, 10 Purchases and 5 Grant Assisted Purchases ,1 Burrell purchase, 1Transfer and 39 Treasure Trove Significant acquisitions which were completed this quarter included: Gifts x Sixteen Niki de Saint Phalle sculptures x Twelve ship models from BAE Systems x Documents relating to the life and work of Talwin Morris. Includes Donor's research notes, correspondence, scripts for talks and lectures, copy papers, photographs and original documents. x Mounted wildcat and kitten x Locomotive plate mould - North British Locomotives Co. Ltd Grant Assisted Purchases which were successful: x Peter Wylie Davidson clock £19,750 (more than 50% raised by fundraising: Art Fund £7,390; NFA £3,000; FoGM £1,231.75) x Pair of silver prize greyhound collars by Robert Gray & Sons of Glasgow 1819. £12,500 (NFA £6,250) x Pair of 18th Century Long Guns, one manufactured in Glasgow by John Smart £40,000 (Art Fund £5000, NFA £13,333) x Gerard Byrne works - documentary material related to supposed sightings of the Loch Ness monster: glass vitrine containing wooden forms and photographs, pair of photographs & 16mm film. (€36,800 - AFI) Burrell Trustees x 13th-century candlestick from Mosul (Burrell Trustees) £4000 Purchases x Mitch Miller (x3) ‘Dialectograms’ - large A0 pen images illustrating life in the Red Road flats at Sighthill, Glasgow: ‘The Niven family home’, ‘The Bingo’, ‘The Brig Bar’ four Gustavo Toaquiza (Ecuadorian artist) paintings £1500 x Kate Davis: works on paper (£18,800 - CAF) x Nick Evans: three sculptures: ‘Piglet, Dummy and Wanton Seed’ (£18,000 - CAF) x Alex Frost "Adult (Rivita/ crackerbread)" (£5,000 -CAF) x James McLardy "Born Male" (£5,000 - CAF) Treasure Trove x TT 68/01 Argyll & Bute; Islay, Bruichladdich to Bridgend Water Pipeline x TT 93/05 Glasgow, City of; Glasgow, Thornliebank, Patterton, Camp No.660 x TT 10/11Farmstead, Paisley.19th/20th century assemblage, including some medieval pottery sherds, from an excavation at Dykebarhill Not Approved 21 items were not approved for acquisition Grant award Art Fund ‘RENEW’ On16 September Glasgow Museums was awarded £100,000 towards developing a collection of South Asian Art (primarily northern India). 4.4 Disputes/returns There were no disputes or returns for the year 1 April 2011- 31 March 2012 4.5 De-accessions and disposals There were 1141 disposals of accessioned objects for the year 1 April 2011- 31 March 2012 x DISP 64 6 cars subject for disposal on the grounds of their condition and their lack of relevance to the history of the car manufacturing industry in Scotland. Motor Cars: museum accession numbers: T.1981.47, T.1982.56, T.1985.27 collected by original donors. Motor Cars: museum accession numbers: T.1979.34, T.1976.12, T.1990.23 will be advertised in the ‘Museums Journal’ and made available for Transfer to other Accredited Museums x DISP 65 & DISP 66 1128 Aviation collection items: aircraft models and souvenirs, merchandise and ephemera to be transferred to the National Museums of Scotland: National Museum of Flight at East Fortune, an Accredited museum. x DISP 67 Lamppost, museum accession Number OG.1960.12.1: Transfer to Maryhill Burgh Hall Trust (MBHT) for inclusion in renovation of Maryhill Burgh Hall. x DISP.2012.1 5 items of Robert Burns Club material: PP.1988.91.1 PP.1988.91.2 SP.2000.79.43 SP.2000.81.1 SP.2000.81.2 for internal transfer to the Mitchell Library Special Collections where they can be viewed within the context of the Burns Collection. 4.6 Destructive analysis and scientific research During the period 1 April 2011 – 31 December 2011 8 requests were approved by the Head of Museums and Collections, these are detailed in Appendix 6. Three new requests from the fourth quarter 1 January – 31 March 2012 have been received, and these are also detailed in Appendix 6. 4.7 Conservation The opening of the Riverside Museum in June was a highlight. For the dedicated conservation staff involved, it was the culmination of years of work researching, treating, preparing, and interpreting objects. Innovative display systems and novel display methods presented the team with interesting challenges. Investigations continue into ways to control moth infestations which have become established in some buildings. A number of ‘deep cleans’ have taken place, including office areas, as well as routine freezer treatment of collection items. A new policy is under development, and training has been delivered to help all staff report sightings and take action to keep moth levels at a minimum. The search goes on within the UK and worldwide museum community for more effective ways to deal with the problem. The Burrell Tapestries Research Project concluded in spring 2012. Work included historical, scientific and conservation assessments of tapestries at the Burrell and detailed photography. A publication is planned for later in 2012. A condition survey of over 700 stained glass collection items was completed in preparation for the forthcoming catalogue project.