View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Oregon Scholars' Bank COLLECTIONS AS COMMUNICATION: DEACCESSIONING POLICIES AND PUBLIC TRUST By Britney M. Whiting-Looze A MASTER’S CAPSTONE Presented to the Arts and Administration Program of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Arts Management June 2010 ii Approved by: _________________________________ Dr. Phaedra Livingstone Arts and Administration Program University of Oregon Date: __________________ iii ABSTRACT: The intention of this capstone project is to explore and understand the changing relationship between purposively selected art museums in major metropolitan areas and the public those museums serve, as dictated by collections-related policies and practices. While legal and ethical implications of certain collections practices, like deaccessioning, are highly debated, those practices as related to public trust have received significantly less attention. These practices may influence public perception of a museum’s transparency and accountability. Qualitative information was gathered through capstone courses and historical-comparative research, taking a hermeneutic approach to existing scholarship, policy documents, applicable laws, and professional codes of ethics. KEYWORDS: Art Museums, Collections Management, Collections Policies, Deaccessioning, Public Trust iv Acknowledgments I would like to extend my gratitude to my research advisor, Dr. Phaedra Livingstone, as well as Dr. Patricia Dewey, for their guidance and support during this research. I would also like to thank Tina Rinaldi for giving me a strong example of what passion and dedication can do to develop a sense of self, and a sense of community. To my husband, Jordan Looze, who encouraged me to dig deeper whenever I felt my ground had run shallow. Thank you for your love and your keen eye for typos. Finally, thank you to my wonderful cohort, for providing a touchstone for creativity, compassion, brainstorming, critique, and a persistent appreciation of my baking sprees. v Britney M. Whiting-Looze [email protected] Education MS in Arts Management, University of Oregon, projected June 2010 Certificate in Museum Studies, University of Oregon, projected June 2010 BA in History, European Emphasis, Boise State University, May 2004 Collections Management & Related Experience Graduate Intern – Museum Collections (Jun 2009 – Sept 2009) Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon – Eugene, OR • Reported to the Registrar and provided support for a broad range of activities related to the museum’s permanent collection. • Activities included acquisitions, deaccessioning, inventory and storage of artwork, providing collections access, responding to research inquiries, maintaining collections records, re-housing of collections, and other duties and projects as assigned. • Assisted with loans and exhibitions as needed, including condition reports, setting up loan agreements, and generating checklists of loaned or exhibited objects. Curatorial Assistant (Jan 2004 – Jan 2006) The Basque Museum & Cultural Center – Boise, ID • Collections Management duties included numbering, accessioning, cataloging, photographing, housing and cleaning artifacts, as well as digital image preservation, building preservation mounts, and completing condition surveys. • Exhibit development and installation duties involved artifact preparation, mounts, labels, foreground and backgrounds, and case setup. • Assisted and supported the Curator of Collections and Exhibitions and other executive staff. • Led interactive tours of the Cyrus Jacobs/Uberuaga House for the public and school groups. Undergraduate Intern – Curatorial Assistant (Jun 2003 – Dec 2003) Boise Art Museum – Boise, ID • Worked in conjunction with the Associate Curator of Art. • Researched regional and international artists and wrote artist labels for artwork. • Participated in installation and deinstallation of artwork. • Communicated with artists, galleries, and museums. • Maintained curatorial files and general collections records. • Scanned slides or took digital photographs of artwork and resized and retouched photos for publications with Adobe Photoshop. Arts Administration & Related Experience Graduate Administrative Fellow (Sept 2009 – June 2010) University of Oregon, Arts & Administration Program – Eugene, OR • Control access to the program library and study room, and manage all equipment and publications. • Develop informational materials regarding the program and the Arts Management master’s degree. • Oversee program website, and serve as list owner for all program listservs. • Support for planning and implementation of program-sponsored events. • Coordination and collaboration with faculty, other departments, university publications and press. • McFee Collection – Worked in conjunction with UO Libraries Special Collections to identify, categorize, and catalog the research papers and publications of Dr. June King McFee. vi Grants Specialist (Dec 2007 – Jul 2008) Idaho Commission on the Arts – Boise, ID • Oversaw the grant panel process; coordinated Admin Team support for panels. • Prepared correspondence and made payments to grant applicants or contractors. • Responded to inquiries regarding grant or contract availability requirements and procedures. • Reviewed and evaluated grants and contracts for conformance to established criteria and compliance with provisions of laws and regulations. • Provided technical assistance on interpretation of program guidelines and requirements. • Assisted with development, design, or modification of grant forms and contract documents. • Entered data from grant applications and final reports in MS Access database. • Maintained a grants and contracts tracking system of expenditures and balances. • Utilized the state accounting system to process and research vendor payments. • Made payroll and personnel updates on the state payroll system. Program Support Specialist (Nov 2005 – Dec 2007) Idaho Commission on the Arts – Boise, ID • Responsible to Program Directors (Arts Education, Artist Services, Community Development, Folk & Traditional Arts, and Literature). Provided program support such as correspondence, presentations, preparation of mailings, recording/editing minutes, grant judging panel arrangements, binder preparation, and panel assistance. • Assisted constituents with general grants and awards inquiries and the panel process. • Provided research and resource development for Program Directors and constituency. • Updated website, e-mail lists, press release list, and created various program publications. • Provided assistance for special events and exhibits. Professional Activities 2010 Oregon Museums Association Annual Meeting, Eugene, OR - Panelist, New Museum Studies Research by Emerging Professionals 2009 Museum Computer Network Annual Meeting, Portland, OR 2009 Balboa Art Conservation Center Workshop, Eugene, OR 2009 Oregon Arts Summit, Beaverton, OR 2008 Conservation Symposium Northwest, Eugene, OR 2008 Symposium on Cascadia-region Cultural Planning and Development, Portland, OR 2008 Mountain West Conference on the Arts, Salt Lake City, UT 2007 National Assembly of State Arts Agencies Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD 2007 Northwest Booking Conference, Tacoma, WA - Partner representative of the Idaho Commission on the Arts 2006 Administrative Professionals Conference, Boise, ID 2006 Western Museums Association annual meeting, Boise, ID - Panel Respondent, “Exhibit Critique: Challenges When Exhibit-Making” 2003 Western Museums Association annual meeting, Reno, NV Publications Laxalt Mackey, Meggan, Editor; Contributing Authors: Barbara Perry Bauer, John Bieter, Diana Dicus, Jeronima Echeverria, Jeffery D. Johns, Patty Miller, Marc Munch, Todd Shallat, Britney Whiting, John Ysursa. Extea: The Cyrus Jacobs-Uberuaga Home. Boise, ID: Basque Museum and Cultural Center, in press. “Repatriation Not Required?” 2003 WMA Session Review, Idaho Association of Museums (IAM) Newsletter, Winter, January 2004. vii Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction and Context..........................................................................................1 Conceptual Framework .............................................................................................................................3 Research Methodology..............................................................................................................................5 Overview of Research Design and Strategy of Inquiry.........................................................................5 Assumptions ..........................................................................................................................................7 Research Questions...............................................................................................................................7 Definitions.............................................................................................................................................8 Limitations and Delimitations...............................................................................................................8 Benefits of the Study..............................................................................................................................9 Chapter 2: What is Deaccessioning? .........................................................................................10