Organisations set out stall on unethical sales - Museums Association

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Organisations set out stall on unethical sales

Sector issues joint statement and holds summit to discuss further sanctions. Patrick Steel reports
Patrick Steel
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Leading sector bodies held the first “collections at risk summit” last month to discuss whether further sanctions are needed to protect collections from unethical sale.

The summit was triggered by Northampton Borough Council’s sale last year of an ancient Egyptian statue, in breach of the Museums Association’s (MA) code of ethics, and the finding of the MA’s Cuts Survey 2014 that 10% of museums had considered financially motivated disposal.

It was attended by representatives from the MA, National Museum Directors’ Council (NMDC), Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), Arts Council England (ACE), Art Fund, National Archives, Association of Independent Museums, Northern Ireland Museums Council, Museums Galleries Scotland, and Museums, Libraries and Archives Wales.

It was agreed that a joint statement setting out the sector’s view should be issued, so that all museums and authorities would be aware of the sector’s position.

David Fleming, the director of National Museums Liverpool and chairman of the MA’s ethics committee, would also like to see a collections at risk register, along the lines of Unesco’s list of world heritage in danger.

Fleming’s adopted city of Liverpool is on the Unesco list and he is conscious of how it is focusing minds. The MA’s only sanction for authorities that sell collections unethically is to bar them, but a register would be a useful additional tool, he believes.

Alistair Brown, the MA’s policy officer, says the register is just one idea being discussed. The key thing, he adds, is that the sector is coming together and is broadly in agreement that something should be done “to avoid another Northampton”.

Suzie Tucker, the NMDC’s head of strategy and communications, says one sanction that has been mooted by members is national museums and Major Partner Museums refusing to work with museums that had lost Accreditation.

Fiona Talbott, the HLF’s head of museums, libraries and archives, says although Accreditation is a criterion for some funds, it is reluctant to make this obligatory across all of them because other heritage organisations do not have to meet a comparable standard, and the organisation also supports embryonic museums yet to reach Accreditation.

But applicants’ track records on the maintenance of heritage assets are taken into account across all HLF funds.

For this reason, she says something along the lines of English Heritage’s heritage at risk register could be useful when considering funding applications from museums.

At this stage, the idea for a register is a speculative one for discussion, says Scott Furlong, the director of ACE’s acquisitions, exports, loans and collections unit, but ACE is open to all proposals that help support the response to unethical sale.

He says the priority is to ensure that the sector is unified in its messaging around unethical sale and the impact it will have.

Sanctions imposed

2014

Northampton Borough Council sells Egyptian statue Sekhemka without authorisation and is barred from the MA. ACE removes its Accreditation. The HLF rejects a bid for its Collecting Cultures fund, for which Accreditation is a criterion, and the council shelves a separate bid for HLF funding for Northampton Museum.

2013

Croydon Council sells 24 ceramics from its Riesco Collection without authorisation and is barred from the MA. ACE removes its Accreditation.

2006

Bury Council sells LS Lowry’s A Riverbank to meet a budget shortfall, and is barred from the MA. The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council removes its Accreditation.

1991

Derbyshire County Council sells 16 paintings to meet a budget deficit, and is barred from the MA. The Museums and Galleries Commission removes the council from its register.


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