Increasingly, museums are exploring sales from their collections. While it is financially motivated sales which attract the most publicity, the majority of sales take place after robust curatorially motivated collections review.
It is essential that museums follow best practice in all sales from their collections, and for this reason the Museums Association (MA) has prepared due diligence guidelines on sales, which are out for consultation until the end of July.
The guidelines have been drafted by Janet Ulph, the MA’s Arts & Humanities Research Council fellow and professor of law at the University of Leicester. She has worked with MA staff and Arts Council England (ACE) to draw on five years of experience in the ethics committee on proposals to sell collections, and experience of the Accreditation process.
The guidelines complement the disposal toolkit, which covers transfers, and provide a clear framework for museums exploring sale of items from their collection. As in the code of ethics, a distinction is made between curatorially motivated sale and financially motivated sale. There are extra requirements for financially motivated disposal.
They propose a system that will streamline the way in which museums provide information about proposed sales to the MA and organisations assessing Accreditation (ACE, Museums & Galleries Scotland, CyMAL, Museums, Archives and Libraries, Wales, and the Northern Ireland Museums Council).
At the core of the guidelines is the production of a series of documents, which can be used to demonstrate compliance with the code of ethics and Accreditation.
These include documentation relating to the collections review, a report to the governing body, and information on the right to sell. Take a look at the guidelines and let us know if they will work for your museum, in case you ever need to sell.
Nick Merriman is the director of the Manchester Museum and convenor of the Museums Association ethics committee
It is essential that museums follow best practice in all sales from their collections, and for this reason the Museums Association (MA) has prepared due diligence guidelines on sales, which are out for consultation until the end of July.
The guidelines have been drafted by Janet Ulph, the MA’s Arts & Humanities Research Council fellow and professor of law at the University of Leicester. She has worked with MA staff and Arts Council England (ACE) to draw on five years of experience in the ethics committee on proposals to sell collections, and experience of the Accreditation process.
The guidelines complement the disposal toolkit, which covers transfers, and provide a clear framework for museums exploring sale of items from their collection. As in the code of ethics, a distinction is made between curatorially motivated sale and financially motivated sale. There are extra requirements for financially motivated disposal.
They propose a system that will streamline the way in which museums provide information about proposed sales to the MA and organisations assessing Accreditation (ACE, Museums & Galleries Scotland, CyMAL, Museums, Archives and Libraries, Wales, and the Northern Ireland Museums Council).
At the core of the guidelines is the production of a series of documents, which can be used to demonstrate compliance with the code of ethics and Accreditation.
These include documentation relating to the collections review, a report to the governing body, and information on the right to sell. Take a look at the guidelines and let us know if they will work for your museum, in case you ever need to sell.
Nick Merriman is the director of the Manchester Museum and convenor of the Museums Association ethics committee
