Collections Stewardship

logo by Cailley

Thanks to a grant from the American Alliance of Museums, Lauren from the American Alliance of Museums (based in DC) and Zinnia from the Gibbes Museum (Charleston, SC) are on site Tuesday and Wednesday as part of the Museum Assessment Program’s “Collections Stewardship” peer review. Zinnia is visiting and conducting the review of our collections; Lauren is shadowing Zinnia in order to see the process as it unfolds at a smaller organization/institution such as ours.

This site visit is part of a two-year review that we have undertaken in our Art Department to assess our collections and our care of them. This is akin to an academic department undertaking self-study and a site visit from a peer reviewer. 

This process was self-initiated by Juilee Decker and Jeanette Tesmer (as well as our previous gallery director, Laura Stewart) and began with a CAP grant (to look at the condition of our collections and storage) in 2012-13.

These visits on April 8 and 9th continue this work by asking questions: collections stewardship assessment asks questions about the collections (are they appropriate to the our galleries/collections mission? do we manage our assets well and effectively? are we in compliance with local, state, other regulations? do we have the knowledge and resources to do our best to provide access to, preserve, interpret, and study the works in our care? how are we doing at documentation?)

The works that will be examined include:

•  the College’s permanent collection, which was established in 1845 with the donation of the portrait of George Washington by Asa Park (on view in the LRC, ca. 1815) and more contemporary pieces such as the public art on campus; AND 
• the Dr. Donald L. & Dorothy Jacobs Gallery/Collection, which was established in 2002 in the LRC and consists of artifacts that are more than 4000 years old as well as works by contemporary artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Christo, and others

Welcome our guests when you see them! And, feel free to contribute to the conversation over the next two days. While we have their schedule packed full with meetings with faculty and staff across campus, as well as our gallery interns, your voice is important, too! Feel free to call Jeanette x8399 or me x8173  to arrange a brief visit!