Open Forum

Hi Suzanne! 

I highly recommend getting a copy of A Legal Primer on Managing Museum Collections to help you with difficult cases like this one. It's been invaluable in my career so far.

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Claire Aldenhuysen
Museum Educator
National Model Aviation Museum, Academy of Model Aeronautics
Muncie IN
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What comes around goes around...

You may do as you wish with the art that has already been deaccessioned, including returning it to the school for it to do as it wishes.  Art you want to re-accession should go through your normal accessioning process, as if you are starting all over - which is what you are doing actually.

The processing and procedureal fault was in allowing the accession numbers to remain on the deaccessioned items.  These are usually removed or covered over.

This is a new one to me so thank you.  I'll not add it as an example in the book I have written on deaccessioning but it is unusal.

Regards,

Steve

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Steven Miller
Executive Director
Boscobel House and Gardens
Garrison NY
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I agree with Steve that you can deal with these items as though they were just coming to you out of the blue. The fact that they were once deaccessioned by your museum is important to note in your records, but it has nothing to do with the current, potential transactions. I have actually seen this before, in museums with which I was consulting, although the more usual situation is that museums are burdened by collections that never should have been accepted in the first place, and are worthy subjects for collections review and analysis.

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Bruce MacLeish
Curator Emeritus, Newport Restoration Foundation
Newport RI
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Original Message:
Sent: 10-05-2017 09:51 AM
From: Steven Miller
Subject: Reaccessioning Deaccessioned Objects

What comes around goes around...

You may do as you wish with the art that has already been deaccessioned, including returning it to the school for it to do as it wishes.  Art you want to re-accession should go through your normal accessioning process, as if you are starting all over - which is what you are doing actually.

The processing and procedureal fault was in allowing the accession numbers to remain on the deaccessioned items.  These are usually removed or covered over.

This is a new one to me so thank you.  I'll not add it as an example in the book I have written on deaccessioning but it is unusal.

Regards,

Steve

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Steven Miller
Executive Director
Boscobel House and Gardens
Garrison NY
------------------------------

An interesting problem and discussion.

I question the recommendation that the accessioning numbers be removed or covered over.  Wouldn't they be useful in the future to help with the provenance of the item?

Alan Steinfeld
Volunteer, Accessions Department
Mertz Library
New York Botanical Garden
Original Message:
Sent: 10-05-2017 09:51 AM
From: Steven Miller
Subject: Reaccessioning Deaccessioned Objects

What comes around goes around...

You may do as you wish with the art that has already been deaccessioned, including returning it to the school for it to do as it wishes.  Art you want to re-accession should go through your normal accessioning process, as if you are starting all over - which is what you are doing actually.

The processing and procedureal fault was in allowing the accession numbers to remain on the deaccessioned items.  These are usually removed or covered over.

This is a new one to me so thank you.  I'll not add it as an example in the book I have written on deaccessioning but it is unusal.

Regards,

Steve

------------------------------
Steven Miller
Executive Director
Boscobel House and Gardens
Garrison NY
------------------------------

A relevant point and one to be considered.  I recommend against retaining the accession number for three reasons, two of which relate to the commercial art and antiquities market.  Most people have no concept of deaccessioning so when they see something was once owned by a museum it furthers the idea that museums often get rid of stuff, and, if the object is on the market, why would a museum do that?  If it has monetary value why do museums dump these things?  Deaccessioning has caused enough misunderstanding in the real world and I want to refrain from needlessly contributing to it.  I would not be interested in supporting the commerical market with the implied imprimatur that former museum ownership offers.  Finally, a standard museum accesion number usually gives no idea what museum an object came from.  For example, I would have no inkling of what museum once owned 47.8.25.

Rgards,

Steve

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Steven Miller
Executive Director
Boscobel House and Gardens
Garrison NY
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-06-2017 10:39 AM
From: Alan Steinfeld
Subject: Reaccessioning Deaccessioned Objects

An interesting problem and discussion.

I question the recommendation that the accessioning numbers be removed or covered over.  Wouldn't they be useful in the future to help with the provenance of the item?

Alan Steinfeld
Volunteer, Accessions Department
Mertz Library
New York Botanical Garden

Original Message:
Sent: 10-05-2017 09:51 AM
From: Steven Miller
Subject: Reaccessioning Deaccessioned Objects

What comes around goes around...

You may do as you wish with the art that has already been deaccessioned, including returning it to the school for it to do as it wishes.  Art you want to re-accession should go through your normal accessioning process, as if you are starting all over - which is what you are doing actually.

The processing and procedureal fault was in allowing the accession numbers to remain on the deaccessioned items.  These are usually removed or covered over.

This is a new one to me so thank you.  I'll not add it as an example in the book I have written on deaccessioning but it is unusal.

Regards,

Steve

------------------------------
Steven Miller
Executive Director
Boscobel House and Gardens
Garrison NY