Museum Collecting Lessons explains how and why museums meet their fundamental duty to collect. It is the first book of its kind to explore the diverse ways these unique institutions acquire what is preserved and used for exhibitions, programs, publications, and online applications.
The 11 chapters that make up the volume are written by museum practitioners working in art, history, and science museums in the United States, Canada, and India. Together, the essays provide fascinating insights into a wide variety of significant acquisitions and museum collecting initiatives. The authors explain customary collecting methods, including donation, purchase, and field retrieval. Commonly shared acquisition denominators are also covered and include mission pertinence, quality control, the feasibility and legality of acquisition, personnel and volunteer involvement, and long-term retention assurances. The philosophies and realities presented within the case studies shine light on recent debates about who is included or excluded in museum collections – especially when it comes to race, ethnicity, gender, political perspectives, places of habitation, and economic status.
Museum Collecting Lessons reflects upon past and ongoing issues relating to museum acquisition practices. Offering valuable insights about philosophical, practical, and ethical collecting practices, the book will be of interest to aspiring, beginner, and experienced museum professionals around the world.
Author(s): Steven Miller
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 167
City: London
Cover
Half Title
Title
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
List of Figures
List of Contributors
Introduction
1 Making Sense of Your Community Museum Collection: Strategies for Stuff Management
2 Collecting Our Culture: Eeyou Cree Collecting at Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute
3 Strategies for Acquiring Contemporary Art: Creativity and Collaboration
4 Collecting Period Rooms: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Francis W. Little House
5 A New Museum Builds a Collection: How One Gift Leads to Others: James A. Michener Museum of Art’s Acquisition Success
6 A Museum-Defining Acquisition: The Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata, Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ
7 Unpacking the Baggage: The Smooth Acquisition and Transfer of the Lee L. Forman Collection of Bags
8 How We Got Our F-16 Fighting Falcon
9 Community Collecting Conversations: Acquisition Stories, District Museum, Jorhat, India
10 Collecting Nonverbal History Documents
11 Barnum Brown’s Bones
12 Conclusion
Index
