Art Acquisition Policy 2011-RC-01 — full text

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| TOWN OF STRATFORD - COUNCIL POLICY | TOWN OF STRATFORD - COUNCIL POLICY | TOWN OF STRATFORD - COUNCIL POLICY | TOWN OF STRATFORD - COUNCIL POLICY | |--------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------| | NAME: | ART ACQUISITION POLICY | POLICY NUMBER: 2011-RC-01 | | | | COMMITTEE: RECREATION AND ENVIRONMENT | APPROVAL DATE: AUGUST 10, 2011 | | ## Preamble The Town of Stratford's art collection was founded in 2005 to promote the appreciation of art and to document the history of art and culture in Stratford by highlighting works created by local artists. This document sets guidelines for the review, selection and documentation of artwork donations and purchases for the Town's collection; establishes a process for the acquisition and deaccessioning of artworks; and promotes the collection's accessibility to citizens. ## Policy Statement The intent of the Art Acquisition Policy is to ensure the Town maintains a high quality art collection for the benefit and enjoyment of citizens. ## Objectives The objectives of the Art Acquisition Policy are: - To develop an art collection of original artworks that promotes and celebrates the contribution of local artists; - To ensure the collection is made accessible to the public through the display of works in municipal buildings; - To make the collection accessible to community organizations and to other organizations when it is beneficial to, or in the best interest of, the community; - To cultivate audiences for the arts; and - To ensure that the collection is adequately recorded, and that the collection is kept well maintained. ## Roles and Responsibilities The Town of Stratford's Recreation and Environment Department oversees the management of the art collection and is responsible for the administration of the policy. The Town of Stratford's Arts and Culture Committee is responsible for advising Town Council on matters of arts and culture. ## 1. Acquisition Selection Criteria The selection criteria serves to ensure a consistent and responsible art acquisition process. However, some degree of flexibility may be required on occasion to accommodate the diversity of proposals. The following criteria will be considered during the selection process of an artwork: - Excellence: The work recommended for acquisition by donation or purchase should be of high quality. - Local and Regional Provenance: Preference is given to local and regionally significant artists and subjects. Other high quality works from artists outside of the region may also be considered. - Artistic Merit: The artwork should reflect the best work of the artist. - Art Media: All art media will be considered. - Relevance and Compatibility: Artworks should reflect the intent and objectives of the Town of Stratford's Art Acquisition Policy and should be compatible in material, form, size and content with their surroundings. - Public Safety: Artworks should not pose any safety hazard to the public. - Size: Artworks should be of a size that can be accommodated in a potential display location and should be reasonably portable for moving and exhibition purposes with the exception of those pieces acquired for permanent installation in a specific public venue. - Original Artworks: Only original artworks will be accepted into the collection unless exceptional circumstances determine otherwise. - Condition of Work: The artwork considered for selection must be in excellent condition, preferably ready for exhibition. - Budget: Financial implications, including the need for on-going maintenance, storage, installation and relocation of a piece will be considered during the acquisition evaluation process. - Diversity of Collection: To ensure that the collection contains works from a variety of artists and styles, preference will be given to artworks and styles that have not already been selected in the past. When choosing among a number of works under consideration at the same time for inclusion in the collection, a points system reflecting the criteria listing above will be used to rank the works. In the case where an acquisition is being made of an artwork valued in excess of $1,000, the selection committee must include at least one member who is a recognized professional artist, a person working in a curatorial position in a recognized arts institution and/or an accredited arts appraiser. The Town of Stratford may, at its discretion, accept or decline any offers of artwork donations or purchases for the collection. ## 2. Donation of Artworks Donations of artworks may be made to the Town of Stratford's art collection following the guidelines below: - The donor is required to review, complete and sign the Art Donation Proposal Form (Appendix A) in order for the proposed donation to be reviewed by the Stratford Arts and Culture Committee. - Artworks offered to the Town of Stratford will be reviewed by the Arts and Culture Committee based on the section criteria listed in section 1 of this policy. - Should an artwork be accepted into the collection, the Town of Stratford will prepare all necessary documentation to complete the transaction. - Should an artwork not be retained for the art collection, the donor will be advised of the decision in writing. - Appraisals are the responsibility of the donor, unless agreed otherwise by both parties. - If the value of the artwork exceeds $1,000, an official appraisal be a recognized appraiser is required. The Arts and Culture Committee, at its discretion and expense, may seek an additional appraisal from a second recognized appraiser prior to accepting an artwork. - When an appraised gift is accepted into the Town of Stratford's collection, a tax receipt will be issued to the donor. ## 3. Purchasing Artworks Based on the financial resources available, the Town of Stratford may purchase artworks in accordance with the acquisition guidelines of this policy. ## 4. De-accessioning Any acquisition accepted for the Town of Stratford's art collection will be held in trust for the citizens of Stratford, and not for the intent of de-accessioning. However, there are circumstances when disposals are necessary and can strengthen the quality of the collection. Those circumstances are outlined below. The de-accessioning process must be conducted in a responsible manner and for sound and justifiable reasons. ## De-accessing Criteria De-accessioning will be considered for works meeting the following criteria: - Works that endanger public safety. - Works that require excessive maintenance. - Works in very poor condition and insufficient value to warrant extensive restoration. - Undocumented works. - Works existing in multiple copies. - Works that turn out to be inauthentic. - Works not legitimately acquired. - Accidental loss or theft of an artwork that can be verified. - Works that are not or rarely on display due to a lace of suitable display venue. ## De-accessioning Methods The Town of Stratford may dispose of works and other items in its collection by selling, exchanging, donating or disposing of them. The Town of Stratford will only use the deaccessioning proceeds to make improvements to the collection or to purchase works for the collection. Before considering other methods of disposal, the Town of Stratford will endeavour to contact the donor or legal heir of any artwork to be de-accessioned to give them the opportunity to re-acquire the artwork, as long as it does not violate the original terms and conditions of the donation. The Town of Stratford will section an appropriate method of de-accessioning of the artwork, including offering the artwork to a cultural institution or other non-profit organization; selling the artwork through a public sale or auction; or, as a last recourse, destroying the work. All de-accessions or disposals will be fully documented, and the information permanently maintained in the collection records. ## De-accessioning Procedure - Town of Stratford staff will submit a recommendation to de-accession an artwork to the Stratford Arts and Culture Committee for review. - All recommendations to de-accession an artwork must be accompanied by a condition report and proposed method of de-acquisition. - Should the Arts and Culture Committee accept the recommendation of staff, it will forward it to the Town's Heritage Committee for ratification. ## Loans The Town of Stratford will not have a loans program at this time. ## 6. Effective Date The effective date of this policy is August 10, 2011.