Reynolds Foundation Art Collection Management

Purpose:

To document the basic policy that guides the care of the J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Educational Foundation (Reynolds Foundation) Art Collection. Through this policy, the college ensures that:

• the collections are accounted for and documented;
• the collections are protected, secure, cared for, and preserved;
• acquisition and deaccessioning of works in the collections are conducted in a manner that conforms to the college and the Reynolds Foundation mission, complies with applicable law, and reflects the highest ethical standards;
• disposal of works from the collection through sale, exchange, or other means is solely for the advancement of the college’s and the Reynolds Foundation’s mission(s); and proceeds from the sale of such works are used to strengthen student success;
• access to the collection and access to collection information is permitted and appropriately regulated; and
• collection-related activities promote the public good rather than individual financial gain.

The procedures for implementation of this policy are provided below.

Procedure and/or Process Definitions:

Deaccession: when a work is removed from the collection and considered for sale, exchange, or disposal.

Procedures:

1. Acquisitions

   1. General principles

      Works of art for acquisition must enhance the collection's stated mission. All works should be in, or capable of being returned to, an acceptable state of preservation, unless the deteriorated physical condition is integral to the meaning of the work. The college must be able to house and care for the proposed acquisition.

      Reynolds and the Foundation are committed to the principle that all collecting be done according to the highest standards of ethical and professional practice.

      While Reynolds shall assure practical care and attention for its artworks, Reynolds is not an accredited museum and thus shall not accept seminal artworks that are most highly desired by museums.

   2. Procedures for accepting gifts or bequests

      For all gifts and bequests, the person recommending acceptance shall write a brief description of the work, its condition, the importance to the collection, justification for acceptance, and its provenance. The vice president of finance and administration and vice president of institutional advancement shall review all proposed gifts or bequests and recommend to the Reynolds Foundation whether to accept or decline the gift.

      The college requires donors to transfer all rights of reproduction to the Reynolds Foundation, unless the donor does not own such rights or the gift is made by a living artist of the artist's own work. In such cases, the college shall recommend the Reynolds Foundation seek a nonexclusive right of reproduction from the copyright owner.

   3. Accompanying the acquisition of an artwork, the college and the Reynolds Foundation shall require that the donor provide a written statement assuring the donor's full ownership of the artwork and the transferal of that ownership to the Reynolds Foundation.

   4. Legal considerations

      Acquisitions must comply with all applicable local, state, and federal U.S. laws.

2. Staff policies related to acquisitions

   1. Appraisals

      It is the responsibility of the art donors to determine tax-relevant monetary values of donated artworks. The college and the Reynolds Foundation are legally prohibited from providing assistance in determining values.

   2. Dealing in art by staff

      An employee may not use his or her influence with the Reynolds Foundation Art Collection in the art market.

3. Deaccessioning

   1. General principles

      Any deaccession of a work should be solely for the advancement of the Reynolds Foundation Art Collection's mission. The criteria for determining whether an object should be deaccessioned include, but are not limited to, the following:

      1. The object is not relevant to the mission or has little value to the Reynolds Foundation Art Collection.
      2. The object is redundant or is a duplicate and is not necessary.
      3. The object is of lesser quality than other objects of the same type in the collection.
      4. The object lacks sufficient aesthetic merit or art historical importance to warrant retention.
      5. The Reynolds Foundation is ordered to return an object to its original and rightful owner by a court of law; the college or Reynolds Foundation determines that another entity is the rightful owner of the object; or the college or Reynolds Foundation determines that the return of the object is in the best interest of the college or Reynolds Foundation.
      6. The college is unable to preserve the object in a responsible manner.
      7. The object is unduly difficult or impossible to care for or store properly.
      8. The object can no longer be appropriately displayed due to renovation, repurposing, or changes to college facilities.

      The Reynolds Foundation may deaccess, but generally does not dispose of works determined to be forgeries. These works may be retained for study or other appropriate purposes. Works incorrectly attributed or dated may be deaccessioned, provided that the new information or attribution is provided.

      No officer, employee, volunteer or their family members may purchase deaccessioned works of art directly from the college or at auction if consigned by the college.

      All funds received from deaccessioned works shall be used to support student success.

   2. Guidelines for deaccessioning gifts

      The Reynolds Foundation shall honor all legal restrictions attached to the gift or bequest of any work of art. In addition, donor requests that do not impose any legal obligation accompanying the bequest or gift of any work of art shall be respected to the extent feasible, unless modified by the donor, or if the donor is not living, the donor's heirs or legal representatives.

      The vice president of institutional advancement is responsible for recommending deaccession of an artwork to the college president. Before proceeding to recommend that a donated work be deaccessioned, the vice president of institutional advancement shall consult with the vice president of finance and administration who shall review the records of the gift to confirm that deaccession is allowed. The Reynolds Foundation will communicate any artwork deaccession to the office of the vice president of finance and administration for a records and inventories update.

4. Care of the collections

   The college shall provide a safe and practical environment for the collection's artworks.

5. Records and inventories

   The college shall maintain accurate, up-to-date records on the specific location and condition of all objects in the collection. The college shall make an inventory of the collection at least once during every calendar year and provide it to the Reynolds Foundation for audit processes.

Other Information:

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