Art Collection Procedures
– May 29, 2025
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ART COLLECTION PROCEDURE
Procedure
Type:
Management
Initially
Approved:
October 26,
2015
Procedure
Sponsor:
Vice-President,
Finance and
Administration
Last Revised:
May 29,
2025
Primary
Contact:
Vice-President,
Finance and
Administration
Review
Scheduled:
May 29,
2030
Approver:
Executive Leadership Team
A.
PROCEDURES
1.
ART COMMITTEE
1.1
The Art Committee will have and adhere to a Terms of Reference, approved by the
Vice President, Finance and Administration or designate and reviewed at least every
five (5) years.
1.2
The Vice President, Finance and Administration or designate will consider
recommendations of the Art Committee but retains final authority to proceed, or not
to proceed, with Acquisitions for Accession, Borrowing, Loans, Restoration and/or
Conservation treatment, and Deaccession of Artwork.
2.
ART COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES
2.1
The Art Committee will audit the Art Collection inventory annually for condition and
location and to ensure inventory is up-to-date in consultation with the University
Library.
2.2
The Art Committee will communicate inventory changes to the University’s
appropriate insurance group/individual so that adequate insurance is assured.
2.3
The Chair of the Art Committee will annually prepare a brief report to the Vice
President Finance and Administration outlining the activities of the Art Committee.
3.
SCOPE / USE OF ART COLLECTION
3.1
Artwork may be used for exhibition, programs, interpretation, research, community
engagement, publication, education, and reproduction purposes; and are retained
for their cultural value to serve the needs and purposes to be identified by future
generations.
3.2
Artwork should be displayed in appropriate locations across the University. The
selection and placement will be decided upon by the Art Committee in alignment with
University values and initiatives. All installations and exhibitions will be documented
and kept on file by the University Library.
3.3
The Art Committee will ensure Artwork exhibited at the University is integrated into
the environment with care and consideration, and will work directly with Facilities
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Management to ensure physical display requirements adhere to a reasonable
Standard of Care.
3.4
Temporary exhibitions may be organized periodically to showcase diverse artistic
expressions and/or to support the University’s mission. The Art Committee will be
responsible for curating these exhibitions, considering proposals from employees,
students, subject matter experts, and visiting artists.
4.
ACQUISITION
4.1
SAcquisitions may be proposed by any member of the University community and will
be forwarded to the Art Committee through the Chair for discussion and
recommendation.
4.2
The Art Committee will consider the following criteria for making recommendations
on the acquisition of any Artwork:
a. artistic merit;
b. relevance to the Art Collection, present and future;
c. relevance to or connection with the University;
d.
the University’s available resources for storage, preservation, security and
display;
e. condition;
f.
unencumbered and clear legal title;
g. copyright considerations;
h. donor requirements; and/or
i.
any other factors that the Art Committee considers relevant.
4.3
For greater clarity, the Art Committee does not recommend acquiring Artwork:
a. that has been illegally and/or unethically obtained;
b. for which ownership is contested; and
c. that cannot be preserved and/or made accessible in a reasonable period of time.
5.
DONATIONS
5.1
Artwork donations will be accepted in compliance with University policies including
the Fundraising and Gift Acceptance Policy.
5.2
All donated Artwork will be accepted only upon completion of the University’s Gift
Agreement.
5.3
The Office of Community Engagement is solely responsible for documenting Gift
Agreements, issuing tax receipts, and keeping all donation records on file as per
University policy.
5.4
Gifts-in-kind of Artwork that are unencumbered are accepted when an Acquisition
Agreement is signed by the donor, the Chair of the Art Committee, the Associate
Vice President of Development, and the Vice President Finance and Administration
or designate.
6.
PURCHASE AND TRANSFERS
6.1
Purchase of Artwork for acquisition may be funded through University budgets,
grants, donations, or other sources as approved through the budget process and
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must comply with relevant University policies including the University’s Contractual
Signing Authority Policy.
6.2
A receipt of payment must be collected and housed with MRU’s Financial Services
Department attached to the asset being acquired. When the receipt of payment and
the Artwork are received, transfer of ownership of the Artwork to the University will
be noted on the Acquisition Agreement.
6.3
In cases where an Indigenous Artwork is purchased from someone other than the
original artist, the Art Committee may additionally recommend that a gift or monetary
honorarium be offered in reciprocity to the art
ist or to the artist’s community.
6.4
Transfer of ownership to the University has occurred when the Artwork is fully
transferred or received by the University in accordance with a signed transfer
document or other templated written record signed by all parties.
7.
LOANS AND BORROWING
7.1
The University may Loan Artwork when it can help advance the University’s mission
and the Loan has a clear purpose related to exhibition, programming, interpretive,
community engagement, or research goals.
7.2
Outgoing Loans of Artwork from the Art Collection are arranged through the Library.
7.3
A Loan Agreement must be completed that documents all Artwork going out on Loan,
accompanied by an outgoing Condition Report and a photograph of each Artwork.
The Loan Agreement will be executed by the Vice President Finance and
Administration or designate, the Chair of the Art Committee, and an authorized
representative of the borrower.
7.4
Long-term Loans to the University are normally not permitted excepting Indigenous
belongings where transfers of ownership are not necessarily appropriate.
7.5
At a minimum, the University will provide the same Standard of Care for Borrowed
Artworks as it does for those in its collection. The University will adhere to any care
requirements of any Loan Agreement for any Borrowed Artwork.
7.6
The University will not perform Conservation or Restoration treatments, or make any
other modification to any incoming Borrowed Artwork.
7.7
Borrowed Artwork will not be lent to a third party.
7.8
For Borrowed Artwork, it is the responsibility of the University to facilitate the return
of the Artwork on or before the Loan Agreement end date.
7.9
Borrowed Artwork may be returned before the end of the agreed upon period upon
request of the lender, only when a written application outlining the relevant reasons
for removing the objects is presented and agreed to by the University.
7.10
The University will record the condition of any Loaned or Borrowed Artwork using a
Condition Report when it first arrives and when it leaves the University
8.
APPRAISALS AND TAX RECEIPTS
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8.1
The Office of Community Engagement is responsible for all donor relations including
Gift Agreements and appraisals as required for tax receipts for the fair market value
of the Artwork in accordance with University policy.
8.2
Appraisals, where required, are the responsibility of the donor and must be
completed by an approved third-party appraiser as approved by the Office of
Community Engagement.
8.3
Tax receipts are only issued at the donor’s request and only when the fair market
value of the donation is $100 or more
9.
DEACCESSION
9.1
An Artwork may be considered for Deaccession if it is:
a. no longer deemed relevant to the Art Collection;
b. a health or safety risk to students, staff or other collections;
c. in such poor condition from deterioration or damage that its physical integrity is
at risk and cannot be properly stored, used or preserved;
d. an unnecessary duplication within the Art Collection and/or are of lesser quality
than similar objects in the Art Collection;
e. lacking provenance and its inherent value alone does not serve the University;
f.
subject to a request for repatriation, given another organization or body has a
proven right to the Artwork;
g.
beyond the University’s ability to care for adequately;
h. accidentally destroyed or permanently lost; or
i.
if there are legal or ethical reasons for removal (e.g. proven to be a forgery).
9.2
Prior to Deaccession, the Art Committee will determine the University’s legal
obligations, research the Artwork, determine its fair market value via qualified third-
party appraisal, and document the process of deaccessioning.
9.3
When an Artwork has been moved or disposed of, the Art Committee will forward the
relevant documents to University’s Financial Services Department to ensure that the
disposal is recorded in the financial records of the University.
9.4
Documentation of the reason for deaccessioning and method of Disposal will be
recorded on the Disposal Form and signed off by the Vice President, Finance and
Administration or designate.
10.
CARE OF COLLECTIONS
10.1
The University is committed to meeting the Standard of Care for the Art Collection to
the best of its ability within the limitations of its facilities and finances.
10.2
The University Library is responsible for cataloguing Artwork, storing Artwork not on
display, and maintaining and updating collections records, descriptions of Artwork,
appraisal reports, loan agreements, and other records relating to collection
management.
10.3
All records related to the Art Collection, including Accessions, Acquisitions, Loans,
Deaccessions and subsequent disposal methods, will be kept in accordance with the
University’s Records Retention and Disposal Schedule.
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10.4
If an Artwork requires Restoration or Conservation treatment, the Art Committee will
consult with Conservation experts to generate a treatment plan. Proposed treatment
plans will be provided to the Vice President Finance and Administration, or
designate, for approval.
10.5
The preservation and safety of an Artwork will take priority over access.
10.6
Exhibition design and planning, and program development, will include consultation
with the University Library to ensure preventive Conservation Standards of Care are
considered in exhibition and programming activities
B.
DEFINITIONS
(1)
Accession:
means the process of legal acquisition of an Artwork into the
University’s Art Collection
(2)
Acquisition:
means acquiring Artwork through purchase, donation, and
gifts-in-kind
(3)
Art Collection:
means all of the Artwork that the University owns or that is in
the University’s care and control. It excludes work that is: (a)
privately owned and not on loan, (b) developed for the express
purpose of marketing and/or communications, (c) managed
through the University archives
(4)
Artwork:
means all forms of original art, including but not limited to
paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture,
installations, digital and electronic works, murals and artefacts.
Artwork may also be part of the fabric of buildings, such as
windows, or may be displayed outdoors. Artwork may be a
single item or an integral unit made up of components
(5)
Borrowed Artwork:
means Artwork loaned to the University for a defined term and
purpose
(6)
Conservation:
means the stabilization and preservation of an artifact using
preventative measures to inhibit on-going or future
deterioration of the artifact or its components
(7)
Deaccession:
means the process of legal removal of an Artwork from the
University’s Art Collection
(8)
Loan:
means Artwork that is owned by the University and is lent to
another institution for a defined term and purpose, following
which the Artwork is returned to the University
(9)
Policy:
means the Art Policy
(10)
Procedures:
means the procedures related to the Art Policy
(11)
Restoration:
means an attempt to return an artifact back to its original
condition
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(12)
Standard of Care:
means the degree of care and maintenance applied to Artwork
to be generally expected of an institution which is not a
professional museum or gallery and whose primary purpose is
not the collection or display of art. For further clarity, it means
the degree of care, maintenance, and security that is
equivalent to the care, maintenance, and security that is
provided by the University generally for its facilities
(13)
University:
means Mount Royal University
C.
RELATED POLICIES
• Fundraising and Gift Acceptance Policy
• Contractual Signing Authority Policy
D.
RELATED LEGISLATION
E.
RELATED DOCUMENTS
• Acquisition Agreement
• Gift Agreement
• Loan Agreement
• Condition Report
• Disposal Form
• University’s Records Retention and Disposal Schedule
• Art Committee Terms of Reference
F.
REVISION HISTORY
Date
(mm/dd/yyyy)
Description of
Change
Sections
Person who
Entered Revision
(Position Title)
Person who
Authorized
Revision
(Position Title)
11/26/2015
NEW
Director, University
Secretariat
10/06/2023
PEC to ELT
All
Policy Advisor
General Counsel
and University
Secretary
05/29/2025
Major revisions
All
Director, Business
and Retail Services
Deans Council