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

PROCEDURES

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 artist 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.

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

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

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

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

RELATED POLICIES

•

Fundraising and Gift Acceptance Policy

•

Contractual Signing Authority Policy

RELATED LEGISLATION

RELATED DOCUMENTS

•

Acquisition Agreement

•

Gift Agreement

•

Loan Agreement

•

Condition Report

•

Disposal Form

•

University’s Records Retention and Disposal Schedule

•

Art Committee Terms of Reference

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