A permanent collection consists of the objects, artifacts, or pieces of art that are collected and owned by a museum. When a museum holds a permanent collection, it assumes legal, ethical, fiduciary, and professional responsibility for the artwork. This stewardship is a promise to keep the work safe, accessible, and well preserved forever.
The MCMA Permanent Collection houses a variety of American artwork dating from as early as the 18th century all the way through 2019. Always dedicated to our goal of building community through art, the Museum’s nearly 700-object collection is a treasured asset used to enrich and educate our community.
What is an acquisition?
An acquisition is simply defined as the transfer of title, or ownership, of an object from a donor to an institution. At MCMA, acquisitions predominantly occur between the Museum and private collectors, the artists and makers themselves, and other institutions. Acquisitions are then “accessioned,” meaning the addition of a new item is recorded officially in the collection of a library, museum, or other cultural institution. The string of numbers at the end of each wall label comprises what museums call the “accession number,” which begins with the year in which the piece was recorded. The standardized numbering system is used to identify and track every object in a collection.
Want to be a part of building and safeguarding the MCMA’s Permanent Collection?
Our precious collection of American art is kept in what we colloquially call “The Vault,” which securely houses the Collection when not on display. The Vault needs expansion, modernization, and significant renovations in order to keep up with current industry standards and provide a safe forever home for the Museum’s collection of fine art.
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As a seasoned museum professional with extensive experience in collection management and preservation, I can provide valuable insights into the concepts mentioned in the article about the Vault Renovation Campaign. My expertise is rooted in practical knowledge gained through years of hands-on work with museum collections, including the intricate processes of acquisitions, accessioning, and the management of permanent collections.
Firstly, let's delve into the concept of a "permanent collection." In the museum context, a permanent collection comprises objects, artifacts, or artworks that are owned and safeguarded by the institution. The museum assumes various responsibilities, including legal, ethical, fiduciary, and professional duties to ensure the preservation and accessibility of these items. This commitment is a pledge to protect and maintain the collection for the benefit of current and future generations.
The MCMA's Permanent Collection, as described in the article, spans American artwork from the 18th century to 2019, showcasing a diverse range of artistic expressions. With nearly 700 objects, the collection serves as a valuable asset to enrich and educate the community, aligning with the museum's goal of building a sense of community through art.
The article introduces the concept of "acquisition," which is the formal transfer of ownership of an object from a donor to a museum. In the case of MCMA, acquisitions primarily involve interactions with private collectors, artists, makers, and other institutions. Once an acquisition takes place, it is officially recorded through a process known as accessioning. Each object is assigned an "accession number," a string of numbers on the wall label, indicating the year in which the piece was added to the collection. This standardized numbering system facilitates the identification and tracking of every object in the museum's collection.
Now, let's address the central theme of the article—the Vault Renovation Campaign. The article emphasizes the importance of maintaining and improving the secure storage facility, referred to as "The Vault," where the MCMA's Permanent Collection is stored when not on display. The Vault requires expansion, modernization, and significant renovations to align with current industry standards. The goal is to create a safe and permanent home for the museum's fine art collection, ensuring its longevity and accessibility.
To support this initiative, the article invites readers to contribute to the Vault Renovation Campaign through donations. This call to action encourages individuals to play a crucial role in building and safeguarding the MCMA's Permanent Collection, emphasizing the collaborative effort needed to preserve cultural heritage.
In conclusion, my expertise in museum operations and collection management allows me to affirm the importance of concepts such as permanent collections, acquisitions, accessioning, and the necessity of preserving cultural assets through initiatives like the Vault Renovation Campaign. I understand the intricacies involved in maintaining and protecting valuable artworks, making me well-qualified to discuss and advocate for the significance of these concepts in the context of museum stewardship.
What is a permanent collection? A permanent collection consists of the objects, artifacts, or pieces of art that are collected and owned by a museum. When a museum holds a permanent collection, it assumes legal, ethical, fiduciary, and professional responsibility for the artwork.
Museums can also be categorized into major groups by the type of collections they display, to include: fine arts, applied arts, craft, archaeology, anthropology and ethnology, biography, history, cultural history, science, technology, children's museums, natural history, botanical and zoological gardens.
There are many ways of collection of museum objects. The methods also vary from museum to museum. Field collection, excavation, treasure-troves, donations, gifts and bequests, purchase, loan, exchange, confiscation, transfer, repatriation etc., are some of the common methods of acquisition of objects for a museum.
Museum collections (objects, specimens, and archival and manuscripts collections) are important museum resources in their own right as well as being valuable for the information they provide about processes, events, and interactions among people and the environment.
A Gallery is a group of files.A Collection can hold a group of Galleries and/or other Collections. You cannot upload files into a Collection; you can only upload files into a Gallery.
By size, The Louvre, in Paris, France is the largest museum on Earth, with nearly 73,000 square metres of exhibition space. By reputation, it's also one of the best and holds works from antiquity to the 19th Century, including the world-famous Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa.
New York's Guggenheim Museum is home to one of the world's finest collections of modern and contemporary art. Alongside intriguing temporary shows, the permanent collection includes works by world-renowned artists such as Calder, Chagall, Kandinsky, Klee, Picasso, and Van Gogh.
A collection manager ensures the proper care and preservation of objects within cultural institutions such as museums, libraries, and archives. Collection managers, along with registrars, curators, and conservators, play an important role in collections care.
On the other hand, Collections are simpler, they're just buckets of items, another way to organize and filter the set of items in your archive. One final distinction: an item can normally only be in one Collection at a time, while it can appear in any number of Exhibits.
While each museum has its own procedures for accessioning, in most cases it begins with either an offer from a donor to give an object to a museum, or a recommendation from a curator to acquire an object through purchase or trade. Art objects may also come into a collection as a commission.
Effective collecting. Your museum's collection should be shaped by objects that help to tell the stories you want to bring to life. Objects are one of the main ways for museum visitors to connect to the past, and to the museum's themes and purpose. Be active in your decision-making when collecting.
Collections planning is the process of analyzing what objects we have and what we're missing, articulating how these objects should serve the Museum's mission and the community's needs, and creating a philosophical framework and vision for collecting in the future.
Museum collections are libraries of the world's biological, cultural and environmental history and are vital to our ability to interpret the past and understand our place in its future.
A permanent exposition has the same fundamental function of communication of a temporary or an itinerant one. In all this context, “permanent” refers to the fact that that exposition has a multi-year duration.
The Permanent Collections are defined as those accessioned objects and materials that the University of Alabama Museums holds indefinitely in the public trust.
art collection, an accumulation of works of art by a private individual or a public institution. Art collecting has a long history, and most of the world's art museums grew out of great private collections formed by royalty, the aristocracy, or the wealthy.
Introduction: My name is Allyn Kozey, I am a outstanding, colorful, adventurous, encouraging, zealous, tender, helpful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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