I. Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this policy is to outline the standards for the acquisition, maintenance, and deaccession of artwork from the Northeastern University art collection. This policy applies to all campus locations.

II. Definitions

For the purposes of this policy,

Acquisition means the addition of art to the university collection at one of the campus locations through gift, bequest, transfer, exchange or purchase, and upon the recommendation of the university Art Collection Committee and approval of the Provost.

Art, as governed by this policy, consists of wall art such as paintings, photographs, prints, posters, collages, and other primarily two-dimensional works, objects such as sculptures, statuary, models, or other types of three-dimensional art or collection items, as well as film, video and digital media.  

The Art Collection consists of art that has been acquired for the purpose of research, education, and exhibition. While semi-permanent wall murals and other large-scale (exterior) art fall under this definition, they are excluded from the purview of the Art Collection Committee as described below.

The Art Collection Committee is the authorized university committee that makes recommendations regarding 1) university practices and processes related to art as defined above, 2) requests from artists, studios, donors and others for the return of art, 3) acquisition of art to add to the collection, and 4) deaccession of art currently in the collection. The committee is comprised of the following members: Dean of Libraries (co-chair), Director of the Mills College Art Museum (co-chair), representative from University Advancement, representative from Office of the General Counsel/Risk Services, representative from Planning, Real Estate and Facilities, two faculty members selected by the Provost based on their experience with and knowledge of art and art collection curation, and the Art Collection Manager (ex officio).

The Art Collection Manager is responsible for cataloguing and documenting the university’s art holdings, including maintaining an inventory of art works, developing and maintaining a records system and the documentation related to those works, coordinating with other campus location art collection staff, overseeing recommendations for storage systems, and managing acquisition and deaccession activities.

Deaccession means the removal of art from the university collection at one of the campus locations in order to refine and improve the quality and appropriateness of the collection, and/or to reflect the university’s capacity to properly store and/or care for the work of art. Deaccession occurs upon the recommendation of the university Art Collection Committee and approval of the Provost.

III. Policy

Northeastern University aims to maintain a collection of art for exhibition, teaching, and/or research. The art should be of high aesthetic quality, as determined by the Art Collection Committee, and have relevance to the objectives of the art collection and its contribution to one or more of these purposes (exhibition, teaching and/or research) at the campus location where it is to be situated. While each campus location will determine the appropriate degree to which art can be accommodated and is needed at that location, this policy outlines the collection development goals and general standards for acquisition and deaccession that apply to all campus locations.

Determinations regarding the acquisition and deaccession of works of art from the university’s collection are made by the Provost with input from the Art Collection Committee, which periodically reviews university practices related to works of art and the university art collection and makes recommendations to the Provost about acquisition and deaccession. The Art Collection Committee also establishes procedures under which it will operate and make recommendations on acquisition and deaccession of artworks consistent with this policy.

A.     Collection Development Goals

 The collection goals for all campus locations are:

•  To seek works of art in close alignment with the university mission and the exhibition interests of the campus location.
•  To refine the collection through deaccession according to institutional needs and capabilities regarding storage, exhibition space and alignment with teaching and research interests.

 The Art Collection Committee, in consultation with the campus leadership, will determine the degree to which art can be accommodated and is needed at that campus location and establish additional collection development goals specific to that campus location. Collection development goals for specific campus locations are delineated on the Office the Provost website. Prior to their posting and implementation, all specific campus location collection development goals must be approved by the Art Collection Committee and the Provost or Provost’s authorized designee.

B.      Acquisitions and Maintenance of Current Works of Art

The process by which the Art Collection Committee will make recommendations and the Provost will make decisions regarding acquisitions is outlined in the university’s Procedures and Guidelines for Art Acquisition and Deaccession. The following general principles guide the consideration of potential acquisitions and ongoing inclusion in the current collection:

The university will not knowingly acquire or retain works of art where the original ownership of the work or legality of such ownership is in question, or where the university determines that the circumstances of acquiring ownership may have been or would be contrary to applicable law, ethical standards, or the mission, current goals and practices of Northeastern (Section III.A) or the national museum standards set by the American Alliance of Museums.

1) The university will not knowingly acquire or retain works of art where the original ownership of the work or legality of such ownership is in question, or where the university determines that the circumstances of acquiring ownership may have been or would be contrary to applicable law, ethical standards, or the mission, current goals and practices of Northeastern (Section III.A) or the national museum standards set by the American Alliance of Museums.

2) The university will not knowingly acquire works of art that:
a. have been exported or transferred in a manner inconsistent with applicable laws or treaties; or
b. fall within the scope of any applicable laws restricting transactions involving those works of art.

3) The university will not acquire art if the intended university campus location is unable to provide the work with proper care and storage in accordance with the standards established by the Art Collection Committee.

4) The university will not accept gifts of art that the university determines:
a. are unreasonably encumbered with conditions set by the donor regarding ownership, use, display, or future disposition including temporary loan, and/or
b. do not have sufficient evidence regarding ownership and transfer rights.

C.      Deaccession

The university may deaccession art from the university’s collection when it determines, after diligent consideration, that deaccessioning is related to the university’s mission, purposes, policies, resources, and long-term goals. Deaccessioning will not serve as an effort to meet the exigencies of the moment, e.g., to fulfill unrelated financial needs or obligations.

Upon request of the Art Collection Manager, the Art Collection Committee may recommend deaccessioning to the Provost based on the following criteria, among others:

1) The object is judged to be of poor quality, either intrinsically or in comparison with other objects of the same type.

2) The object is redundant or duplicative of another object in the university’s collection with no special value as such.

3) The object is no longer within the collection development goals of the university or campus location.

4) The university determines that its possession of the object is inconsistent with applicable state, federal, and/or international law, or that a competing ownership claim has merit.

5) The work is recognized as human remains, affiliated funerary objects, sacred objects or objects of cultural patrimony by Native American tribes and subject to repatriation requests. These determinations must be made according to applicable laws, including the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, parallel applicable state laws including but not limited to the California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

6) The work is recognized as an object of cultural patrimony, with ongoing historical, traditional, or cultural importance subject to international repatriation requests.

7) The authenticity, attribution, or genuineness of the object is indeterminant or determined to be false or fraudulent, and the object lacks sufficient aesthetic merit or art historical importance to warrant retention.

In addition to these criteria, special consideration may apply to works by living artists and living faculty members. The Art Collection Committee will consider obtaining outside review and appraisal in the case of objects of substantial value.

Restrictions, limitations, and restraints imposed by the donor will be honored or, if deemed appropriate, renegotiated. The Art Collection Committee will make a recommendation to the Provost regarding the extent to which donor restrictions, limitations, and restraints shall be honored, and as deemed appropriate, the Provost will refer the matter to university advancement to renegotiate such conditions.

The Provost will approve or disapprove deaccessions proposed by the Art Collection Committee. If the Provost approves deaccession, the Art Collection Manager must arrange the disposal of the work in accordance with this Policy and the university’s Procedures and Guidelines for Art Acquisition and Deaccession.

In cases where the original donor agreement stipulates notification of the donor upon deaccession, the donor will be notified.

Deaccessioning must comply with all applicable country, state, province and local laws, university policies, and with any terms and obligations which pertained to the acquisition of the work by the university. No action pertaining to deaccessioning and disposal should be undertaken that would constitute a conflict of interest or create the appearance of a conflict of interest.

If a deaccessioned work of art is sold by the university, proceeds from the sale must be assigned to a budget index directed toward a purchase of art or to a fund dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of the university’s collection, and in accordance with the Policy on Capital Assets.

IV. Additional Information

N/A

V. Contact Information

Office of the Provost:

110 Churchill Hall, Boston campus

(617) 373-2000

office_of_the_provost@northeastern.edu

Responsible Office/Department(s)

Office of the Provost

Related Policies

Policy on Capital Assets

Related Procedures

Procedures and Guidelines for Art Acquisition and Deaccession

Supersedes

N/A

Keywords

Acquisition; Art; Collection; Deaccession

Version History

Last Revision Date: N/A

Issued: February 24, 2025