Is it Okay for a Museum to Sell Gifts of Art? - Page 5

shoekitty · ‎03-10-2010

I would like to add that people do leave conditional or unconditional gifts. Usually when they donate something to a museum they sign an agreement that the museum has a right to dispose of it in a way that is in line with the museums philosophy. Not many museums take conditional gifts anymore, because of the law. Most museums that cannot support themselves (because the budgets of most cities do not pay costs anymore) offer the donor, or their family the item back.

Museums cannot give a value receipt with donation, but the doner can claim the value on their taxes. Once they have claimed the donation, it really does belong to museum. Imo. We had to locate family of many, many items 1989 At that time it became law that donors could not just loan museums artifacts, art, etc indefinitely. They either had to donate the item, or take it back. Most all, but a couple families opted to just donate. The reason behind this especially, with public museums, is that the museum was liable for someone elses item.

Non public museums have the same rules usually, but there are clauses for loans. Like for an exhibit. They also buy exhibits. God knows most public museums cant do that.

most people donate for tax deduction. With art work, it often is to share and support the museum of their choice. When asked, they usually support the sale of their donation to be used for the museum....except for salaries, if they are paid

If a museum cannot find family, and cannot dispose of item, the State keeps it!!! You should see the downstaiirs storage in the State of California! Those items never see the light of day

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

@Noel7 wrote:
@Sooner wrote:
@Noel7 wrote:
@Moonchilde

I've been a PBS fan and member for decades. PBS has been putting on LGBTQ films and documentaries for uncountable years, with thehttps://community.qvc.com/t5/forums/replypage/board-id/35/message-id/1126523# support of their members.

I don't believe for one minute members have turned from supporting LGBTQ films and rights to not supporting them.

Is there a wild chance the other side is doing it? Oh, I think so.

@Noel7 So there are PBS supporters and there is "the other side?" Therein lies the problem. You are lumping people into broad categories without a reason to do so. You ASSUME what people believe because they either support or don't support PBS, or are or are not members.

Pretty big assumptions about folks isn't it?

@Sooner

Did you miss the point? Those who don't support LGBTQ are SAYING THEY DON'T. We don't have to assume anything 🙄

You entirely missed my point. People have a right to an opinion or belief as long as they do no harm to others. It is how this country moves forward. We don't have the thought police. We have laws people must abide by, but we don't have thought police. That was my point. And you can't assume things about people because they do or do not support a single issue. Period.

Noel7 · ‎03-09-2010

@Sooner

I didn't assume anything. It was said a group of people were making ugly comments about gays. To say they were the "other side" of those who accepted gay people is not even an insult.

You have something personal going and it has nothing to do with me. I don't think you even understood what was being said.

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

@Noel7 wrote:
@Sooner

I didn't assume anything. It was said a group of people were making ugly comments about gays. To say they were the "other side" of those who accepted gay people is not even an insult.

You have something personal going and it has nothing to do with me. I don't think you even understood what was being said.

I think people can think a lot of things. They can believe that one shouldn't consume alcohol; shouldn't show your hair in public; that is wrong to curse; that divorce is adultry; that they don't like PBS; that a museum should never part with anything given to them; or thousands of other things.

It's what people believe. And everyone should have the right to their beliefs within reasonable behavior without being bullied and belittled for them. That all along has been my point.

I have nothing personal going. As a matter of fact all of this is very impersonal to me and that's what I don't understand. Why can't people just let people think what they think and not make assumptions about their entire person from a belief or two. I DON'T. Some do. What is so difficult about that to get? That's all I have to say about it.

shoekitty · ‎03-10-2010

Sell the art, or give up the future of having a museum. Plain and simple. Museums are soon going to be a thing of the past. After the 2008 bust, most museums went under the chopping block. Most museums educate the young, especially school children. I had children come through my museum that had never been in one, and might never be able to go again. They remebered being there and some of the artifacts years later when I would run into them in town. When the cities cut back, the first thing that went was the staffing of museum and many other programs that hurt the public at large. No body seems to ever care about these things until they are gone or about to be axed.

if selling valuable art enables the museum to serve the public for many more years, so be it.