Abstract
Museums around the world have been endeavoring to implement contemporary collecting projects. It is crucial for such projects to align with a museum’s collection policy to ensure high-quality collection management and maintain public trust. This study delves into the specific details of museums’ collection policies that govern contemporary collecting. Two museums were selected as examples: The V&A Museum and the National Museum of Taiwan History (NMTH) in Taiwan. The author employed document analysis and conducted in-depth interviews to examine the collection policies of both museums. The research findings revealed both similarities and significant differences in the contemporary collecting policies of the V&A and the NMTH. While both museums placed emphasis on contemporary collecting and had regulated accession processes, with gifts being a major acquisition method and a lack of storage being a common challenge, notable distinctions were observed. Firstly, contemporary collecting has been a central aspect of the V&A’s mission, whereas the NMTH initiated contemporary collecting projects only after recognizing their importance. Secondly, the V&A Museum outlined collections development within its collection development policy, while the NMTH did not. Lastly, the V&A introduced Rapid Response Collecting to enable immediate display, whereas the NMTH does not have a comparable prompt display mechanism. Based on the examination of the V&A and the NMTH, the author proposes that key elements of a collection policy, including the statement of authority, scope of collections, collections development, among others, should be thoroughly reviewed and incorporated into the collection policy when museums embark on contemporary collecting projects.
Presenters
Shang Ching YehProfessor, Graduate Institute of Conservation of Cultural Relics and Museology, Tainan National University of the Arts, Taiwan
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
MUSEUM, CONTEMPORARY COLLECTING, COLLECTION POLICY
