Art Collection Procedures

Vancouver Community College Art Review Panel (VCCARP) Purpose and Membership

1. The Art Review Panel is an ad hoc Committee of VCC. Its mandate is to support and make recommendations about the acquisition, management, and de-accession of artwork by the College (Please refer to the Terms of Reference).  


2. The Vice President, Students & Community Development will establish a Vancouver Community College Art Review Panel (VCCARP) with the following composition:
   
   
   
   1. Vice President, Students & Community Development (Chair) or designate
   
   
   2. Executive Director, Vancouver Community College Foundation or designate
   
   
   3. Executive Director of Safety, Security, Risk and Privacy (SSRP) or designate
   
   
   4. Director of Facilities Management
   
   
   5. One representative from the Indigenous Education & Community Engagement (IECE) Department
   
   
   6. One representative from the VCC Library
   
   
   7. One representative appointed by the Students' Union of VCC
   
   
   8. At least one external volunteer art professional.
   
   
   
   

Acquisition

3. The VCC Foundation will lead the acquisition process for all donations of art. In this process, they will follow their Gift Acceptance Policies and will work with the VCCARP and Senior team to vet all donations of art prior to their acceptance. 


4. Procurement Services, in consultation with the Vice President, Students & Community Development, will lead the acquisition process for all purchases of art, when financial resources are available.


5. Procurement Services, in consultation with the Vice President, Students & Community Development and the VCCARP will develop and maintain criteria for the acquisition of art being considered for purchase by the College. Purchase will be approved by the Senior Team.


6. Criteria for the acquisition of art will be available to review.


7. Donations of artwork for the Permanent Collection will be recommended by the VCCARP and approved by the Senior Team.


8. The Vice President, Students & Community Development or designate will coordinate the logistics of approved donations and purchases of artwork.


9. During the acquisition process, a history and story of the art piece or collection will be documented and may be displayed with the art piece or collection. 


10. At the time of acquisition of the artwork, the copyright holder will be asked to grant the College the right to create, reproduce and publish images of the artwork for pedagogical, promotional and filming purposes. This may be considered in the acquisition process.

Acquisitions of Indigenous Art and Cultural Materials 

11. If ownership of the piece/collection is unknown or not clearly defined, VCC may consult with a material's source community, and/or the host Nations on which VCC campuses are situated, the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), or their designated cultural authorities, prior to accepting any Indigenous cultural material into our collection. We will not accept any items into our collection without the consent from the documented owners.


12. It is deemed unethical to accept items known or suspected to have been taken under duress or coercion, sacred and sensitive materials, or any items deemed to be of such importance to a source community today as to be required by the community for the maintenance of cultural health. 


13. VCC commits to contributing to the decolonization of collection installation, display, access, and stewardship. If, after consultation with and consent from the source community and host Nations a piece of Indigenous art or Indigenous cultural material is accepted into VCC's collection, we will incorporate protocols and ceremonies as defined by the source community relating to a cultural material.  


14. These concepts should be applied as part of the acquisition process for any culturally significant art or cultural materials, consulting with appropriate communities when appropriate.

Accession & Inventory

15. Accession and Inventory will be under the oversight and direction of the Vice President, Students & Community Development or designate.


16. The VCC Library Archives and Records Management Coordinator, in coordination with VCC Facilities Management and the SSRP department, will maintain an inventory of all artwork in the Permanent Collection, including its current location and a history of its movement within the College and outside the College over time.


17. Accession information will be supplemented as needed during periodic inventorying to ensure that all artwork is accurately, consistently and completely described.


18. Library employees will complete an accession record for each acquired work of art for the Permanent Collection. Each accession record will include:
    
    
    
    1. Accession number;
    
    
    2. Name and address of source of acquisition;
    
    
    3. Nature of acquisition, i.e. donation, bequest;
    
    
    4. Provenance;
    
    
    5. Place/culture of origin;
    
    
    6. Artist, title, medium, dimensions;
    
    
    7. Condition and description;
    
    
    8. Photograph;
    
    
    9. Appraisal report, value, confirmation of insurance (if applicable);
    
    
    10. Name and contact information for the artist or artist's estate
    
    
    11. Artist biography / statement / CV;
    
    
    12. Any limiting conditions agreed to at the time of accession and the reasons for these conditions (such as promotional or filming rights);
    
    
    13. Instructions on where/how the artwork is to be displayed/stored;
    
    
    14. Current location (on display or in storage);
    
    
    15. Insurance; and
    
    
    16. Where appropriate, the College will insure the artwork according to the most recent appraisal.
    
    
    
    

Display

19. The College will aim to display the Permanent Collection throughout the campus to facilitate exposure to the art by members of the College community and the public.


20. The Director of Facilities or designate will have overall responsibility for installing, uninstalling and/or possible rotation of the artwork upon the direction of the Vice President, Students & Community Development and in consultation with the artist and/or internal or external art professionals as warranted.

Storage and Condition Reporting

21. The Director of Facilities or designate, will ensure that the collection is maintained according to accepted standards that promote the long-term preservation of the artwork. 


22. Items in the collection will be stored in College facilities to the highest degree of care permitted by available resources. Every effort will be made to physically protect artwork from fire, flood, other damage or theft while in storage, when on display, or when being handled or transported.


23. Periodic (at least annually) condition reporting of artwork in the collection will be undertaken by the Director of Facilities or designate to determine their general repair and note any physical damage or other impairment. Reviewers will document their findings and, if applicable, act upon them as soon as possible. Condition review documents will be filed in the art collection inventory.


24. As needed, the Director of Facilities or designate will arrange conservation activities undertaken by qualified conservators according to currently held professional standards.


25. The Executive Director of SSRP or designate will be provided all necessary information for insurance purposes. 

Reappraisal

26. The Vice President, Students & Community Development will ensure that periodic reappraisals of artwork in the Permanent Collection are undertaken to determine current market value.

Loaning of Artwork

27. The College will, wherever prudent, make artwork available for external exhibition purposes under a standard lending agreement that defines terms related to insurance, transportation and damage/theft.

De-accession and Disposal

28. The Vice President, Students & Community Development or designate will seek the recommendation of the VCCARP on the de-accession of artwork.


29. The following criteria and conditions will be used to determine the de- accession of artwork:
    
    
    
    1. duplicates a better example and/or is redundant;
    
    
    2. has deteriorated beyond reasonable repair;
    
    
    3. cannot be properly preserved, stored or exhibited; or
    
    
    4. is no longer relevant and useful to the purposes and activities of the College.
    
    
    
    


30. De-accession shall not be based on current trend or taste.


31. Sales negotiations and terms of a sale will be managed through the College's procurement process.


32. Disposal of artwork will be done by Procurement Services in consultation with the Vice President, Students & Community Development and the VCCARP.


33. Disposal of artwork will adhere to BC's Heritage Conservation Act and comply with any legal and time restrictions.


34. Procurement Services in consultation with the Director of Facilities will ensure that de-accessioned artwork is disposed of by transfer, exchange, sale, return, or deliberate destruction. Artwork shall not be destroyed unless an exceptional condition or reason for disposal is found to exist. The artist will be notified prior to disposal, whenever possible, and given the opportunity to purchase the work.


35. The Director of Facilities will ensure that artwork de-accessioned because of damage or deterioration beyond repair or use, as assessed by conservators and recommended by the VCCARP, will be destroyed before witnesses and permanently disposed of in a manner that prevents retrieval and restoration. Artworks to be deaccessioned will first be offered to the artist or estate, when possible.


36. At the time of de-accession, the Library Archives and Records Management Coordinator will record the following information:
    
    
    
    1. Rationale for de-accession (aligned with criteria outlined in Procedure #29);
    
    
    2. Date of de-accession;
    
    
    3. Name and address of new owner (if applicable);
    
    
    4. Sale price or exchange value (if applicable);
    
    
    5. Proposed method of de-accession (if applicable);
    
    
    6. Photograph of artwork.
    
    
    
    


37. Any funds received from the disposal of any de-accessioned artwork will be retained by the College.