Table of Contents

Introduction: Can We Save the Art and the Museum? – Julia Courtney

Part 1: The Context of the Debate
Chapter 1: Two Cheers for Deaccessioning - Bernard Fishman
Chapter 2: Museums Can Change—Will they? Michael O’Hare

Part 2: The Mechanics of Disposal
Chapter 3: Keeping Objects in the Public Domain: Legal and Practical Issues –Stephanie Jandl/Mark Gold)
Chapter 4: When Out of the Book Won’t Do: Next Steps in Resolving Deaccession Conundrums –Darlene A. Bialowski
Chapter 5: Are You Sure that was a Copy? Deaccessioning Mistakes—Chris Robinson

Part 3: The Use of Proceeds: Ethics and the Role of Professional Associations
Chapter 6: Use of Funds from the Sale of Deaccessioned Objects: It’s a Matter of Ethics -Sally Yerkovich

Chapter 7: Making the Case: FASB's Accounting Standards Should be Re-aligned with AAM's Long-Standing Guidance on the Use of Sale Proceeds - Lori Breslauer and Sara Eber
Chapter 8: Monetizing the Collection: The Intersection of Law, Ethic, and Trustee Prerogative - Mark Gold
Chapter 9: Flying Under the Radar: What Does Direct Care of the Collection Really Mean? -Ashley Downing

Part 4: Case Studies
Chapter 10: Building a Legacy for the Liberal Arts: Deaccesioning the Newell Bequest, Wheaton College – Leah Niedertadt
Chapter 11: Digital Deaccessioning: An Exploration of the Life Cycle of Digital Works in Museum Collections – Katherine E. Lewis
Chapter 12: Higgins Armory Museum and the Worcester Art Museum:
A Case Study in Combining and Transforming Mature Cultural Institutions - James C. Donnelly, Jr. and Catherine M. Colinvaux
Chapter 13: Taking the Barbershop out of the Berkshires: How the Berkshire Museum Case May Set New Precedent- Julia Courtney

About the Author

Julia Courtney holds masters degrees in art history and museum studies (Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts) and art and museum education (Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts). She recently published The Legal Guide for Museum Professionals (Rowman & Littielfield, April 2015). She has been in the museum field for over 23 years, and Curator of Art emeritus for the Springfield Art Museums in Springfield, Massachusetts. She is an independent curator, freelance writer, artist and adjunct faculty member for the Graduate Museum Studies Program at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts and the Graduate Gallery Management and Exhibits Program at Western Colorado State University in Gunnison, Colorado.

Reviews

While deaccessioning is an acceptable collection management option for most museums, it also has the potential to cause enormous public controversy. "Is it Okay to Sell the Monet?" brings together thoughtful essays presenting various perspectives on the practice. It is a valued, reasoned, and welcome addition to discussion of this often highly volatile topic.
*Steven Miller, Adjunct Professor, ret., Seton Hall University MA Program in Museum Professions, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ. Author of Deaccessioning Today: Theory and Practice*

This timely collection of essays should be mandatory reading for all museum professionals. It offers fresh perspectives on the legal, ethical, historical and political complexities of deaccessioning in the 21st-century museum world where no single approach works for all.
*Cynthia Robinson, Director of Museum Studies, Tufts University*