Museums Today: Why Monetizing University Museum Collections Is A Bad Idea

Wednesday, September 22, 2021, 6PM EDT

Visit The George Washington University Museum’s Vimeo page by clicking here to access this recorded session.

The pandemic upended the business model of many institutions of higher education and independent museums, revealing unsustainable financial and operational structures and leaving many vulnerable to chasing short-term and short-sighted fixes, such as monetizing their collections.

This presentation seeks to recenter the purpose of academic museum collections, asserting their value to the academy and clarifying ethical collection management practices, including the use of proceeds from deaccessioning, to reinforce academic museums’ primary responsibilities to care, research, interpret and exhibit collections held in the public trust.

Association of Academic Museums and Galleries board members Kristina Durocher and John Wetenhall will explain why AAMG assumed a leadership role in condemning monetization of collections, encouraging responsible deaccessioning and endorsing the use of deaccessioning proceeds for progressive purposes, including restitution and repatriation.

This program is highly recommended for college and university museum professionals, as well as students seeking to understand the principles underlying the deaccessioning debates.

This program is a collaboration with The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

About Kristina Durocher

Kristina Durocher is director of the Museum of Art, University of New Hampshire. She is also president of the board of directors for the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, and serves as a vice-president on the board of directors of the New England Museum Association. 

About John Wetenhall

John Wetenhall (Ph.D., M.B.A.) is co-chair of the Task Force for the Protection of University Collections and AAMG’s vice president for strategic planning. He currently directs The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, with an appointment on GW’s Museum Studies graduate faculty. He is a longtime museum director and writes frequently on the ethics, values and “business” of museums.  

About the Museums Today Series

Each month during the academic year, museum leaders lead lively online discussions about critical issues in the field. This series is presented in partnership with the The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum. Browse upcoming programs