Wellington City Art Collections Policy (2005)

1.	Aim of the Policy

To enrich Wellington by strengthening Council’s art collection to promote and build awareness and knowledge of recognised emerging and mid career visual artists that live in, or have a significant connection to Wellington, through the display and interpretation of their work in Council’s buildings and facilities across Wellington City.

2.	Purpose of the Policy

The Wellington City Art Collection Policy provides a framework for Council to develop and maintain a collection of art works that will be used to furnish publicly accessible areas within Council buildings and facilities. The Wellington City Art Collection Policy adapts, and replaces the Furnishings Art Collection Policy (2001).

The Policy covers the management, acquisition, storage, use, maintenance and deaccession of any artwork accepted by Council for permanent retention as part of its civic art collection.   

Public artworks such as large sculptures installed in outdoor public spaces across Wellington are covered under the Public Art Policy (2003).

The Wellington City Art Collection Policy should be reviewed every three years and modified to incorporate public artworks if required. 

3.	Definitions

3.1	Visual artists - refers to artists producing painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, prints, installations, film and video etc.

3.2	Emerging artists - practising visual artists and crafts people who are in the early stages of their career. This can be understood as an artist in the first five years of their professional practice. There is no age limit placed on the term ‘emerging’. The individual artist will decide if they consider themselves emerging.

3.3	Mid-career artists – are those artists who have been practising for at least three years and have created and exhibited more than one independent work in a professional context.   They will have specialised training in the field (not necessarily in academic institutions); be recognised by their peers (artists working in the same artistic tradition); have a history of public presentation in a professional context (this can mean venues and organizations (real or virtual) primarily devoted to arts presentation such as artist-run centres, museums, galleries, festivals etc.

3.4	Civic art collection – Wellington’s civic art collection is primarily a collection of artworks that relate to Wellington and will be used to furnish publicly accessible Council spaces.  The focus of the collection will be on displaying works of art created by recognised emerging and mid-career artists that live in, or have a significant relationship to Wellington.  New acquisitions and accepted donated works will be selected by the Art Collection Advisory Group.   The collection will be developed, maintained and managed by the Art Collection Manager and Advisory Group.

3.5	Art Collection Advisory Group – will be made up of no more than five people and will include: the Councillor spokesperson for Arts and Culture, Art Collection Manager, a representative of City Gallery Wellington and an external arts advisor. Members of the group will be selected for their knowledge of heritage and contemporary New Zealand art and the development and maintenance of art collections.  This group will review and determine all works to be accepted from donors of art wanting to give works to the city and acquisitions  

3.6	Art Collection Manager - the Council position responsible for the management of the civic art collection.  This person will have a good knowledge of the work of heritage and contemporary New Zealand artists, experience in art collection management including conservation, handling, transport and packing of works, standards for lending and valuation.

3.7	Accession – the formal process used to accept an artwork into the Civic art collection and record an item in the collection.

3.8	Deaccession – is defined as the process of removing an artwork permanently from the collection, usually through sale, or donation to the maker, donor or to another organisation or individual.  

4.	Background to the collection

Wellington City Council currently displays and maintains a collection of heritage and contemporary artworks which have been purchased by, or donated to, the Council for the purpose of decorating the interior of Council offices and facilities.  

Within the collection there are two categories of work:

a)	Artefacts or artworks that have a direct connection to the Council, for example portraits of Mayors 

b)	Artefacts or artworks that have been acquired or donated to the City to decorate Council offices or buildings.

Council has actively acquired works of art since 1882.   Works include:
-	Mayoral portraits, 
-	Works purchased from the 1890 Jubilee Fund such as CD Barraud’s 1854 portrait of Te Puni, 
-	A number of donations including recent works such as Brent Wong’s Clouds, Islands, Dunes from the Hancock Collection,
-	New works acquired under the Furnishings Art Collection Policy (2001).

Most works in the collection are on display at various Council venues.  Items that are not on display are being repaired or temporarily stored at Council’s City Archives.

5.	Description of the current civic art collection

The current civic art collection includes approximately 400 artworks of varying quality and monetary value.   The approximate valuation of works in the collection is $856,260.  

A full list of works is attached at Appendix A of this Policy.

6.	Objectives of the Policy

•	To increase local, national and international awareness of Wellington’s artistic heritage and build knowledge and an appreciation of contemporary visual artists living in, or of significance to Wellington, by ensuring works acquired for the collection are displayed with interpretation, in areas that are easily accessible to the public in Council buildings and facilities across the city from the central business district to suburban areas

•	To develop and maintain a high quality civic art collection of regional significance that reflects Wellington’s Maori and European heritage, growing ethnic and cultural diversity and these communities’ contemporary arts development

•	To support and promote local artists especially emerging and mid career artists by purchasing their work to include in the collection

•	To enhance the environment of publicly accessible Council spaces such as public libraries, recreation centres, services centres, committee rooms, the Mayors office for residents, visitors to Wellington and employees.

7.	How these objectives will be met

The Collection

New acquisitions and donated works selected to be included in the collection will be determined by the Art Collection Advisory Group.  

Where will the collection be housed?

The collection will be housed in publicly accessible spaces in central city and suburban Council buildings and facilities across the city of Wellington.

The Art Collection Advisory Group will acquire or select appropriate works from the collection to be displayed in Council spaces that are regularly used by the public including service centres, the central and suburban libraries and recreation centres.

As a general rule, any work that cannot be installed in public areas and appropriately cared for by Council will not be collected by Council as part of its civic art collection.  However the Advisory Group will review significant works and collections as part of Council’s exploration of potential City Gallery Wellington redevelopment or the creation of new stand alone gallery space in Wellington.  The Advisory Group can also refer works to other institutions such as Wellington’s Museum of City and Sea, Te Papa Tongarewa, Dowse Art Museum or Pataka Porirua if they are interested in the work. 

A display plan for installation and display of artworks acquired or accepted into the collection will be developed by the Art Collection Manager and Advisory Group.  The plan will include display requirements, such as acknowledgements to be included on labels or special protocols that may apply to some works.

Significant new works acquired for the collection will be displayed in high profile areas such as the Mayor’s Office, Office of the Chief Executive, Council reception area and Committee Rooms One and Two.  Works in these areas can be changed regularly so visitors can see a range of artworks from the collection.

The Art Collection Manager will track the movement of all artworks in the collection and provide an annual report on items accessioned into, or deacessioned from, the collection.
Artworks will not be removed or relocated without the Collection Manager’s knowledge and permission.

Management of the collection

The Civic art collection will be managed by an Art Collection Manager.   A description of the role is attached at Appendix B.

The Art Collection Manager will be supported by the Art Collection Advisory Group. This group will perform the following tasks under the Wellington City Art Collection Policy (2005):

•	Make recommendations on the acquisition of artworks
•	Purchase works 
•	Review resource implications and management issues of accepting gifts
•	Determine whether Council should accept or decline offers of collections or bequests and respond to potential donors
•	Determine and make recommendations on works that should be removed or deacessioned from the collection
•	Curation and interpretation of the collection
•	Prioritise conservation of the existing collection

Membership of Art Collection Advisory Group

The Art Collection Advisory Group will be made up of no more than five people and will include:
•	The Councillor spokesperson for Arts and Culture
•	The Art Collection Manager
•	A representative of City Gallery Wellington
•	An external arts advisor

The members of the group will be selected for their knowledge of heritage and contemporary New Zealand art and the development and maintenance of art collections.  

Status and reporting to Council

The Art Collection Advisory Group will be an internal group.  Members will be appointed by the relevant body, for example:
•	The Councillor spokesperson for Arts and Culture will be selected by Council
•	Representative for City Gallery Wellington will be selected by the Director of City Gallery Wellington
•	The external arts advisor will be selected by the group.

The Art Collection Manager and Advisory Group will provide an activities report and summary of acquisitions and removed/deacessioned works each year for the Strategy and Policy Committee.

Term

Appointments will be for three years with no member sitting on the advisory group for more than two terms. A replacement for any member resigning from the group will be determined by their appointing body. 
Meetings
The Art Collection Manager or a delegated Council officer appointed to the group will be responsible for coordinating all meetings of the Advisory Group.  
Where a member of the group has a conflict of interest with a particular artist, donor or artwork, they should state this interest but can vote with the agreement of the group.
Compensation
Council officers on the Art Collection Advisory Group will not be entitled to compensation, however external arts assessors will be paid a sitting fee for all meetings in addition to being paid an hourly rate for time taken to review acquisition/deaccession proposals and complete other work deemed necessary by the Advisory Group and Art Collection Manager. 

8.	Acquisition of artworks

A three year acquisition strategy will be developed by the Art Collection Advisory Group and reviewed annually to develop and maintain a civic art collection that promotes a wide range of visual arts and artists that live in, or have significance to Wellington.

New artworks will be purchased each year through an annual acquisitions budget using funds:
a)	allocated each year to the Wellington City Art Collection Policy in the Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP)

b)	generated as interest from the Hancock Bequest investment

c)	acquired through the sale of works deacessioned from the collection.

New artworks purchased for Council facilities such as recreation centres and libraries should reflect the needs and audience of the site and be robust enough to withstand the environmental conditions of the installation location.

Monetary donations and bequests from individuals and groups to increase the acquisition budget may be accepted at the discretion of the Art Collection Advisory Group, with approval from Council’s Senior Management Team.  

Criteria for acquisitions, commissions or accepting of gifts

Council will maintain an active Art Collection Policy.  No individual artwork or art collection will be accepted automatically.  All works acquired or accepted into the collection must meet the following criteria:

•	Works are able to be displayed and accessible to the public in Council buildings and facilities.  Significant works of high value should be in visible and secure public locations

•	Council can provide good care for the works at time of accession 

•	Works will not place a financial burden on Council to conserve, store or display

•	Works are of high artistic quality created by recognised artists that live in, or have significance to Wellington.  Emphasis should be given to acquiring the work of local emerging and mid career artists

•	Works have relevance to the collection and reflect Wellington’s heritage and/or contemporary culture

•	Council will not accept works with any restrictions placed upon their use, for example that the work be on permanent display.

•	Council will require the transfer of legal ownership for any artwork acquired or accepted into the collection.  No artwork will be acquired by purchase, gift, bequest, or exchange unless Council is satisfied that a valid title is held. 

•	Council has permission from the artist/artists estate/donor or current copyright holder to reproduce images of the work for educational and publicity purposes

•	Works will only be acquired or accepted in accordance with:
1.	the laws of New Zealand,
2.	International laws,
3.	UNESCO Convention of the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property 1970
4.	International Council of Museums (ICOM) standards under the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums 2004

•	Council will not accept items on loan.

9.	Deaccessioning or removal of works from the collection

All works included in Council’s civic art collection should meet the objectives and criteria of this policy.  

Decisions on deaccession or removal from the collection will be made by the Art Collection Advisory Group considering the following criteria:

•	The work does not meet the objectives of this policy or has little relevance to the collection
•	The work is of low artistic merit
•	There is an absence of clear legal title
•	The cost of maintenance and storage exceeds the value of the work
•	The work has suffered serious deterioration or irreparable damage
•	The work is of significant value, cannot be displayed safely and would be better held in another collection
•	The work is a duplicate in the collection
•	There are opportunities to improve the acquisitions budget for the development of the collection through strategic deacessioning
•	Council is unable to care for the work to an appropriate standard

Works can be deacessioned from the collection by:
•	Returning the work to the donor or his/her relatives
•	Directing the work to an appropriate museum, gallery or other organisation
•	Selling the work through a dealer gallery
•	Donating the work back to the artist 
•	Donation to a school or community facility
•	Sale by public auction or other means (deacessioned works will not be disposed of to staff, Art Collection Advisory Group members or any other person connected with the deaccession process unless under public sale)

Any member of the Art Collection Advisory Group may recommend objects for deaccession or removal.  A record will be kept by the Collection Manager of all items deacessioned or removed from the collection.

The Advisory Group will determine how funds realised from the deaccession of any work(s) will be used to support the collection – for example by using funds to acquire new works, maintain or promote the collection.  

Loan of items from the collection

Council will only lend material from the Collection for the purposes of exhibition, education or research.

All outgoing loans must be approved by the Collection Manager and fully documented with a letter from the borrower stating their purpose and agreement to all Council conditions for lending the work(s).

All costs associated with the outgoing loan including packing, transportation and administration costs will be paid for by the borrower.  Insurance cover for the work must also be arranged and paid for by the borrower.

10.	Conservation of the Collection

Preventative conservation techniques including appropriate handling, hanging in appropriate light and temperature and regular inspection of works will be used to ensure works in the collection receive the best care possible.  

The condition of all works in the collection will be inspected on an annual basis.  All works that require conservation/maintenance work will be treated in accordance with recognised conservation standards. 

Conservation of the collection will be funded using the annual $20,000 allocation for collection management.  This amount should be regularly reviewed to ensure it is adequate.

11.	Storage of the Collection

All works acquired or accepted in to the collection will be for the purpose of display in Council buildings or facilities.  Works that need to be stored for any length of time prior to accession will not be accepted.

If works need to be stored temporarily they will be stored at Council Archives, 28 Barker Street, Wellington.

12.	Security of the Collection

All exhibition areas should be made secure and safe from fire, natural disasters and water damage as possible.  Every effort should be made to ensure works on display are securely mounted and located in visible environments to also protect them from theft or vandalism.

The collection will be insured (see section 14 of this policy) and an audit of the inventory conducted every three years.

13.	Disaster Plan

An up-to-date duplicate copy of the catalogue of works under the Wellington City Art Collection Policy will be maintained at a remote site as part of Council’s electronic records disaster recovery plan.

14.	Insurance of the Collection

The collection will be insured for a reinstatement value where possible and, or consolation value if a market price or replacement value is not possible to establish. 

The Art Collection Manager will review insurance arrangements for the collection on a regular basis.