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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCS 03-22 Report to Executive Committee Report Number: CS 03-22 Date: February 7, 2022 From: Sarah Douglas-Murray Director, Community Services Subject: Pickering Museum Village Policy Update -CUL 020 Artifact Conservation Policy -MUS 010 Collections Development and Management Policy -File: A-1440 Recommendation: 1.That Council endorse CUL 020 Artifact Conservation Policy of the Pickering Museum Village as set out in Attachment 1 to this report, subject to minor revisions acceptable to the Director Community Services; 2.That Council endorse MUS 010 Collections Development and Management Policy of the Pickering Museum Village as set out in Attachment 2 to this report, subject to minor revisions acceptable to the Director Community Services; and, 3.That the appropriate City of Pickering officials be authorized to take the necessary actions as indicated in this report. Executive Summary: Pickering Museum Village (PMV) has updated two policies in response to updated best practices. These policies are CUL 020 Artifact Conservation Policy and MUS 010 Collections Development and Management Policy. The purpose of this report is to seek Council’s endorsement of these Museum Policies. Financial Implications: The Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Cultural Industries provides an annual operating grant of approximately $39,000 to Pickering Museum Village through the Community Museums Operating Grant. The adoption of these Museum Policies will maintain compliance with the Standards for Community Museums in Ontario, and the Museum’s grant eligibility. Discussion: The Artifact Conservation Policy and the Collections Development and Management Policy originated in 2014 and were updated in 2017. These policies have been reviewed by staff and have been updated in 2022 to reflect changes to organizational reporting structures, including the 2021 Community Services reorganization, and changes in staffing and staff responsibilities at the museum. The policies have been updated to include Council’s direction from report CS 02-19, that the Pickering Museum Advisory Committee be dissolved and that the Pickering Museum Village CS 03-22 February 7, 2022 Subject: Pickering Museum Village Policy Update Page 2 be added as a standing agenda item to the Cultural Advisory Committee. Additionally, both policies have been updated to reflect current best practices in museum ethics, including collection, preservation and interpretation of items of cultural significance. Best practices (based on International Council of Museums) require that if an artifact is identified as significant to a specific cultural, ethnic or religious group, staff will consult with those communities to ensure that collection, preservation and interpretation is done in an ethical and respectful manner. The Artifact Conservation Policy was updated to remove procedural aspects of collections management, including documentation, storage of records, collections handling, and procedures for artifact treatments. These practices have been outlined in standard operating procedures and in the museum’s care of collections handbook. The Artifact Conservation Policy was updated to provide clear direction on the repair and rehabilitation of museum’s heritage buildings that are considered artifacts. The museum’s heritage buildings are used as both preservation of material culture, as well as program and event spaces for our community. The updated policy provides clear principles to guide restoration, rehabilitation and repair work of those buildings so that we can continue to achieve balance between public use and preservation. The Artifact Conservation Policy is based on the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada (Canada’s Historic Places, 2010), which outlines best practices to achieve this balance in historic buildings that are for public use. Updates to policies reflect best practices based on the Canadian Association of Conservators Code of Ethics and Guidance for Practice (Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property and of the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators, 2000), the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada (Canada’s Historic Places, 2010), the Canadian Museum Association Ethics Guidelines (2006), and the Standards for Community Museums in Ontario (Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Cultural Industries). Attachments: 1.CUL 020 Artifact Conservation Policy 2.MUS 010 Collections Development and Management Policy CS 03-22 February 7, 2022 Subject: Pickering Museum Village Policy Update Page 3 Prepared By: Approved/Endorsed By: Laura Gibbs MBA, MSc. Sarah Douglas-Murray Manager, Cultural Services Director, Community Services LG:SDM Recommended for the consideration of Pickering City Council Marisa Carpino, M.A. Chief Administrative Officer Original Signed By Original Signed By Original Signed By Policy Policy Title: Artifact Conservation Policy Policy Number CUL 020 Reference Canadian Association of Conservators Code of Ethics and Guidance for Practice Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada Canadian Museum Association Ethics Guidelines Standards for Community Museums in Ontario Council Resolution #373/17 Date Originated (m/d/y) October 27, 2014 Date Revised (m/d/y) December 2017 January 2022 Pages 7 Approval: Chief Administrative Officer Point of Contact Manager, Cultural Services Policy Objective Objects give us a unique access to the past: we can learn about past values from what people kept, what materials objects were made from, what objects were used for, and what daily life was like based on interpretation of those objects. The mission of Pickering Museum Village (hereinafter referred to as “PMV”) is to ignite imaginations through a living history museum that fosters a connection to Pickering by collecting, preserving, and interpreting artifacts and social culture. PMV participates in Standards for Community Museums in Ontario and as a responsible steward of the artifacts in its possession, the PMV will uphold a standard of care to preserve the over ten thousand artifacts in the museum’s collection. Index 01 Definitions 02 Conservation Priorities 03 Conservation Standards 04 Conservation Ethics 05 Policy Review Attachment 1 Policy Title: Conservation Policy Page 2 of 4 Policy Number: CUL 020 01 Definitions 01.01 Artifact – an object made by a human, of historic or cultural interest. The PMV’s artifacts include the heritage buildings on site, vehicles, equipment, furniture, homewares, clothing, consumer goods, religious items, and other objects that represent the history of the broader Pickering area. 02 Conservation Priorities The City of Pickering will employ the least invasive Conservation method in preserving the Museum’s artifact collection. Conservation methods shall be employed in the following order of priority: 02.01 Preventative Maintenance: Maintenance consists of regular inspections of artifacts and may involve small-scale treatments (e.g. surface cleaning, renewal of protective coatings, etc.). Preventative maintenance prevents decay and helps to prevent large scale conservation restoration treatments. A suitable maintenance program implemented after a conservation treatment aims at preserving the improved conditions of an artifact. The Museum follows standard operating procedures in preventative maintenance and provides training to staff and volunteers in preventative maintenance. 02.02 Preventative Conservation: Actions taken to mitigate damage and deterioration to an artifact. This is achieved through measures to reduce the harm of ultra violet lighting, poor environmental conditions, poor air quality, pests, human handling, and security risks. The Museum follows standard operating procedures in preventative conservation and provides training to staff and volunteers in preventative conservation, where appropriate. 02.03 Stabilization: A conservation treatment that is intended to stop or minimize an artifact’s deterioration while maintaining its integrity. Stabilization is the least invasive form of Conservation Treatment and is used when preventative measures are insufficient to reduce deterioration to a tolerable level or if the artifact is so fragile that it will be endangered under any other circumstances. 02.04 Conservation Treatment: Conservation treatment is undertaken in order to stabilize, consolidate, clean, repair, remove non-original additions, strengthen, or reassemble an artifact, or return it to the appearance of a known previous state by means of physical or chemical intervention. Preservation of the physical, historical and aesthetic integrity of the object shall take precedence over all other considerations. Conservation treatments will employ techniques and materials which, to the best of current knowledge, will neither endanger the true nature of the object nor impede future treatments or the retrieval of information through scientific examination. 02.05 Restoration: Actions taken to modify the existing materials and structure of an artifact to represent a known earlier state. The aim of restoration is to reveal the culturally significant qualities of an artifact. Restoration is based on clear evidence of a former state. Policy Title: Conservation Policy Page 3 of 4 Policy Number: CUL 020 03 Conservation Standards Conservation Standards are outlined in the Canadian Association of Conservators Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice and also in the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada. 03.01 Retain Historic Characteristics of Artifacts: Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize an artifact shall be preserved. For heritage buildings, the historic characteristics of the artifact will be identified in a Statement of Significance. For artifacts, heritage characteristics will be identified in collections records. Should a character-defining element of an artifact require repair or replacement, a Conservator’s recommendation of the appropriate conservation treatment will be required before any intervention occurs. 03.02 Historical Accuracy: Each artifact shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding speculative features or architectural elements shall not be undertaken. 03.03 Historical Record: Properties of artifacts can change over time; those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained, recorded, and preserved. 03.04 Differentiating Historic from modern: New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the artifact. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible and subordinate to the artifact in the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the artifact. New additions or new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the artifact would be unimpeded. 04 Conservation Ethics When undertaking artifact conservation, The City of Pickering shall follow the Conservation ethics outlined in the Canadian Association of Conservators Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice. The following are some of the general obligations outlined in the Code of Ethics. A Conservator may include Museum Staff or a third party contracted Conservator, including Heritage Architects. 04.01 Examination: The Conservator shall make a thorough examination of the artifact and shall document this examination before performing any conservation treatment. This examination includes a determination of its structure and materials and an assessment of its condition. In particular, the examination includes the extent of deterioration, alteration and loss. The Conservator shall study relevant historical and technical records. Where necessary, the Conservator shall initiate analyses of materials and undertake research into historical, conceptual and technical aspects of the artifact. The Conservator may also consult with heritage professionals or subject matter experts in order to ensure that their understanding of the historical record and heritage Policy Title: Conservation Policy Page 4 of 4 Policy Number: CUL 020 characteristics of an artifact take into account different interpretations of the historical record. 04.02 Treatment Proposal: on the basis of the examination, the Conservator shall report their findings and recommendations in writing to the City, including justification for and the objectives of the treatment, an estimate of resources required, alternate approaches, if feasible, and the potential risks of treatment. 04.03 Documentation: The Conservator shall document their work by recording all essential details of the conservation of an artifact. Documentation is part of the history of the artifact and shall be produced and maintained by the City in as permanent a manner as is practical. 05 Policy Review 05.01 This policy will be reviewed a minimum of every three years Please refer to all associated Procedures and Standard Operating Procedures, if applicable, for detailed processes regarding this Policy. Policy Procedure Title: Collections Development and Management Policy Policy Number MUS - 010 Reference International Council of Museums Code of Ethics for Museums Canadian Association of Conservators Code of Ethics and Guidance for Practice Canadian Museum Association Ethics Guidelines Standards for Community Museums in Ontario Date Originated (m/d/y) June 20, 2014 Date Revised (m/d/y) XX, April 12, 2017 January 12, 2022 Pages 9 Approval: Chief Administrative Officer Point of Contact Manager, Cultural Services Policy Objective Objects give us a unique access to the past: we can learn about past values from what people kept, what materials objects were made from, what objects were used for, and what daily life was like based on interpretation of those objects. The mission of Pickering Museum Village (hereinafter referred to as “PMV”) is to ignite imaginations through a living history museum that fosters a connection to Pickering by collecting, preserving, and interpreting artifacts and social culture. PMV participates in Standards for Community Museums in Ontario developed by the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Cultural Industries and as a responsible steward of the artifacts in its possession, the PMV will maintain management and development standards for its collections based on Ontario museum standards. The Pickering Museum Village will collect and preserve material culture from earliest habitation through our municipality’s changing borders to a point 40 years prior to the current date. The purpose of this collection is to understand and interpret the community’s past, understand the present and connect to the future. This policy defines the management goals, responsibilities and standards for all collection related activities at the PMV. Index 01 Definitions 02 Ownership Attachment 2 Policy Title: Collections Development and Management Policy Page 2 of 9 Policy Number: MUS - 010 03 Background 04 Resources 05 Responsibilities 06 Ethics 07 Collection Development 08 Acquisitions 09 Documentation and Records Management 10 Preservation 11 Use and Operation of Artifacts 12 Loans 13 Deaccessioning 14 Disposal 15 Policy Review 01 Definitions 01.01 Acquisitions – Objects that the museum has legal ownership and control over and are generally made by acceptance of donation, purchase, or field collecting. 01.02 Artifact – An object created or produced by humans, that has cultural significance to Pickering. It may be used for exhibition, explanation, or research, and is held in trust for the public for future generations to appreciate and learn from. An artifact may be a building, an object including furniture, tools, vehicles, household or personal items, textiles, books or paper records. 01.03 Core Collection – The PMV’s collection of artifacts that have a specific association with (or in some cases were typically used by) a person, place or event within Pickering Township pertaining to the history of Pickering up to 40 years prior to the present date. Artifacts in this collection are reserved for research and display under controlled conditions. 01.04 Deaccession – The act of permanently removing an artifact from the Core Collection. 01.05 Deed of Gift – A legal contract that permanently transfers the ownership of the item(s) from a donor to the Pickering Museum Village/City of Pickering. Policy Title: Collections Development and Management Policy Page 3 of 9 Policy Number: MUS - 010 01.06 Education Collection – The PMV’s collection of objects available for the purpose of interactive displays and active demonstrations which could result in deterioration and damage through use. 01.07 Material Culture - the physical objects created by a culture; the buildings, tools, and other artifacts created by the members of a society. 01.08 Preservation – All actions taken to retard deterioration of, or to prevent damage to, cultural property through activities that minimize chemical and physical deterioration and damage and that prevent loss of informational content. Preservation involves management of the environment and of the conditions of use, and may include treatment in order to maintain cultural property, as nearly as possible, in a stable physical condition. The primary goal of preservation is to prolong the existence of cultural property. 01.09 Repatriation – An artifact of specific significance to recognizable cultural, ethnic or religious groups may be returned to such groups upon their request under PMV procedural guidelines. Such groups must be able to assure the PMV that the object is integral to the beliefs or culture of the group and that they are able to provide proper care of the object according to accepted conservation methods. 02 Ownership 02.01 The PMV’s collection of artifacts is a tangible representation of the community’s heritage and is held in trust for the public by the City of Pickering. 03 Background 03.01 The Pickering Museum Village artifact collection is comprised of over 10,000 pieces. The collection consists of material culture that ranges from Indigenous objects dating to approximately 1400 BCE to political objects from 1980 CE. The scope of the collection is broad; artifacts in the collection vary from buildings to objects including furniture, tools, vehicles, household or personal items, textiles, photographs, and paper records 04 Resources and Responsibilities 04.01 In accordance with Ontario museum standards, the City of Pickering will provide the human, financial, and physical resources to manage and maintain the PMV’s collection. 04.02 Deaccessions from the collection require City Council approval. 05 Ethics 05.01 No human remains will be accepted into the collection. Policy Title: Collections Development and Management Policy Page 4 of 9 Policy Number: MUS - 010 05.02 If an artifact is identified as significant to a specific cultural, ethnic or religious group, PMV staff will include members of the cultural, ethnic or religious group in the consultation process to determine if it should be acquired into the collection. 05.03 The PMV will collect objects with regard to all municipal, provincial and federal statutes and agreements concerning the control or banning of specific materials or objects. 05.04 The PMV will not accept items with questionable, undetermined, or unethical history of ownership. 05.05 The PMV will not collect live ammunition. 05.06 The PMV will not collect restricted or prohibited weapons as defined by the Canadian Firearms Act. 05.07 The PMV may collect unrestricted and/or antique weapons as defined by the Canadian Firearms Act, provided that all regulations relating to acquisition and storage are met. 06 Collection Development 06.01 As a responsible steward of those artifacts in its possession, the PMV will make every reasonable effort to collect, document, and preserve those artifacts reflective of the museum village’s vision, mission, and mandate. 06.02 In order to facilitate public and educational programming, and to avoid deterioration of the Core Collection through use, the PMV will develop, manage, and maintain two collections: a Core Collection and an Education Collection. 07 Acquisitions 07.01 Decisions to acquire material culture into the Core Collection will be made based on the following conditions and criteria: i. Provenance to the community. Those objects made and/or used in the community associated with a person, place or event; ii. Typical or representative objects made or used in the community that are historical, cultural, or aesthetic in nature that support interpretation of the PMV’s mandate; iii. Be in good or excellent condition, or be a unique and rare addition to the collection; iv. Are not duplicates of current collection items; and, v. Are well documented with clear legal title, free of provisions and restrictions. Policy Title: Collections Development and Management Policy Page 5 of 9 Policy Number: MUS - 010 07.02 Objects which are accepted into the Education Collection will be those that are typical of, or representative of, objects made or used in the community during the museum’s interpretive timeline. These objects may be duplicates of those within the Core Collection. 07.03 All artifact donations to the PMV will be deemed as a gift without ties. 07.04 The donors of items not approved for acquisition will be contacted immediately to retrieve their possessions. Items will be considered abandoned if no response or arrangements for pickup have been made following all reasonable attempts by staff. 07.05 The PMV reserves the right to dispose of abandoned items. 08 Tax Receipts and Appraisals 08.01 Tax receipts may be made available upon request by the donor. 08.02 For objects less than $1,000.00, an independent appraisal is not required. An original bill of sale or receipt is acceptable to use to determine value if the item was purchased within the last 12 months. 08.03 Qualified PMV Staff may provide current fair market value for objects under an estimated value of $1,000.00. 08.04 Items estimated to be worth more than $1,000.00 must be independently appraised at the donor’s cost. 08.05 The appraisal must reflect the current fair market value of the object(s). 08.06 The appraisal must be conducted by a member of the Certified Personal Property Appraisers Guild of Canada or equivalent. 08.07 The donor may not be the appraiser. 08.08 Upon transfer of ownership by signed Deed of Gift, and issuance of a tax receipt, gifts will not be returned to the donor. 09 Documentation 09.01 In order to maintain the significance and value of the objects in the PMV collection, all pertinent information regarding the identity, history, provenance and transfer of legal title of the artifacts will be collected, recorded, and preserved. 09.02 Hard copies of all documentation pertaining to the collection will be maintained. 09.03 The electronic records will be copied and stored on the City of Pickering computer server. Policy Title: Collections Development and Management Policy Page 6 of 9 Policy Number: MUS - 010 10 Preservation 10.01 The PMV will strive to preserve all core collection material (including historic buildings on site) for future generations. 10.02 Staff and volunteers will be trained in Artifact Care and Handling Procedures and will be responsible for following them as it pertains to their daily work routines. 10.03 Staff and Volunteers will be trained in duties specific to their position as outlined in the Heritage Housekeeping and Maintenance Manual, and in expected responsibilities relating to the Disaster Preparedness Plan and Salvage Procedures. 11 Education Collection 11.01 As a living history site, PMV may choose to enhance guest experience and knowledge by using and/or operating objects and machines. Those objects and machines will be Education Collection pieces, not Core Artifacts. The following factors will be considered before operating objects and machines: i. The ability of museum staff to protect the safety of the public, staff and the collection; ii. The ability of the City of Pickering to provide the resources to operate and maintain working condition of an object or machine; iii. The existence of a duplicate artifact that will be preserved in its original state; iv. The interpretive value to the public, the range of demonstrative techniques available, and the effect the operation will have on the object; v. The relative, significant heritage of the object, with consideration of rarity, provenance, uniqueness and value; vi. Alternative power sources may be used to sustain working order rather than original power sources in the interest of health and safety or preservation of the object; and, vii. The research benefits of using the object against the preservation of the its history of use. 12 Loans 12.01 Loans must meet care standards as set out in the loan agreement and be approved by the Supervisor, Museum Services. Policy Title: Collections Development and Management Policy Page 7 of 9 Policy Number: MUS - 010 12.02 Incoming loans may be accepted for a set period of time for the purpose of research or to enhance Temporary Exhibitions. 12.03 The PMV will not agree to long term loans with no determined end date for either outgoing or incoming loans. Exceptions may be considered at the discretion of the Supervisor, Museum Services. 12.04 For both outgoing and incoming loans, documentation (including photographs) regarding condition and value must be completed, and loan forms must be signed, prior to the loan taking place. This documentation will become part of the artifact’s permanent file. 13 Deaccessioning 13.01 As part of responsible collections management, the PMV acknowledges that in order to maintain a relevant collection within the parameters of the PMV Vision, Mission, and Mandate, artifacts may require removal from the Core Collection. 13.02 Prior to a deaccession, PMV Staff will ensure that: i. The Pickering Museum Village/City of Pickering holds the legal title to the object, and that there are no holds or restrictions placed on the donation; and, ii. In the case of artifacts with no clear title or that are poorly documented or undocumented, a documented attempt will be made by staff to research and investigate ownership. 13.03 The deaccession process shall include consultation from the community. In most cases, this will include consultation with a working group committee formed from community members and subject-matter experts and/or consultation with an applicable City of Pickering Advisory Committee. 13.04 Final approval to deaccession must be granted by the Mayor and Council. 13.05 Artifacts may be recommended for deaccession if: i. The artifact is the subject of repatriation; ii. The artifact is significantly incomplete (unidentifiable piece or fragment); iii. The artifact is in such poor condition that preservation, conservation or restoration is not a viable option; iv. The artifact is duplicated in the collection and having a duplicate is not of value to the collection; v. The artifact is not relevant to the PMV’s collecting mandate and/or plan; Policy Title: Collections Development and Management Policy Page 8 of 9 Policy Number: MUS - 010 vi. There is incomplete documentation and provenance for the artifact; vii. The artifact has no effective use in current or future exhibitions, research, interpretation, active demonstration or public use; viii. There are ethical issues related to ethnographic collections and human remains; ix. There are restrictions on legal title; x. It has been found subsequently that there is questionable legal title; xi. Correcting old accessioning mistakes (i.e. item was never meant to be an artifact or accessioned); and, xii. The object is a threat to the collection, staff, volunteers, or structure of the PMV. 13.06 Records (or a copy) will be maintained for all artifacts deaccessioned, and will include the original catalogue information, documentation of the reason(s) for deaccession and approval, and documentation of the disposal of the artifact. The date of deaccession will be noted with the original entry in the Accession Register. 14 Disposal 14.01 Artifacts may be disposed of or destroyed only after deaccession has been approved. 14.02 PMV will make all reasonable efforts to inform the registered donor or family (if donor is deceased) that the object is to be disposed of as requested on the Deed of Gift and only if a tax receipt was not issued. 14.03 Every attempt will be made to relocate deaccessioned artifacts within the museum community. The receiving museum will assume packing and transport costs. 14.04 Failing the above steps, the object may be offered for sale to the public, in accordance with the City of Pickering’s Purchasing Policy, PUR-010, section 15 (Disposal of Surplus Assets) at public auction to the highest bidder and based on current market value. 14.05 Any person who assisted, or advised on the decision to deaccession an artifact may not purchase the artifact. 14.06 If an artifact is in a total state of disrepair, the artifact may be destroyed in view of two City staff. Policy Title: Collections Development and Management Policy Page 9 of 9 Policy Number: MUS - 010 14.07 Profits from the sale of donated artifacts must go towards collections development or artifact maintenance/conservation. 15 Policy Review 15.01 This policy will be reviewed a minimum of every five years. Please refer to all associated Procedures and Standard Operating Procedures, if applicable, for detailed processes regarding this Policy.