Kalamazoo College Art Team (KCAT) Policies
May 25, 2022
History

Since the 1960s, Kalamazoo College has acquired an art collection mainly through donations and some purchases. The College Art Collection serves as a teaching tool for the College community. When the Light Fine Arts building was constructed in 1964, some funds were allocated for the purchase of art prints. Around this time, the Marson Art Gallery held public sales in the Fine Arts building lobby, and a percentage of the proceeds provided funds to purchase prints from the gallery. By the early 1970s, the funds for purchasing prints was exhausted and few public sales of prints were being held.

The Kalamazoo College Art Collection is stored in the Rare Book Room in the Upjohn Library Commons building. Those works not in storage are on display at various locations around the campus. Currently there are more than 500 works of art in the collection, including paintings, watercolors, prints, drawings, photographs, sculptures, textiles, ceramics, and other media.

Because the Art Collection did not begin under a collection policy, the Collection was not developed with a focus on any specific format, style, genre, etc. Gifts of artworks often did not include specifications for the work’s use or display. In addition, record-keeping of the acquisitions of art gifts has been incomplete. Due to this lack of consistency, the College has established the Kalamazoo College Art Team (KCAT) to oversee the proper care and cataloguing of artworks, and to practice quality control.

The Kalamazoo College Art Team (KCAT) consists of:
• College Archivist
• Graphic Designer
• Reference Librarian
• Staff member in Advancement

Kalamazoo College Art Team Policies

Purpose and Scope of the Kalamazoo College Art Collections:

The College Art Collection is a general collection of artworks, and as such there is no intention to focus on any one type of artwork. The primary purpose of the collection is to support the curriculum, and the Collection also enhances the aesthetic environment of campus. To serve these purposes, there are two subgroups within the collection:

The Study Collection is made up of original, rare, and irreplaceable artwork, as well as those pieces with conservation issues that should not be placed on permanent or long-term display. Exhibiting these items would place them at risk, so they may only be viewed in the A.M. Todd Rare Book room.

The Campus Collection consists of those artworks that can be placed on permanent or long-term display because they are not fragile or appropriate for educational purposes. These works can be displayed in offices or public areas of campus buildings; works displayed in public areas should be fastened with security hangers.

College Art Collection General Policy on Accessions and Deaccessions

If a work of art is offered as a donation to the College, the Kalamazoo College Art Team (KCAT) and a representative from the Advancement Office will review the piece.
KCAT may take into account the following factors:
• appropriateness of the artwork for the curriculum of the Art Department;
• whether the artwork complements or balances the collection;
• condition of the piece;
• whether the donation includes funds for preservation or conservation;
• cost of maintaining, storing, and insuring the artwork.

Donations should be considered unconditional gifts, and copyright, patents, trademarks or other intellectual property rights associated with the piece should also be transferred to the College. If accepted, donors will be asked to complete a Deed of Gift form. For further information see the College Gift Acceptance Policy. The following documentation should also accompany the donation: evidence of legal title; provenance of the piece; and any appraisals. KCAT does not offer appraisals of artwork – this remains the responsibility of the donor. Once acquired, the artwork will be assigned an accession number and a catalogue record will be created in the collection inventory database.

KCAT does not assume responsibility for artwork acquired by other departments, institutions, or organizations within the College, but can be consulted on care and security. In addition, KCAT does not assume liability for damage or theft of student and personal art on display in public areas.

It should also be noted that the College Archives also maintains an art collection with works historically significant to the campus. The College Archives maintains its own collection policy and the College Archivist should be consulted when relevant donations are offered (i.e. portrait of a president or faculty member, painting of a campus building).

KCAT may deaccession artwork if:
• it is lost or stolen;
• damage or deterioration renders the piece unsuitable for educational purposes or display, and the cost of conservation is prohibitive;
• it falls outside the scope of the collection policy;
• it is redundant.
When artwork from the collection is deaccessioned, a record detailing the reasons will be created in the collection database.

Care of Collections

The College Archivist is responsible for monitoring conservation and preservation issues related to artwork in the collection. They will make recommendations to KCAT as to works requiring conservation. The College provides limited funding to maintain the College Art Collection and its conservation. If any artwork does undergo conservation treatment, it will be documented and retained permanently in the collection database. The College Archivist will maintain records in the database and the Rare Book Room Curator will oversee storage of the collection. An inventory should be completed at least once every 5 years and an inspection of a portion of the collection should be done each year. Each summer an inspection should be made of the most valuable artwork as well as those objects on loan.