Deaccessioning Today

Steven Miller has devoted nearly fifty years to museum service. He has been a curator, mid-level administrator, director, educator, trustee, writer, and consultant. His career began with the Museum of the City of New York in its curatorial department for paintings, prints and photographs. He concluded that job as senior curator. He was then the assistant director of the Mains State Museum, director of museums at the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, OH, executive director of the Bennington Museum, Bennington, VT, executive director of the Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ and executive director of Boscobel Restoration, Garrison, NY. Miller has written, lectured, consulted, and been closely involved in deaccessioning matters since the practice started receiving widespread attention in the mid-1970s. His academic accolades include B.A., Bard College, Sculpture, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY International Graduate Certificate, Principles of Conservation Science, (UNESCO) International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, Rome, Italy.

• Chapter 1. An Introduction to MuseumsChapter 2. Deaccessioning – BackgroundChapter 3. Reasons for DeaccessioningChapter 4. Deaccession ProcessesChapter 5. Deaccession ImplementationChapter 6. Deaccessioning Controversies and MoreAppendix I. AAMD Association of Art Museum Directors Policy on DeaccessioningAppendix II. New York State Museum. A Sample Collections Management PolicyAppendix III. Media Alert. Boscobel House & GardensAppendix IV. Metropolitan Museum of Art Deaccessioning PolicyAppendix V. Sample Deaccession List. Boscobel House and Gardens Deaccession ListAppendix VI. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Press Release, June 26, 1973. “Metropolitan Museum Issues Trustee Report on Recent Disposals”

An important book about an important subject! Museum deaccessioning is a healthy but potentially fraught practice. Steve Miller provides at once an ethical foundation and detailed guidelines for its implementation. Based on decades of museum experience, his book is a must-read for museum professionals and visitors alike.