Treasures in the Basement? An Analysis of Collection Utilization in Art Museums

Abstract

Surveys suggest that 72% of U.S. museum artworks reside in museum storerooms. Despite the legitimate reasons for housing artworks in storage, there is recognition within the museum community that much of what resides in museum storerooms is not advancing institutional missions in a meaningful way. Meanwhile, the cost of maintaining artworks in storage is considerable and increasing. Four questions guide this investigation: (1) What factors explain the large proportion of museum artworks in storage? (2) What are the options for reducing storage and/or increasing the utilization of stored artworks? (3) What are the constraints and opportunities associated with the different options? (4) What policies contribute to current levels of collection storage and utilization, and what policies would encourage change? The research approach involves a synthesis of museum literature and industry statistics; a conceptual framework for structuring the analysis; a case study for exploring collection utilization decisions in a real-world context; and a policy analysis.

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