ethics Muse E-100 October 17, 2016

What is the difference… Between legal and ethical obligations and considerations?

There are 4 types of ethical questions… Museum specific Nonprofit specific General business ethics Overall human ethics

Museum specific Collections management Scholarship Interpretation

Non-profit specific Sticking to the mission Financial and fiduciary responsibility Duty of loyalty and conflict of interest Public accountability

Running a business Who you do business with Environmental impact Affirmative action and personnel management Accessibility Safety Intellectual property again… beyond the legal requirements...

Human ethics Honesty Compassion Reliability Respect for others and diversity

In general, the primary ethical questions… Deaccessioning Cultural property Corporate support and other issues of donor influence

Emerging ethical issues… Forecasting exercise launched in 2011 by CFM and Seton Hall Promised report doesn’t seem to have been produced… Accessibility Conflict of interest Control of content Collecting and deaccessioning Diversity Transparency and accountability

Museum Workers Speak

Museums Respond to Ferguson

Institutional Code of Ethics Required by AAM as one of 5 “core documents” Applies to governing authority, staff and volunteers Is consistent with the Alliance's Code of Ethics for Museums or other code of ethics Is tailored to, and developed specifically for, the museum Puts forth the institution’s basic ethical, public trust responsibilities as a museum and nonprofit educational entity Includes a statement on use of proceeds from deaccessioning Is a single document, not a compilation or list of references to other documents Is approved by the governing authority

How does a museum write a Code? Should be an inclusive process that allows everyone to air their point of view and concerns and develop an understanding of maximizing the common good  In practice, that’s rare, resulting in fears, anger and conflict because people assume things have been said in response to abuses Good codes get copied by others, often without adequate understanding of how the issues play out in another place, another discipline

Ethics also informs the collections policy… Are collections related to the mission? What can you care for appropriately? Will they be put to good use? Do you have a legal or ethical right to possess the object or does it “belong” elsewhere? Should you place limits on access because of individual or group sensitivity? Who is empowered to interpret the object and make decisions about it?

Ethical conundrums… Two discussed in class One discussed online now One discussed in a discussion board for those watching later…

The “D” word… Museums deaccession all the time And they should – to reverse mistakes, remove materials that cannot or should not be exhibited, and shape the collection But it should be done for the right reasons, in the right way It should be at least as hard to remove objects as it is to acquire them – reverse the process

But that doesn’t mean it’s easy Even done properly, it often makes news And it often creates controversy

The basic questions Who decides and how? How is it disposed of? How are the funds used?

The “direct care” debate… Is a compromise position between art museums and the rest of the field, particularly those with living collections and collections that are not intrinsically rare or valuable The field has shifted from a focus on conservation treatment to ensuring that objects are taken care of properly – environment, packing, storage, etc. When does direct care end and operating expenses begin?

A new dimension… the building

Roger Fischer’s questions Will this action be cited to my credit or will I have to defend it? Would the conduct be seen consistent with wise laws as they should be established and interpreted? Is the principle behind this one we would recommend to others to follow? Would I be pleased to learn that my mother or father, son or daughter, behaved as I plan to do? If a full account of my proposed conduct appeared on the front page of tomorrow’s paper, would I be proud or embarrassed?