Post by blackcrowheart on Jan 10, 2006 12:34:27 GMT -5
Selling American Indian artifacts wrong museum policy
In a move which is not merely ill-considered, but unequivocally
unethical, the Erie County Historical Society has consigned to
auction in New York the best objects in the collection it received
from the Erie Historical Museum (the former Erie Public Museum) only
five years ago. These are Native American objects of great artistic
and cultural importance.
Converting collection objects into cash for the purpose of funding
operations (including creating exhibits) is a fundamental violation
of the Code of Ethics of the American Association of Museums.
In addition to being unethical, the Society's spokesman was
disingenuous in describing these objects as "duplicates"from
among "thousands" in the collection. They are not duplicates. There
are not thousands of these objects in the collection. The 80 objects
consigned to auction are the best things in that collection, and the
only things of significant financial value. It is this -- the
financial value -- rather than any rational, professional
assessment, which has driven the society to auction off the
community's patrimony. The society's decisions were made in the
absence of public input, and in contradiction to my express, written
request that we discuss means of preserving these objects for the
community.
If museums expect to be given a community's treasures, people need
to believe that the objects they give will be valued for their
cultural, historical and artistic qualities, and not looked at as
just so much potential cash. This action by the Erie County
Historical Society is not only unethical; it is a crippling
precedent that will cause many people to decide not to give their
treasures to a museum. There is no compelling reason to sell these
objects.
Please make your opinion about this situation known to the directors
of the Historical Society: David Belmondo, Karen Black, John J.
Brinling III, Terrence Cavanaugh, Sheila Coon, Timothy Downs, Jeff
Evans, William Garvey, Gordon Gebhardt, Rick Griffith, Judith
Kubeja, John Leuenberger, Vasilios Nacopoulos, Denis O'Brien,
Margaret Pett, Charles Scalise, C. Raymond Schaney, Margaret Taylor,
Thomas C. Vicary, Norma Webb.
Only they can right this wrong.
John Vanco
director
Erie Art Museum
Christie's to go ahead with sale of artifacts
Read More Local News
By ERICA ERWIN
erica.erwin@timesnews.com
The American Indian artifacts are going, going ... almost gone.
Christie's auction house is moving ahead with plans to auction off
65 lots of American Indian artifacts now owned by the Erie County
Historical Society & Museums, even as Erie School District lawyers
look for a way to delay the sale.
The auction, scheduled for Thursday in New York City, includes
intricately stitched moccasins, tobacco pouches, a knife, bowls and
other items that the district owned until 2000, when the Historical
Society took over stewardship.
District lawyers are now investigating whether an agreement between
the district and the Historical Society required the artifacts to be
preserved locally for educational purposes.
Depending on what they find, the district could seek a court
injunction against the sale, Erie schools Superintendent Jim Barker
said.
"We knew the value when we turned them over to the Historical
Society and we debated ourselves whether to sell them,"Barker
said. "We made the decision to give them to a caretaker who we
thought would make them available to the public and preserve them
for generations to come."
Bendetta Roux, Christie's senior public relations manager, confirmed
that the auction house is moving ahead with plans for the sale.
"The Historical Society has warranted to Christie's that they have
the title to the artifacts and that they have the right to sell
them," Roux said. "We have no real reason to doubt that."
The society has about 3,000 American Indian artifacts in its
collection.
Donated by wealthy Erie collectors who traveled the American West in
the mid-1940s, the items have been stored on the third floor of the
History Center, 419 State St.
Because of the scope of the collection and a lack of exhibition
space, none of the artifacts has been on permanent exhibition.
The Historical Society plans to use the estimated $100,000 to
$300,000 that will be raised through the auction to create both a
permanent and traveling exhibition of the remaining items in the
collection, as well as to purchase other American Indian artifacts
from the region.
David Frew, director of the Historical Society, has repeatedly
defended both the Historical Society's right to the items and its
decision to put them up for auction, even as some have criticized
the sale.
Frew could not be reached for comment Friday, but has said in the
past that the Historical Society carefully chose the auction items
and that only duplicate artifacts were sent to Christie's. The most
valuable and interesting artifacts were kept locally, Frew said,
though he has not provided an accounting of the entire collection.
Both John Vanco, director of the Erie Art Museum, and James
Adovasio, executive director of the Mercyhurst College
Archaeological Institute, have called the sale unethical and
disputed Frew's claims that the items in the auction are duplicates.
Adovasio, author of a 1977 textbook on basketry technology, is
particularly concerned about the sale of several American Indian
coiled baskets.
The baskets are more than pieces of art, he said. They're a
reflection on society and culture.
"It's a social document, and no two social documents are the same,"
Adovasio said.
Christie's to go ahead with sale of artifacts
Read More Local News
By ERICA ERWIN
erica.erwin@timesnews.com
The American Indian artifacts are going, going ... almost gone.
Christie's auction house is moving ahead with plans to auction off
65 lots of American Indian artifacts now owned by the Erie County
Historical Society & Museums, even as Erie School District lawyers
look for a way to delay the sale.
The auction, scheduled for Thursday in New York City, includes
intricately stitched moccasins, tobacco pouches, a knife, bowls and
other items that the district owned until 2000, when the Historical
Society took over stewardship.
District lawyers are now investigating whether an agreement between
the district and the Historical Society required the artifacts to be
preserved locally for educational purposes.
Depending on what they find, the district could seek a court
injunction against the sale, Erie schools Superintendent Jim Barker
said.
"We knew the value when we turned them over to the Historical
Society and we debated ourselves whether to sell them,"Barker
said. "We made the decision to give them to a caretaker who we
thought would make them available to the public and preserve them
for generations to come."
Bendetta Roux, Christie's senior public relations manager, confirmed
that the auction house is moving ahead with plans for the sale.
"The Historical Society has warranted to Christie's that they have
the title to the artifacts and that they have the right to sell
them," Roux said. "We have no real reason to doubt that."
The society has about 3,000 American Indian artifacts in its
collection.
Donated by wealthy Erie collectors who traveled the American West in
the mid-1940s, the items have been stored on the third floor of the
History Center, 419 State St.
Because of the scope of the collection and a lack of exhibition
space, none of the artifacts has been on permanent exhibition.
The Historical Society plans to use the estimated $100,000 to
$300,000 that will be raised through the auction to create both a
permanent and traveling exhibition of the remaining items in the
collection, as well as to purchase other American Indian artifacts
from the region.
David Frew, director of the Historical Society, has repeatedly
defended both the Historical Society's right to the items and its
decision to put them up for auction, even as some have criticized
the sale.
Frew could not be reached for comment Friday, but has said in the
past that the Historical Society carefully chose the auction items
and that only duplicate artifacts were sent to Christie's. The most
valuable and interesting artifacts were kept locally, Frew said,
though he has not provided an accounting of the entire collection.
Both John Vanco, director of the Erie Art Museum, and James
Adovasio, executive director of the Mercyhurst College
Archaeological Institute, have called the sale unethical and
disputed Frew's claims that the items in the auction are duplicates.
Adovasio, author of a 1977 textbook on basketry technology, is
particularly concerned about the sale of several American Indian
coiled baskets.
The baskets are more than pieces of art, he said. They're a
reflection on society and culture.
"It's a social document, and no two social documents are the same,"
Adovasio said.
ERICA ERWIN, can be reached at 870-1846 or by e-mail.
ERICA ERWIN, can be reached at 870-1846 or by e-mail.
Tecumseh Brown-Eagle, Chairman
Erie Indian Moundbuilders Tribal Nation
814-572-4137 fax/voice mail 877-822-6285
Healing, Compassion, Respect, Responsibility, Accountability
erieindians@earthlink.net tecumseh_browneagle@yahoo.com
Confidentiality Note: The information contained in this message is
legally privileged and/or confidential information. If you are not
the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any
dissemination, distribution, saving or copying of this message is
strictly prohibited.
In a move which is not merely ill-considered, but unequivocally
unethical, the Erie County Historical Society has consigned to
auction in New York the best objects in the collection it received
from the Erie Historical Museum (the former Erie Public Museum) only
five years ago. These are Native American objects of great artistic
and cultural importance.
Converting collection objects into cash for the purpose of funding
operations (including creating exhibits) is a fundamental violation
of the Code of Ethics of the American Association of Museums.
In addition to being unethical, the Society's spokesman was
disingenuous in describing these objects as "duplicates"from
among "thousands" in the collection. They are not duplicates. There
are not thousands of these objects in the collection. The 80 objects
consigned to auction are the best things in that collection, and the
only things of significant financial value. It is this -- the
financial value -- rather than any rational, professional
assessment, which has driven the society to auction off the
community's patrimony. The society's decisions were made in the
absence of public input, and in contradiction to my express, written
request that we discuss means of preserving these objects for the
community.
If museums expect to be given a community's treasures, people need
to believe that the objects they give will be valued for their
cultural, historical and artistic qualities, and not looked at as
just so much potential cash. This action by the Erie County
Historical Society is not only unethical; it is a crippling
precedent that will cause many people to decide not to give their
treasures to a museum. There is no compelling reason to sell these
objects.
Please make your opinion about this situation known to the directors
of the Historical Society: David Belmondo, Karen Black, John J.
Brinling III, Terrence Cavanaugh, Sheila Coon, Timothy Downs, Jeff
Evans, William Garvey, Gordon Gebhardt, Rick Griffith, Judith
Kubeja, John Leuenberger, Vasilios Nacopoulos, Denis O'Brien,
Margaret Pett, Charles Scalise, C. Raymond Schaney, Margaret Taylor,
Thomas C. Vicary, Norma Webb.
Only they can right this wrong.
John Vanco
director
Erie Art Museum
Christie's to go ahead with sale of artifacts
Read More Local News
By ERICA ERWIN
erica.erwin@timesnews.com
The American Indian artifacts are going, going ... almost gone.
Christie's auction house is moving ahead with plans to auction off
65 lots of American Indian artifacts now owned by the Erie County
Historical Society & Museums, even as Erie School District lawyers
look for a way to delay the sale.
The auction, scheduled for Thursday in New York City, includes
intricately stitched moccasins, tobacco pouches, a knife, bowls and
other items that the district owned until 2000, when the Historical
Society took over stewardship.
District lawyers are now investigating whether an agreement between
the district and the Historical Society required the artifacts to be
preserved locally for educational purposes.
Depending on what they find, the district could seek a court
injunction against the sale, Erie schools Superintendent Jim Barker
said.
"We knew the value when we turned them over to the Historical
Society and we debated ourselves whether to sell them,"Barker
said. "We made the decision to give them to a caretaker who we
thought would make them available to the public and preserve them
for generations to come."
Bendetta Roux, Christie's senior public relations manager, confirmed
that the auction house is moving ahead with plans for the sale.
"The Historical Society has warranted to Christie's that they have
the title to the artifacts and that they have the right to sell
them," Roux said. "We have no real reason to doubt that."
The society has about 3,000 American Indian artifacts in its
collection.
Donated by wealthy Erie collectors who traveled the American West in
the mid-1940s, the items have been stored on the third floor of the
History Center, 419 State St.
Because of the scope of the collection and a lack of exhibition
space, none of the artifacts has been on permanent exhibition.
The Historical Society plans to use the estimated $100,000 to
$300,000 that will be raised through the auction to create both a
permanent and traveling exhibition of the remaining items in the
collection, as well as to purchase other American Indian artifacts
from the region.
David Frew, director of the Historical Society, has repeatedly
defended both the Historical Society's right to the items and its
decision to put them up for auction, even as some have criticized
the sale.
Frew could not be reached for comment Friday, but has said in the
past that the Historical Society carefully chose the auction items
and that only duplicate artifacts were sent to Christie's. The most
valuable and interesting artifacts were kept locally, Frew said,
though he has not provided an accounting of the entire collection.
Both John Vanco, director of the Erie Art Museum, and James
Adovasio, executive director of the Mercyhurst College
Archaeological Institute, have called the sale unethical and
disputed Frew's claims that the items in the auction are duplicates.
Adovasio, author of a 1977 textbook on basketry technology, is
particularly concerned about the sale of several American Indian
coiled baskets.
The baskets are more than pieces of art, he said. They're a
reflection on society and culture.
"It's a social document, and no two social documents are the same,"
Adovasio said.
Christie's to go ahead with sale of artifacts
Read More Local News
By ERICA ERWIN
erica.erwin@timesnews.com
The American Indian artifacts are going, going ... almost gone.
Christie's auction house is moving ahead with plans to auction off
65 lots of American Indian artifacts now owned by the Erie County
Historical Society & Museums, even as Erie School District lawyers
look for a way to delay the sale.
The auction, scheduled for Thursday in New York City, includes
intricately stitched moccasins, tobacco pouches, a knife, bowls and
other items that the district owned until 2000, when the Historical
Society took over stewardship.
District lawyers are now investigating whether an agreement between
the district and the Historical Society required the artifacts to be
preserved locally for educational purposes.
Depending on what they find, the district could seek a court
injunction against the sale, Erie schools Superintendent Jim Barker
said.
"We knew the value when we turned them over to the Historical
Society and we debated ourselves whether to sell them,"Barker
said. "We made the decision to give them to a caretaker who we
thought would make them available to the public and preserve them
for generations to come."
Bendetta Roux, Christie's senior public relations manager, confirmed
that the auction house is moving ahead with plans for the sale.
"The Historical Society has warranted to Christie's that they have
the title to the artifacts and that they have the right to sell
them," Roux said. "We have no real reason to doubt that."
The society has about 3,000 American Indian artifacts in its
collection.
Donated by wealthy Erie collectors who traveled the American West in
the mid-1940s, the items have been stored on the third floor of the
History Center, 419 State St.
Because of the scope of the collection and a lack of exhibition
space, none of the artifacts has been on permanent exhibition.
The Historical Society plans to use the estimated $100,000 to
$300,000 that will be raised through the auction to create both a
permanent and traveling exhibition of the remaining items in the
collection, as well as to purchase other American Indian artifacts
from the region.
David Frew, director of the Historical Society, has repeatedly
defended both the Historical Society's right to the items and its
decision to put them up for auction, even as some have criticized
the sale.
Frew could not be reached for comment Friday, but has said in the
past that the Historical Society carefully chose the auction items
and that only duplicate artifacts were sent to Christie's. The most
valuable and interesting artifacts were kept locally, Frew said,
though he has not provided an accounting of the entire collection.
Both John Vanco, director of the Erie Art Museum, and James
Adovasio, executive director of the Mercyhurst College
Archaeological Institute, have called the sale unethical and
disputed Frew's claims that the items in the auction are duplicates.
Adovasio, author of a 1977 textbook on basketry technology, is
particularly concerned about the sale of several American Indian
coiled baskets.
The baskets are more than pieces of art, he said. They're a
reflection on society and culture.
"It's a social document, and no two social documents are the same,"
Adovasio said.
ERICA ERWIN, can be reached at 870-1846 or by e-mail.
ERICA ERWIN, can be reached at 870-1846 or by e-mail.
Tecumseh Brown-Eagle, Chairman
Erie Indian Moundbuilders Tribal Nation
814-572-4137 fax/voice mail 877-822-6285
Healing, Compassion, Respect, Responsibility, Accountability
erieindians@earthlink.net tecumseh_browneagle@yahoo.com
Confidentiality Note: The information contained in this message is
legally privileged and/or confidential information. If you are not
the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any
dissemination, distribution, saving or copying of this message is
strictly prohibited.