American Association of Museums
CURCOM – Curators Committee
A Code of Ethics for Curators
April 11, 2008 - draft
I. Statement of Purpose
This Code of Ethics was drafted by a workgroup of CURCOM – the Curator’s Committee of the American Association of Museums – and was written to provide professional guidelines for ethical conduct for the benefit of museums in general and specifically curators engaged in the museum field.
This Code of Ethics describes the fundamental principles and core beliefs of curatorial work. In addition, it may be useful to others working in the museum field who have different titles but perform similar or related functions to those of a curator.
Curators and others involved with museums recognize that the public trust is essential for the health and well-being of their organization. Adherence to the law is a minimum standard of expected behavior. Ethical codes, such as this one, offer principles that exceed the law and that will ensure trust and confidence in our decision making.
II. Review and Promulgation
CURCOM is a Standing Professional Committee of the American Association of Museums.
Curators who are members of CURCOM also are members of the American Association of Museums and look to AAM and the Accreditation Commission for definition of basic standards for the museum profession and museum operations.
Drafting this Code of Ethics for Curators involved a thorough review of standards accepted and generally understood by museum associations and professional organizations around the world. It has been written to state in positive terms the fundamental principles and core beliefs of curatorial work.
Most members of CURCOM are employed at museums. They recognize their role as staff members and respect the hierarchy of authority that exists. In addition, curators recognize their responsibility to provide leadership and expertise in a variety of areas within their museum and the larger community of museums.
They advocate and participate in the development of institutional policy that reflects the principles contained in this Code of Ethics.
Curators serve a vital role in the ongoing process to improve and strengthen operations for their organization and may encounter differences between existing institutional practice and established professional standards. CURCOM recognizes that every museum operates with a unique and distinctive set of resources and encourages an open, balanced, and direct assessment of any areas of conflict between institutional operations and the principles and beliefs described in this Code.
With this in mind, this Code of Ethics is intended to be a living document – one that is regularly considered and continually improved. CURCOM is committed to review and update this Code on a regular and ongoing schedule or as requested by the field.
III. Introduction
The work of curators is varied and multifaceted. Depending on the institution, curators can be highly specialized experts with responsibilities focused on a particular collection area, or they can be generalists who must be able to consider and manage a broad range of materials and perform duties of all types.
Often curators are charged with responsibilities that reach across museum functions and thus they fulfill collection, exhibition, management, program, facility, and/or other duties. Because of their direct responsibilities for the collections and/or their role in the development of interpretive materials, curators are ambassadors who represent their institution in the public environment.
Regardless of their situation, the distinctive responsibility of curators is focused on the interpretation, study, care, and development of the collection, and/or on the materials, concepts, exhibitions, and programs that are central to the identity of their museum.
IV. Definition – A Curator
A curator is highly knowledgeable, experienced, or educated in a discipline relevant to the museum's purpose or mission. Curatorial roles and responsibilities vary widely within the museum community, even within a museum.
Museum curators may do some or all of the following:
• Remain current in the intellectual developments within their field(s), conduct original research and develop new scholarship, and contribute to the advancement of the body of knowledge within their field(s) of study and the museum profession as a whole.
• Make recommendations for acquiring and deaccessioning objects and collections.
• Assume responsibility for the overall care and development of the collection that includes objects, specimens, historic structures, and/or intellectual property.
• Formulate institutional policies and procedures for the care of collections that are based on the highest-accepted professional standards.
• Perform research to identify and document the history of materials in the collection.
• Interpret the objects, materials, and specimens belonging or lent to the museum.
• Develop and
organize exhibitions.
• Contribute to programs and other interpretive materials of various types.
• Publish monographs and other materials.
• Represent
their institution in the media, at public gatherings, and at professional
conferences and seminars.
V. Statement of Values
Curatorial work is grounded in
both the research and interpretation of content and the cultivation,
preservation, and interpretation of objects, specimens, structures, and
collections, and is guided by the following values:
• To serve the public good by contributing to and promoting learning, inquiry, and dialogue, and by making the depth and breadth of human knowledge available and accessible to the public.
• To serve the institution by responsible stewardship of financial, material, and intellectual resources; by pursuit of the goals and mission of the institution with respect for the diversity of ideas, cultures, and beliefs; and by integrity of scholarly research.
• To serve the museum profession by promoting and practicing excellence, honesty, and transparency in all professional activities.
VI. Curatorial Responsibilities
A. Acquisition, Care, and Disposal of Collections
Curators of all types are governed by codes of ethics relating to their own disciplines as well as international, national, and local laws affecting the acquisition or disposal of objects and other aspects of their areas of responsibility.
Curators of collecting institutions are responsible for developing the collections under their care in conjunction with the museum’s stated mission and other institutional policies, procedures, and documents. They identify deficiencies in the collections, review potential acquisitions, and provide compelling reasons for adding objects to the collections in accordance with the acquisition policy of their institution. They advocate for the care of the collections and adhere to accepted professional standards that apply to their particular area of expertise.
Curators of collecting institutions periodically review the objects in their collection to assess the continued relevance of each object to the museum’s mission. They refine collections through judicious disposal of objects in accordance with the deaccession policy of their institution.
Deaccessioned objects are preferably offered for transfer to another cultural institution or for sale at a well-publicized public auction. Curators offer professional guidance and expertise to the board of trustees or other governing authority to ensure that the institution does not suffer in any way as a result of the deaccession of objects from the collection. Funds resulting from the sale of collection items should be used to support the collection. Any other use may create the appearance that collection materials, which are held in public trust, are being sold to finance the operations of the museum.
In some cases, deaccessioned objects can be destroyed if the objects have deteriorated and their research, interpretive, historical, or other value is compromised beyond reclamation; if they are slated for deaccessioning and there are no other repositories interested in acquiring them; or if they contain toxins or other volatile components that place patrons, staff, or other collections at risk.
B. Research, Scholarship, and Integrity
Curators are responsible for the accuracy of the documentation of the collections under their care, whether prepared by themselves or others. Curators conduct research and record the provenance of all objects in or offered to the collection under their care.
They are aware of applicable international laws and never knowingly acquire stolen, illegally exported, or improperly collected artifacts. They ensure all collections records prepared at the time of acquisition are systematically organized and retrievable.
Curators ensure the integrity and objectivity of their scholarship and research projects by compiling reference materials and supporting documentation. They remain aware of current scholarship and consistently acknowledge the scholarly and artistic contributions of others. They develop appropriate methods to maintain accurate records, make information accessible to a broad audience, and encourage others to explore and learn about collections and related research topics.
C. Interpretation
Curators are responsible for ensuring that all verbal and written interpretation is accurate, meets ADA standards for accessibility, and is cognitively age appropriate, whether prepared by themselves or others. They must commit themselves to develop museum collections and interpretive experiences with an understanding of and respect for the needs of all potential patrons and audiences.
When preparing interpretive materials, curators have a responsibility to an object’s creator(s) and culture of origin. When possible and appropriate, they accurately and respectfully represent the creator’s perspective, the object’s historical and cultural context, and the object’s history of use.
D. Collections Access and Use
Curators are advocates for the collections and should discourage uses of the collection that may unnecessarily hasten the degradation or deterioration of any object. Whenever possible, curators accommodate legitimate requests for collection information, examination of objects, and/or loans.
Awareness of and respect for donor restrictions and confidentiality and respect for the object’s creator(s) and cultural context are paramount when considering requests for loans, access to objects, collection information, and any other use.
Curators recognize that the balance between preservation and use of collection objects is delicate, and that all collections objects should be treated in a manner appropriate to their cultural significance.
This is particularly true regarding objects of cultural patrimony, including but not limited to human remains, sacred artifacts, and funerary objects of all cultures. These materials must be handled, stored, and exhibited with consideration and respect for cultural traditions.
Curators offer professional guidance and expertise to the board of trustees or other governing authority to ensure that the institution does not suffer in any way as a result of a loan of objects from the collection. Object loans should further interpretation and scholarship. Any other purpose may create the appearance that collection materials, which are held in public trust, are being used for commercial or personal gain. Loans from the collections are granted following institutional policy.
Curators ensure that objects loaned to and from the institution are provided at least the same care and protection as the collections under their care.
E. Replication
Curators evaluate and support only those proposals for commercial replication that guarantee the safety of an object and ensure that every copy will be accurate and each use appropriate. Any replication should be marked as a copy in a permanent manner.
VII. Conflicts of Interest
Museum staff and trustees regularly make decisions about what to collect, exhibit, study, and promote. They recognize that the health and well-being of any museum depend on the public's confidence that institutional decision making is driven by the greater interests of the community they serve, and has not been unduly influenced by the potential for personal gain or the needs and practices of the marketplace.
The relationship between curator and institution is based on mutual trust and sound judgment. The first responsibility of curators is to conduct themselves in a manner intended to protect both their institution and the profession.
A. General Statements
Curators are committed to the mission, goals, and policies of their institution and avoid conflicts of interest or even the appearance of conflicts of interest with their institution. The perception of conflict can be as damaging as an actual conflict.
Curators are often in positions of leadership and influence and therefore should carry out their duties with the highest possible ethical awareness. If curators use their association with a museum for either perceived or actual personal gain or profit, that behavior constitutes a conflict of interest.
Critical areas for potential conflicts of interest include personal collecting, dealing, gifts, outside employment, and consulting. In all pertinent areas, curators should assert leadership and advocate for the creation of policies and other statements that define institutional expectations and standards of conduct. Written policies, which should be made available to all staff, help the institution establish and employ a consistent and even-handed approach to all employees and all situations that involve a potential conflict of interest. If written policies do not exist, curators must seek the advice and consent of their supervisor in all such matters until a policy is adopted.
B. Disclosure
Ethical decision-making is rarely a matter of simply following preordained guidelines. Real-world situations are often complex, and decisions about ethics are reached after a thorough process of study and consideration. Openness and transparency are prudent and effective means of avoiding conflicts of interest and are essential conditions for the decision-making process.
Curators disclose potential conflicts of interest to their immediate supervisors in writing or by following established institutional policy.
C. Personal Collecting and Dealing
Curators often make or influence important decisions about the content of institutional collections and exhibitions. The public good, rather than individual gain, must be the central factor in that decision-making process.
When curators build and maintain a personal collection in any area of interest that overlaps with their museum’s identity and mission, there is a serious potential for an ethical conflict to arise. For this reason, many institutions prohibit personal collecting by staff within the museum’s mission; others choose to allow it within closely prescribed guidelines.
Curators must not develop a personal collection in any way that compromises or is in conflict with the credibility or interests of their institution.
Under no circumstances may a curator or a guest curator be an active dealer in the areas of interest of the museum. Active dealers are individuals who have a registered business with commercial tax status or, more broadly, are actively engaged in the buying and selling of objects for personal or commercial profit.
D. Appraisals and Authentication
Curators who become involved in establishing the monetary value of objects, or authenticating objects, expose themselves and their institution to conflicts of interest and legal risks.
Therefore, curators must not prepare appraisals for any reason. Curators should refer all interested parties directly to professional appraisers’ societies or qualified appraisers. All referrals should be made without endorsement.
Curators may estimate insurance values for loans or other internal uses and should document the sources for these estimates.
Some museums may allow curators to provide authentications under carefully controlled conditions, as per institutional policy.
E. Outside Employment
Outside employment includes any situation where curators work for an organization, an individual, or themselves on their own time and are reimbursed for this activity. Some institutions prohibit outside employment; others choose to allow it within closely prescribed guidelines.
Curators should conform to their museum’s policy concerning outside employment and disclose any activity to their supervisor before accepting those responsibilities. In addition, curators must follow their institution’s policies regarding lecture fees, royalties, and ownership of scholarly materials and copyrights.
Curators who are also artists need to be sensitive to the ethical issues that may arise in relationships with galleries and dealers as well as with professional colleagues. Artist/curators must not use their position in a museum to advance their own work.
F. Relationships with Vendors, Gifts
Personal relationships with vendors or contributors may lead to or cause the appearance of favoritism and have legal ramifications. For this reason, gifts from vendors, collectors, or other parties who may be seeking influence or business with the museum may not be accepted. To avoid undue influence, curators who have a prior relationship with a vendor should disclose that relationship to their supervisors.
As a result of their professional duties, curators may develop a personal relationship with a colleague, donor, associate, or artist. In such instances, personal gifts may be permissible in accordance with institutional policy.
Many institutions prohibit staff from accepting personal gifts; others choose to allow it within closely prescribed guidelines. Gifts to the institution may be accepted by the curators for their institution. If there is any question about appropriateness, the circumstances should be discussed with the curator’s supervisor before the gift is accepted.