The purpose and goal of The Anderson Museum of Art’s (AMOA) permanent collection is to preserve and interpret the past, present, and future changing attitudes and values as seen through the eye of the artist. The collection documents these changing attitudes over the course of American history. At the present time our permanent collection consists primarily of early Indiana artists and works by local, regional, and national contemporary artists. A number of gifts and exhibition purchases have increased our original collection, which was donated by the Civic Art Association. Our collection is primarily paintings and works on paper but we also have a growing 3D collection.
Tell AMOA about what you have by filling out a Temporary Receipt and Provenance Questionnaire. If possible, please include photographs. These two forms and any photographs can be emailed to the collections curator or mailed to or dropped off at
The Anderson Museum of Art
32 West 10th Street
Anderson, IN 46016
Once the Temporary Receipt, Provenance Questionnaire, and photographs are received the director, collections curator, and members of the board of directors will meet to discuss the donation.
If AMOA decides to accept the donation a Deed of Gift will be issued. The Deed of Gift is to be signed by the donor with a witness present. It is normally the owner’s responsibility to procure a qualified appraisal of the object(s) for inclusion on the gift form.
If AMOA chooses not to accept the donation then the appropriate steps will be followed as specified on the Temporary Receipt.
Gifts are to be accepted on artworks offered as unconditional gifts. AMOA’s policy shall be to avoid gifts offered with conditions of limitations, unless approved by the Board of Directors. Questions we might ask about an artwork:
- Does the artwork fit with our mission of enriching the community through the visual arts?
- Will the artwork strengthen existing collections or add to the development of perspective collections?
- Is the artwork of appropriate quality?
- Is there adequate storage and/or display space available?
On the Temporary Receipt, the donor selects whether he/she wants the donation returned or if the center is free to transfer or otherwise dispose of artwork that is declined. If the donor selects the return option, the museum makes arrangements for the donor to pick up the donation or for the museum to ship it back , at the donor’s expense. If the donor does not want the donation back, the first consideration is to transfer it to another museum or appropriate institution.
AMOA does not charge donors a fee to donate artwork. However, there are many ongoing costs associated with the care of our collection such as:
- Archival supplies
- Equipment
- Climate control
- Electronic collections database
- Conservation
- Professional Staff
- Insurance
Our permanent collection is held in trust for for the public and the artwork within our collection supports our mission. Most pieces given to the center will remain in our collection for the rest of their lives.
Occasionally, artwork is removed from the collection through a process called deaccessioning. The process is lengthy and must be approved by the Board of Directors. Pieces that are considered for removal are:
- Those that no longer in keeping with the museum mission or fit into or strengthen the current or prospective collection.
- Those that are determined not to be authentic or found to be stolen or misrepresented by the seller.
- Those that are deteriorated beyond their ability to be preserved or exhibited.
- Those that duplicate another item in the collection.
Providing values for artifacts, except for insurance purposes, is not an ethical museum practice. Donors who seek values for prices should contact a licensed appraiser. For more information on finding an appraiser please click here.