Moving Ahead at The Skinner Museum

In July 2006, Skinner Museum staff initiated the first complete inventory of the Museum's collections. All objects were entered into a database, providing access to many formerly hidden treasures of this 20th century "wunderkammer." As part of the project, collections were reviewed and evaluated for their role in the Museum's primary mission to serve as an educational resource for the Mount Holyoke College community.

Joseph Skinner's interests were wide-ranging and his collection is quite varied. Among other things, the Museum owns twenty-four carriages and 500 stuffed birds. Neither collection has served as a useful resource in many years. Due to a lack of staff and space, they are not accessible to students, faculty, and other visitors. Because funding is limited, these items cannot be properly cared for or displayed.

After careful consideration by staff and outside experts, it was determined that the carriage and bird collections should be deaccessioned, or removed from the permanent holdings. Martin Auctioneers in New Holland, PA, holds a semiannual carriage auction and is an appropriate firm to handle the sale. All funds realized will go into the Skinner Museum Fund to be used solely for the care of the existing collections, as is established professional museum practice.

The Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University will receive the bird collection as a permanent transfer. The Peabody Museum has just undergone extensive renovations to create a state-of-the-art storage facility; the building and its collections are now easily accessible to university faculty and students. Peabody Museum staff can also provide regular access for other researchers and visitors, and the expertise of the staff will lead to a proper interpretation of the materials. Since Joseph Skinner was a Yale graduate, it seems a particularly appropriate location for the collection.

In addition, an antique South Hadley Fire Department hand-drawn fire hose will be donated to the South Hadley Historical Society and Old Firehouse Museum. The object will be a significant addition to the collection there and will help deepen the community's knowledge of its history.

By deaccessioning these objects, Museum staff can ensure that they will be acquired by those who will be able to care for them appropriately. In addition, the staff can devote their time, energy, and resources to the Museum's original mission of preserving and interpreting the collection, linking it closely to the curriculum, and making it more accessible to students, faculty, and the community.

This notice expired on August 27, 2008.

Permanent link to this story: http://www.mtholyoke.edu/news/story/5629926

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