Smithsonian Adopts Policy on Ethical Returns; Smithsonian, May 3, 2022

Smithsonian; Smithsonian Adopts Policy on Ethical Returns

"“There is a growing understanding at the Smithsonian and in the world of museums generally that our possession of these collections carries with it certain ethical obligations to the places and people where the collections originated,” said Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch. “Among these obligations is to consider, using our contemporary moral norms, what should be in our collections and what should not. This new policy on ethical returns is an expression of our commitment to meet these obligations.”

“When we talk about the shared stewardship of collections, what we are really talking about is a change of both scholarly practice and philosophy,” said Kevin Gover, the Smithsonian’s Under Secretary for Museums and Culture. “We seek to share what we know of our collections and to learn from the communities of origin in a collaborative exchange of knowledge.”

Smithsonian museums will each establish criteria and procedures for deaccessioning and returning collections for ethical reasons based on this new policy. In certain cases, the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents may be required to approve the deaccession and return when objects are of significant monetary value, research or historical value, or when the deaccession might create significant public interest.

The Values and Principles Statement below is also part of the Smithsonian’s Collections Management policy:"

Why the Smithsonian Adopted a New Policy on Ethical Collecting; Smithsonian Magazine, June 2022

Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary, Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian Magazine; Why the Smithsonian Adopted a New Policy on Ethical Collecting

For more than a century, museum artifacts were acquired in ways we no longer find acceptable. How can we repair the damage?

"In 2021, the Smithsonian asked a group of collections specialists and curators to examine how to make ethical concerns central to our ongoing stewardship of Smithsonian collections. The group’s recommendations, with overwhelming support from the collections community, went into effect at the end of April. The new policy authorizes our museums to enter arrangements to share authority, expertise and responsibility for objects’ care and return certain objects based on how and under what circumstances they were acquired. Unethical acquisition could include an object having been stolen, taken under duress or removed without the owner’s consent.

The first return under consideration is a set of objects dating from the 13th century removed by the British during an 1897 raid of Benin City in what is now the nation of Nigeria. These artifacts, known as the Benin bronzes, were donated to or acquired by numerous museums over the years, including the National Museum of African Art. Of the 39 pieces in its collection, 29 have been confirmed or determined likely to have been looted, and pending approval by the Smithsonian Board of Regents, will be returned to the Nigerian government."

Smithsonian Releases 2.8 Million Images Into Public Domain; Smithsonian Magazine, February 25, 2020

Katherine J. Wu , Smithsonian Magazine; Smithsonian Releases 2.8 Million Images Into Public Domain

"For the first time in its 174-year history, the Smithsonian has released 2.8 million high-resolution two- and three-dimensional images from across its collections onto an open access online platform for patrons to peruse and download free of charge. Featuring data and material from all 19 Smithsonian museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives and the National Zoo, the new digital depot encourages the public to not just view its contents, but use, reuse and transform them into just about anything they choose—be it a postcard, a beer koozie or a pair of bootie shorts.

And this gargantuan data dump is just the beginning. Throughout the rest of 2020, the Smithsonian will be rolling out another 200,000 or so images, with more to come as the Institution continues to digitize its collection of 155 million items and counting...

The database’s launch also marks the latest victory for a growing global effort to migrate museum collections into the public domain. Nearly 200 other institutions worldwide—including Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago—have made similar moves to digitize and liberate their masterworks in recent years. But the scale of the Smithsonian’s release is “unprecedented” in both depth and breadth, says Simon Tanner, an expert in digital cultural heritage at King’s College London.

Spanning the arts and humanities to science and engineering, the release compiles artifacts, specimens and datasets from an array of fields onto a single online platform."