Permanent Art Collection Committee
Permanent Art Collection Committee Members
Justin Witte (Chair)
Diana Martinez
Don Inman
Jane Oldfield
David Ouellette
Jenny Dunbar
Julia Walker
Mara Baker
Amy Decker
Policies and Procedures
Our VISION is to be a leading cultural environment that houses a significant contemporary art collection that is challenging and thought-provoking to its viewers and complimentary to its educational programs.
Our MISSION is to provide a resource for students, faculty, and staff in which to explore the arts and to culturally enrich our visitors by broadening their knowledge, increasing their sensitivity to the visual arts, and by sparking the development of their own creative talents.
To provide College of DuPage and its surrounding communities with a public art museum that weaves its way through every building on campus creating a more beautiful and interesting environment for learning.
To provide a welcoming open-air art environment where significant art can be viewed, studied, and appreciated by everyone (faculty, staff, and the public).
About the Collection
The College of DuPage Permanent Art Collection consists of over 720 individual artworks, not including the 69 pieces in the William E. Gahlberg Native American Contemporary Art Collection, along with more than 100 Ecuadorian masks and 17 World War II posters in the Library Collection.
The College’s first acquisitions were made in 1983 through the Illinois Arts Council Percentage for the Arts Program. Other works in the collection have come from art collectors and donations. Notable acquisitions include 21 Richard Serra etchings and lithographs, 157 original Polaroid photographs and gelatin silver prints by Andy Warhol from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Photographic Legacy Program, 145 works from the Cleve Carney collection, 178 works from the collection of Andree Stone and 11 works from the Dianne Skeet collection.
Artists in the collection include: Nicholas Africano, John Baldessari, Mel Bochner, Stephanie Brooks, Rodney Carswell, Francesco Clemente, Peter Doig, Olafur Eliason, Leon Golub, Jim Hodges, Jenny Holzer, Julia Fish, Tony Fitzpatrick, Michelle Grabner, Arturo Herrera, Jeff Koons, Henri De Toulouse Lautrec, Judy Ledgerwood, Sol Lewitt, Maya Lin, Jim Lutes, Robert Motherwell, Thomas Nozkowski, Jim Nutt, Catherine Opie, Ed Pashke, Raymond Pettibone, Richard Rezac, Richard Serra, Cindy Sherman, Rembrandt van Rijn, Tony Tassett, Andy Warhol and Frank Lloyd Wright.
Art Acquisitions
Donations of art should be received through the COD Foundation, when permissible, and then gifted to the College so the donors may be properly acknowledged and recognized. Donations of art should be presented to the Permanent Art Collection Committee for consideration of acceptance into the permanent art collection.
Criteria for Acquiring New Art Acquisitions Funded by the College and/or Patrons:
The Permanent Art Collection Committee must agree on a majority vote of those present.
New acquisitions should fit the “vision and mission” of the Permanent Art Collection Committee.
Consideration must be made to: a) finding an appropriate location for the work b) how it fits into the vision and mission c) the cost of maintenance and installation d) additional fees such as shipping, and framing.
Careful long-term planning should be considered before acquiring new works into the collection.
Follow the same basic guidelines outlined in the Art Acquisitions Criteria.
Criteria for Accepting Art Donations:
Donations should fit the “Vision and Mission” of the Art Collection Committee. “(An) art collection that is challenging and thought-provoking to its viewers and complimentary to its educational program.”
Only unconditional art donations that enhance the college’s art collection and educational programs should be considered.
A donation’s value should not be the main reason for accepting an artwork.
Maintenance and installation costs should be carefully considered before acquiring a work.
Priority will be given to works that date between 1967 (COD’s founding date) to present day.
Artworks older than 1967 will be accepted only if they have significant historical and educational value.
Artworks donated in memory of an individual from the College will be considered part of the PAC only if it meet the acquisition criteria.
Student artwork and student/faculty art collaborations will only be considered for temporary display and not as part of the PAC.
The artwork should be in good to excellent condition.
A location for the donation needs to be determined prior to acceptance.
Artworks valued at $1000 or more need to be appraised prior to acceptance unless gifted by the artist.
Ability to properly care for the proposed acquisition.
Lack of any donor-imposed restrictions.
Possession of clear title by the present owner.
No acquisitions may be encumbered by: literary rights, property rights, copyrights, patents, or trademarks, or have physically hazardous attributes.
The Permanent Art Collection Committee’s Process for Acquiring Art in New and Renovated Buildings on Campus
All art acquisitions must follow the Art Acquisitions Criteria guidelines and fit the vision and mission of the Permanent Art Collection Committee.
A percentage of the construction budget for new buildings or renovations for old buildings will determine the monies available for art purchases. This budget will assist the committee in determining how many and what kind of art purchases are possible (i.e. indoor or outdoor artworks).
A meeting between building residents and the Permanent Art Collection Committee will take place before researching art purchases for the building.
The committee will begin research for art purchases after reviewing the resident’s feedback. A list of possible art purchases will be researched and selected by the Art Collection Committee.
The list of possible purchases will be presented in a meeting with the building residents and selections will be determined shortly thereafter. Locations for art will also be determined at that time.
The Permanent Art Collection Committee will then pursue the art purchase(s) or commission, process the paperwork, and arrange shipping and installation.
The artworks upon receipt will be registered, documented, catalogued, labeled, and installed. The Permanent Art Collection database and website will be updated with the new pieces.
Some forms of publicity will be released (press release, reception, unveiling…) once installed.
De-accessioning Criteria:
Works that no longer pertain to the stated focus of the collection.
Works that have deteriorated beyond usefulness for study, exhibition, or ability to convey the creator's intentions.
Works that have deteriorated or been restored to an extent that only the smallest fraction of the object is original.
Forgeries with no value, replicas, reproductions etc.
Works that duplicate other objects in the collection.
Works that could be exchanged for better examples.
Works given to the college with the understanding that they may be sold or exchanged.
Artwork that needs to be moved but cannot be relocated.
Rarely on display due to lack of a suitable site
Condition or security cannot be guaranteed.
Damaged, deteriorated, repair impractical or unfeasible.
Endangers public safety.
Overwhelming public objection to the work.
Incompatible or inferior in the context of the collection.
Desire to replace the artwork with a more significant work by the same artist.
Requires excessive maintenance.
Other: Faculty/student collaborations once considered part of the collection changed to the status of temporary as of Oct. 2007.
One or more of the above reasons may qualify an artwork for de-accessioning.
Sequence of Action:
Determine the sale value of artwork to be de-accessed.
Research the sale or auction possibilities of the artwork.
Contact the artist or the estate of the artist.
Contact other institutions, museums, galleries, and experts for possible sale, donation, or exchange.
Dispose only as a last resort.