Object Donations

Overview

The Museum’s collections contain objects donated by individual collectors, organizations, and Wake Forest faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Artifact donations can help fill gaps in the collections, make it possible to improve or change exhibits, provide additional research resources for students and scholars, and contribute to K-12 education programs.

The Museum welcomes the donation of objects that will complement and fulfill our current collections. At this time, the Museum is accepting objects from all countries and cultures but is particularly seeking donations from south and southeast Asia, South America, and the Plains region of the United States.

Donation Terms

The Museum follows a policy of selective acquisition. Donations to the Museum’s permanent collection must meet the following terms:

1. The object(s) must be relevant to the stated purpose and mission of the Lam Museum.
2. Consideration will be given to the Lam Museum’s ability to provide proper care and storage for any object. No object(s) will be considered for acquisition if future care and preservation needs exceed the Lam Museum’s resources.
3. Items must have a clear title and be free of copyright restrictions. The Lam Museum will make every effort to ascertain that objects offered are not stolen, wrongfully converted, or acquired under false pretenses.
4. The Lam Museum is bound by international antiquities laws. Foreign antiquities must have documentation indicating that they were exported from their country of origin prior to the 1970 UNESCO Convention of the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.
5. The Lam Museum is bound by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The Museum may only acquire works of ivory within the United States and only if the object has clear, unquestionable, and proper documentation, is at least 100 years old, and was not sold or modified with questionable ESA-listed materials after February 26, 1976.
6. If the Lam Museum discovers that it has acquired objects in violation of the above laws, the Museum shall seek to determine the proper means of disposition through recognized authorities.
7. The provenance of acquired objects shall be a matter of public record.
8. A 30-day review period may be requested for any proposed acquisition.
9.  All acquisitions are to be outright and unconditional. The Lam Museum cannot guarantee that objects donated will be placed or remain on display, or that they will be exhibited or stored intact as a single collection.
10.  Please be aware that curatorial decisions made during cataloging of new collections may result in objects being deemed more appropriate for use in our education department collection or to be deaccessioned.
11.  All donations to the Lam Museum’s collections are irrevocable upon the formal and physical transfer to the Museum.
12.  All legal instruments of conveyance and warranty of title, signed by the donor setting forth an adequate description of the objects involved and the precise conditions of the transfer, shall accompany all acquisitions.
13. All acquisitions by gift or bequest to the Lam Museum will remain in the possession of the Museum for as long as they retain their physical integrity and authenticity, or as long as they remain useful in the fulfillment of the Lam Museum’s mission.
14. Federal law prohibits the Lam Museum from providing appraised values for donated objects. Donors are responsible for appraisals of value prior to the donation request. Donations are fully tax deductible within IRS guidelines. Please consult a tax advisor. The Museum will issue a letter confirming the acceptance of your donation, but monetary valuations must be issued by a professional appraiser.
15. The Museum shall deaccession or dispose of objects as needed and in accordance with the American Alliance of Museum’s ethics and best practices for collections management.
16. The Lam Museum does not purchase objects or pay for delivery of objects to the Museum.

Donation Request Form

If you are interested in donating objects to the Museum’s collections, please download and complete this form and submit it to lammuseum@wfu.edu or Collections Manager Stormy Harrell at harrelsl@wfu.edu. Please contact either email address or call 336-758-5282 to receive the form in another format.

Other Resources