The New York Times had a fascinating report on all the ‘stuff’ in museum storage that never gets put on display, and is often of very low value or interest. Much of this is due to gifts from donors that come with restrictive agreements, causing a tenfold collection expansion at some institutions in the last 50 years The cost of storing and caring for their holdings, and expanding this storage, is unsustainable for most institutions, so many are looking for ways to de-accession selected items. The Indianapolis Museum of Art has developed a grading system, A-D, with all D-grade items being considered for sale or donation to other institutions.
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