Shaping an Art Collection: Councils for Museum Members

Shaping an Art Collection: Councils for Museum Members

with an emphasis on American Representational Art

(above: Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827), The Artist in His Museum, 1822, oil on canvas, 103.7x 79.8 in. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Art Museums often have available to members a variety of councils focusing on portions of the museum's collection. Some members are seasoned or novice collectors. Others may by museum directors and curators, private curators, authors, conservators, dealers, gallery owners, publishers, and people who aren't collectors yet favor a certain type of art. There may be a membership fee for council members in addition to the museum membership fee. Councils may offer lectures, social functions and field trips. Individuals join councils for a variety of reasons including:

- meeting like-minded people

- exchanging information on areas of mutual interest

- opportunities to see art in private homes and private museums not open to the public

- becoming acquainted with experts who may provide future services

- becoming acquainted with prospects for whom services may be provided in the future

Examples of councils: Councils focusing on the topic of California representational art available to museum members in Orange County, CA include the Laguna Art Museum's Historical Art Council and the Bowers Museum's California Arts Council. The Historical Collections Council of California Art is a separate non-profit organization. Use the Sources of Articles and Essays Indexed by State within the United States to find opportunities for council memberships in other locales.

Return to Shaping an Art Collection

Return to Resources for Collectors, Life Long Learners, Students and Teachers of Art History

Links to sources of information outside of our web site are provided only as referrals for your further consideration. Please use due diligence in judging the quality of information contained in these and all other web sites. Information from linked sources may be inaccurate or out of date. TFAO neither recommends or endorses these referenced organizations. Although TFAO includes links to other web sites, it takes no responsibility for the content or information contained on those other sites, nor exerts any editorial or other control over them. For more information on evaluating web pages see TFAO's General Resources section in Online Resources for Collectors and Students of Art History.

*Tag for expired US copyright of object image:

Search Resource Library