DESCRIPTION

The Wayne State University Art Collection (UAC) is the property of Wayne State University. The UAC is administered in accordance with public-trust principles associated with cultural resources held by 501(c) (3) not-for-profit educational institutions. The UAC consists of art objects purchased or commissioned with university funds or donated to the university and accepted by the University Art Collection Committee in accordance with its Collection Development Policy. In 2013 the UAC contained approximately 6,000 works of art including prints, paintings and sculpture. The UAC was established to acquire, manage, and present works of art throughout the university's campuses. The UAC complements the urban outreach and educational missions of the university's other visualcultureprograms.

MISSION

The Wayne State University Art Collection exists not in isolation, but within the context of the university's overall mission to discover, examine, transmit and apply knowledge that contributes to the positive development and well-being of individuals, organizations and society. A great university strives to challenge the imagination and the Wayne State University Art Collection is a primary resource in the creation of this environment by providing provocative and stimulating surroundings
where students, faculty, staff and visitors can encounter great works of art. The Wayne State University Art Collection serves as an important educational resource where the campus community can not only view important examples of genres, experiments and works of local historical interest, but can also access them as artists, critics and scholars. Through the acquisition, exhibition, and preservation of works of art the Wayne State University Art Collection encourages an awareness and appreciation of the visual arts, contributes to the aesthetics of our beautiful urban campus, educates and inspires our community and reinforces Wayne State University and Detroit's standing as a center for artistic expression.

TERM(S)/DEFINITION(S)

POLICY

COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT 

The composition of the Wayne State University Art Collection represents the historic diversity of the university and the communities it serves. Its focus is primarily on works of art created by university alumni, students, staff, faculty, visiting artists, and exhibitors at the university's galleries. Works by Detroit- and Michigan-area artists associated with the university's visual-arts community and works that reflect the cultural experience of the university, Detroit, and its metropolitan region are also represented. The UAC also includes works by major artists or exemplary works by lesser-knownartists that distinctly enrich the UAC and enhance its capacity to further its mission. In addition to further deepening the UAC's existing strengths, its goals include the acquisition of late twentieth and twenty-first century objects, works from all periods by artists associated with major ethnic groups represented in the university community, as well as relevant objects in any medium, era, or culture which add to the research, teaching, and community engagement goals of the
university. The UAC is also open to opportunities that will refine and improve the quality and appropriateness of the collection.

SCOPE

This policy applies to all university employees and affiliates involved in management, commissioning or acquisitioning of university artwork.