Deposit and Custody System of Collections in Zhejiang Art Musuem

1. Regulations on Deposit and Custody of Social Collections

To expand the solicitation channels of collections, strengthen the construction of collections in ZJAM, develop collection resources, enrich the collections, and encourage the development and utilization of art collections by art collection agencies and collectors, the methods of collection solicitation and custody in ZJAM and the management system of collection deposit and custody are establihsed according to the Management Methods of Collection Solicitation of Zhejiang Art Museum.

(1) Collections should be deposited and under custody with application filed by art collection agencies or collectors, appraisal by the Appraisal Expert Panel of Collection Solicitation of ZJAM, and approval of the Management Committee Office of Arts Collection Solicitation in Zhejian Province.

(2) ZJAM will sign with the owner of the collection a deposit and custody agreement which states the responsibilities and obligations of both parties.

(3) The term of collection deposit and custody should be more than a decade.

(4) During the deposit and custody term, the entrustor of collection masters the ownership to the collection, while ZJAM enjoy the rights to study, publish, display, and develop derivatives of the collection. The entrustor has the supervision right, the right to be informed, and the inspection right to the deposited collection under custody.

(5) The deposited collections under custody are included in the collection list of ZJAM under unified storage and management.

(6) According to the management practices on art collections of the Museum, the deposited collections must be under good custody and their safety must be ensured. ZJAM will keep the deposited collections in collection warehouses with constant temperature and humidity conditions. If the deposited collections are damaged as a result of poor custody, ZJAM should make double compensation. The extent and valuation of the damage should be assessed and confirmed by experts organized by both parties.

(7) After the collections are deposited and under custody, ZJAM will award honorary certificates to the entrustors and will not charge any custody fees. ZJAM will set up special shelves to keep the collections and mark them in nameplates.

(8) Some of the deposited collections will be displayed in exhibition halls of ZJAM at given time.

(9) With consent of the entrustors, ZJAM has the right to use the deposited collections for operating publishing and reproducing activities. Other copyrights to the deposited collections should be performed in accordance with the Copyright Law of the People’s Republic of China.

(10) For collections deposited in ZJAM under the entrustment of collection agencies or collectors, ZJAM will charge custody fees based on the number and size of collection. ZJAM should check and seal the collections, but these deposited collections should not be included in deposited collection list.

2. Regulations on Temporarily Deposited Collections

(11) Collections that are used for external exhibitions or that are borrowed from external units may be deposited in the Department of Collections with the consent of the Curator for the sake of safety. The term of deposit should not exceed five working days, in principle. If the collections need to be deposited for a longer period of time for work needs, the extension of deposit term must be permitted by the Curator with signature and the document should be handed to the custodian. The custodian should notify the entrustor to take away the deposited collection within the limited term and the entrustor should perform the procedures of withdrawing the deposited collection.

(12) If an external unit needs to deposit cultural objects in the warehouse of ZJAM, it should sign a deposit contract with ZJAM with the approval of the Curator and according to the Deposit and Custody System of Collections, and should pay custody fees as agreed in the contract.

(13) The entrusted should fill “Voucher of Collection Deposit” when depositing a collection in the warehouse. The deposited collection should be packed individually, sealed and locked. The custodian should take over and check the number of collections with individual package as unit instead of checking specific collections. When the deposited collections are handed over, the representative of entrustor, Director of the Department of Collections, and the custodian of the warehouse involved must be present simultaneously, and the key to the package box of deposited collections should be held by the entrustor. The time of sealing and signature of sealer must be marked clearly on the seal (the representative of entrustor must sign or stamp on the seal). The person who handles the matter should make sure that the seal is intact, check the number of deposited collections, and keep a record. The voucher is in triplicate, all signed by the Curator, Director of the Department of Collections, and handlers from both parties. The three copies are held by the general account administrator, the custodian and the entrustor, respectively.

(14) When the deposited collections are taken out of the warehouse, Director of the Department of Collections, the custodian, and the entrustor must be present and hand over the collections item by item based on their individual package instead of checking the specific collections. The handlers of both parties should examine whether the seal and lock are intact and the Curator, Director of the Department of Collections, and handlers from both parties should sign on the “Voucher of Collection Deposit”. After the handover, the entrustor can take away the deposited collections.

For more information, please send e-mail to: dcb@zjam.org.cn