Object Department, Classifications, and Object Status

Owned by Shelby Lakins
Last updated: Jun 24, 2024
3 min read

Object Department

Department designates at a general level the legal status of objects recorded within the Collection Management System.

This is assigned by a Registrar when a new object is created and updated when it falls into a new status.

  • Inactive: objects with no current activity, retained for record keeping
    • Returned loans
    • Declined acquisitions
    • Deaccessioned objects
  • Non Collection
    • Property and objects that necessitate identification and location information
  • Permanent Collection
    • Accessioned artworks
    • Proposed acquisitions
    • Promised gifts
  • Study Collection
    • Tracked property kept in art storage
  • Temporary Custody
    • Loans


Classification

Classification designates the material, regional, or temporal system that represents the strengths of the collection.

This Classification system overlaps where it meets criteria for two or more collection classifications, but should be applied in a standard order as represented in the diagram below.

If an object has tiered classifications and one of them is Prints & Drawings, (primarily Prints and Drawings + Latin American, and Prints & Drawings + American), add both classifications individually then use the arrows to make sure Prints & Drawings is at the top.


Classification

Scope

Modern and Contemporary Art

1890 – present, includes all nationalities except Latin American inclusions, includes all object types

Latin American Art

No date limitations. Includes all Latin American artists. (Mexico, Caribbean, Central and South America)

European Painting and Sculpture

pre-1899, traditional media (painting, sculpture)

Plaster Casts

Specific study collection

Art of the United States

Artworks created in the U.S.

Sub-classification with either Modern and Contemporary or Prints and Drawings. 

Latino Art

Artworks created by U.S. Latinx artists.

Sub-classification with either Modern and Contemporary or Prints and Drawings.

Antiquities

800 BCE through 300 AD

Spanish Americas

1492-1825 

These dates cover from the first European settlements in the Caribbean to the year that the two last countries in the Americas, Bolivia and Uruguay, attained independence from Spain (Mexico and Peru in 1821). Cuba and Puerto Rico became independent from Spain in 1895 and 1897 but went almost immediately to US rulership.

Subclassification with Latin American Art.

Prints & Drawings

All prints and drawings, regardless of artist nationality. Does not include photography.


Object Status

The object status defines at the most granular level, the legal status of an object and is managed by a Registrar.

Status Type

Scope

(unknown)

system default, do not use

Accessioned

objects accessioned into the collection

Deaccessioned

object deaccessioned from the collection through any method, sale, transfer, gift, etc.

Destroyed

work destroyed either purposefully (for media or reproduced copies) or destroyed beyond conservation efforts to display as desired by artist

Found in collection

object on site with unknown origin, source, or with little or no documentation

Fractional gift

partially gifted artwork which is still primarily owned by the donor, only processed between 2001-2007

Loan

loan for collection display or for exhibition

Not accepted

Proposed gifted acquisition, not accessioned

Not approved

Proposed purchase, not accessioned

Pending

used only for bulk collection processing, such as Cardenas 2022 contractual project

Pending deaccession

work identified for deaccession by curatorial department and is in process of formal deaccession

Promised gift

artwork with pledge agreement from donor to give in the future

Property

Object in Blanton’s jurisdiction, not accessioned

Proposed acquisition

proposed by curators for collection acquisition, not yet accessioned

Returned

loan returned to lender, or potential acquisition returned to donor/source

Sold

non-accessioned object sold to another party

Transfer

non-accessioned object transferred to another institution

Year-end gift

remove, should be accessioned object, or is this to be used instead of proposed acquisition prior to completion?

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