About 35% of Upper Arlington's indoor public art collection is under preliminary review for possible removal, sale or destruction under a formal policy the city's Cultural Arts Commission adopted in 2022.

The commission discussed the deaccession review at its Aug. 5 meeting at the Bob Crane Community Center, where it also welcomed new members and held officer elections. The meeting marked the advisory body's first gathering with its new roster.

The review targets the city's "Art in Work Spaces" sub-collection, which includes artwork displayed inside city buildings. Upper Arlington's broader Permanent Collection is split into two categories: Art in Work Spaces (interior pieces) and Art in Community Spaces (exterior pieces in parks, libraries and facilities).

Former commissioners built the preliminary deaccession list by evaluating works against the commission's guiding principles and flagging those that didn't strongly align, according to the meeting agenda packet. At an April 1 meeting, Chair Sheryl Pfeil and fellow commissioners physically inspected pieces on the list, discussing whether works were originals or prints, their physical condition, sun damage, outdated framing and whether they had ever been publicly displayed or sat in storage.

Arts Manager Jodi Hatfield told commissioners at the April 1 session that "unlike a museum, the City's goal is not to maintain extensive storage collections, but rather to ensure artwork is accessible and displayed for community enjoyment whenever possible."

The city has paused new acquisitions for several years to organize and evaluate what it already owns. Past purchases were often made without a formalized intake process, making the collection difficult to manage, according to commission discussion documented in the April meeting minutes.

What the policy allows

Under the Collection Management Policy adopted Dec. 7, 2022, artwork can be deaccessioned if it poses a safety threat, is damaged beyond reasonable repair, costs too much to maintain, lacks a suitable display site, has declined to 10% or less of its original acquisition cost, or doesn't align with the commission's guiding principles. Content alone is not grounds for removal, though a work can be deaccessioned if staff and the commission conclude it does not adhere to the Cultural Arts Division's broader guiding principles.

Deaccessioned works would be sold through auction, gallery, dealer or direct bidding. Pieces damaged beyond repair could be destroyed. The original artist gets first right of refusal to purchase their work at current market value, though artwork cannot simply be returned to the artist under city policy.

Public input required

No final decisions have been made.

Artists whose work lands on the deaccession list will be notified and invited to attend a public meeting to comment. The policy requires at least one public meeting to gather community feedback before any removal is finalized. After that, the commission makes a recommendation to city staff and City Council to either keep or deaccession each piece.

The commission, supported by Hatfield and Parks Development and Arts Superintendent Jeff Anderson, advises City Council and meets the first Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at the Bob Crane Community Center, 3200 Tremont Road. Based on that schedule, the next regular meeting would fall on Sept. 2.