As per the Art Collection policy, the authority for the acquisition of Art Work rests with the Art Acquisition Committee.

Criteria for Setting Priorities and Selecting Artwork
Requests for purchase or commission of Artwork must be submitted to the Curator in writing six weeks in advance of an Art Acquisitions Committee meeting. The Curator in consultation with the requestor will prepare necessary considerations for the Art Acquisitions Committee.

Approval of a request to purchase or commission is based on the following criteria:

I. substantial proof of an object’s authenticity,
II. artistic merit;
III. relevance to the collection, present and future;
IV. aesthetic considerations and work also satisfying:

• Significance to Newfoundland and Labrador
• Significance to Canada
• Historical importance
• Balance of styles and media of the collection;

V. physical condition;
VI. adequate resources for the maintenance, conservation, storage, access for research and display of the Artwork;
VII. unencumbered and clear legal title; and
VIII. curatorial considerations in relationship with the acquisitions philosophy supporting the delivery of academic programming at the University.

Where possible, the Artwork must be accompanied by a sufficient record of provenance and will have been authenticated. The Art Acquisition Committee must be reasonably assured that any Artwork acquired is not stolen or otherwise illegally acquired nor that the Artwork has been collected under circumstances considered to be exploitative, unethical or otherwise incompatible with professional standards.

The acquisition of cultural property which has been in foreign countries must comply with the Cultural Property Export and Import Act, which incorporates the principles and provisions of the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (1970) into Canadian law.

Purchases and commissions are made through purchase order.

The Curator updates Inventory records accordingly.

The Curator notifies the Office of the Chief Risk Officer when the Artwork has been procured, in accordance with the Procedure for Reporting Changing Conditions for Insurance.