Donate Art

Glenbow has a defined set of collecting goals for each area of the museum’s collection. We are extremely judicious about adding to the collection to ensure everything we collect fits within our mandate. We are interested in art and objects that are well-documented and help share stories about culture and history.

When a prospective donor offers Glenbow an artwork, we consider our mandate, the artist, whether the art being offered is a strong example of their work, and what we already have in the collection. We also look at connections between artists in our collection, the condition of the work, and the complexity of storing and caring for the work.

Researchers in a variety of fields regularly access the collection, as do other members of the community. We provide images of artworks and objects to a broad variety of publications and media. We also provide broad access to the Indigenous collection to First Nations in southern Alberta and throughout Canada. Additionally, every year we lend hundreds of objects and artworks to other galleries and museums throughout Canada, the United States, and occasionally Europe.

As Glenbow’s team prepares for the museum’s reopening, we have implemented a temporary moratorium on new acquisitions and art donations. This pause will remain in place until Glenbow reopens to the public.

Following that, when offering an artwork or object to Glenbow as a donation, we appreciate receiving as much information as you can provide and a photo if possible. Offers are reviewed by appropriate staff, and if it is determined we would like to add the item to the collection, it is presented to a committee for formal acceptance. When the formal acceptance is complete, we issue a Gift Agreement.

In all instances of items valued at more than $1,000, the fair market value of an acquisition will be determined through an independent appraiser. In most cases, the museum will arrange the appraisal. If the donor provides the appraisal, the appraiser must be acceptable to the museum. The donor is responsible for the costs of the appraisal.

In most circumstances, it is possible for the donor to realize a tax benefit from a donation to the museum. Donors are encouraged to speak with their accountants about this possibility and what the benefit may be. Museum staff can supply basic tax information; however, they cannot give tax advice or appraise the monetary value of a collection if that value is more than $1,000.

Glenbow has limited resources to direct toward purchases for the collection. The majority of Glenbow’s collections have been donated and we continue to build the museum’s collections primarily through donations.