Indiana Jones and the AAMD

Kimerly Rorschach, Adjunct Professor and Mary D.B.T. and James H. Semans Director of the Nasher Museum, Duke University has issued a press statement ("New Indiana Jones Movie Raises Issues of Looted Art", Thursday May 22, 2008) to coincide with the launch of the latest Indiana Jones movie.

Generally speaking, all exporting is illegal, in an effort to stem the tide of looting. University art museums face the dilemma of wanting to collect antiquities for legitimate educational purposes but not wanting to contribute to illegal looting and smuggling.

So far, so good.

But then the release adds:

Rorschach has written about these issues, and is a member of the Association of Art Museum Directors, which articulates best-practice standards for collecting that museums must follow.

What are these "best-practice standards for collecting" that are reflected by the AAMD? (See "Museums and Professional Responsibilities".)

• Collecting "recently surfaced" antiquities that have been return to Italy
• A lack of transparency for the long-term loan of antiquities that do not appear to have a recorded history (and see "Loan Exhibitions and Transparency")
  

Perhaps Rorschach would like to address the less-than-best-practice due diligence processes that seem to be in operation by some AAMD members.