Permanent Collection Acquisition Proposals

Thank you for your interest in donating art to the Bakersfield Museum of Art’s (BMoA) permanent collection. Though BMoA predominantly focuses on California paintings, drawings, photography and sculpture in our collection, we are willing to consider any work from noteworthy artists that would, because of their outstanding quality, greatly enhance the Museum’s ability to fulfill its mission.

In order to consider your donation of artwork(s), please submit a written proposal to be considered by our Curatorial Staff and Collections Committee.

What to include in a proposal:

  1. Whether you are offering a restricted or unrestricted donation. Unrestricted means, once accepted, the museum may trade, sell, or accept the donation(s) to the permanent collection.
  2. Information about the object, such as: a general description; name of the artist; any background on the artist’s education and career; art medium; dimensions; date made; and other details you can provide.
  3. Good photograph(s). Visual documentation is also important to the process, in particular to help assess condition.
  4. How you came to own the object. Please include any formal documentation of ownership.
  5. Estimated value. If you have a receipt of purchase and/or appraisals, please include.

Send Acquisition Proposal Materials to:

ATTN: Acquisition Proposals
Curatorial Department
Bakersfield Museum of Art
1930 R Street
Bakersfield, CA 93301

Once we receive your complete proposal, BMoA staff will carefully consider your offer and make a decision based on criteria, such as its relevance; how well it fits with plans for the BMoA collection; whether it is in good condition; and whether we can adequately care for it in the future. Not all donations can be accepted.

Depending on the unique considerations of each proposal, it can take anywhere from three to six months for us to respond.

Please DO NOT bring objects to the Museum.

We will be in touch if we need to view the item(s) in person.
Note that we cannot offer appraisals nor can we recommend appraisers.
For these questions, please visit the American Society of Appraisers website or call ASA at 800-272-8258.