Donating or Selling Objects to the Museum
The High Desert Museum collects art, history and natural history objects related to the High Desert and the American West. Please know that we are presently in the midst of a multi-year inventory of our entire collection and during this process we are accepting objects on a limited basis. In order to consider your donation of artwork, artifacts or specimens, submit the object donation form below to be considered by our curatorial and collections staff. Please do not bring objects to the Museum. We cannot accept them without first evaluating your proposal.
Once we receive your complete proposal, Museum staff will carefully consider your offer and make a decision based on criteria such as its relevance to the Museum’s mission, how it fits with plans for the Museum’s collection, the condition of the object and our ability to adequately care for it in the future. We will also discuss how the object would fit into our collection, whether as a part of our permanent collection or as an educational tool or exhibition prop. Not all donation or sale offers can be accepted. If the object is accepted, you may be asked for formal documentation of ownership. We respond to all proposals. It may take anywhere from one month to six months for us to respond because of the unique considerations of each proposal. Please note that we cannot offer appraisals nor can we recommend appraisers. For these questions, please visit the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) website or call ASA at 800-272-8258.
Please do not bring objects to the Museum without prior arrangements. For additional information, contact our Collections department at 541-382-4754 ext. 392 or contact us. Please complete this form and submit it to the Museum. For questions regarding object donations, please contact our collections department at 541-382-4754 ext. 392 or contact us.