Collecting
STAM’s collection policy is directed at the physical appearance of the city of Ghent, the changes that take place here and the ‘inside of the outside’: the social context (urbanistic, architectural, political, economic, social, cultural, etc.), the views and debates, the testimonies and experiences of users in relation to the changing city, etc. In other words, STAM stands for everything that happens with and in Ghent and that relates to the city and to ‘Ghent’s urbanity’.
Consequently, the museum is able to place current urban processes in a historical context. STAM does this in the context of ‘urbanity’ as a wider phenomenon and adjusts its collection policy to that of other institutions in Ghent which manage collections.
Four guidelines
The subjects for which material about the evolving physical city is collected follow four guidelines:
- place-related versus city-wide
- specific events versus long-term evolutions
- historical versus current
- Ghent phenomena versus world-wide phenomena relating to urbanity
In concrete terms
How will STAM’s collection be enriched by this collection policy?
- With images (photographs, films). As well as collecting images, STAM will also commission images with artistic merit which will then be included in the collection.
- With maquettes. These are models of realized and unrealized projects, with information about the context and the larger entities in and for which the maquettes were made. (Photograph: Maquette of the Town Hall. Robbrecht & Daem - Marie-José Van Hee architects)
- With oral statements. By iconic figures from Ghent, users and residents of places.
- If need be, with street furniture and other three-dimensional objects
The existing collection
The decision to concentrate on the physical appearance of the city of Ghent which was made for the current collection policy, also applies to the historical part.
The first steps have been taken towards addressing the big gaps in STAM’s collection which relate to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The museum will continue to pay special attention to those areas in the coming years.
Because STAM is one of the few museums in Ghent with a collection that goes back more than 250 years, it has a special responsibility to the ancien régime. Wherever possible, STAM will seize opportunities to acquire items from that period.
A new acquisition?
STAM’s collection grows year on year. Our staff are always on the lookout for pieces that complement the collection. Perhaps you have something you would like to give, bequeath or sell?
If you have an item that would be suitable for STAM’s collection, feel free to get in touch. In the first instance, please provide us with a photograph of the object and any background information.
STAM's collection manager: Bram Janssens
T +32 (0)9 267 14 65
E-mail: bram.janssens@stad.gent
