The Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art at Central Methodist University is hosting its first-ever deaccession sale next week, July 30, 31, and August 1. The gallery is selling some of its collection in order to make room for new acquisitions. 

The gallery has received several donated collections this year and has limited climate-controlled, secured storage available for its works. “The gallery board decided that we need to start deaccession, weeding out,” said Registrar Joe Geist. 

The process of selecting what works to keep and what to let go was not easy, he added. “Sometimes there’re duplicates, or sometimes there are pieces we haven’t shown for a long time,” said Geist. That eases the decision-making a little. 

In 2021 alone, Ashby-Hodge has received more than 100 new works across multiple donated collections, “and this is just July,” commented Geist. The gallery has a collection of more than 1,000 works. 

Some of the pieces are given by donors with the intent of being available for the gallery to sell as needed. The deaccession sale isn’t primarily about raising funds for the gallery, however. It’s about making space for new works. That means collectors could potentially get a great deal.

“Prices in the art market change all the time,” pointed out Geist. That is one of the reasons collecting art is potentially a lucrative investment option. Sale prices will be based on a work’s appraised or insured value. 

In addition to great prices for buyers, the sale is a great deal for collectors. “It’s a mixed collection with a lot of different subject matter, genre, and also technique,” said Geist. “It covers a lot of territory. Most of the artists will be mid-American or Missourian.” 

The current show in the gallery ends tomorrow, July 22. It will take almost a week to prepare for the deaccession sale which begins Friday, July 30. Sale hours will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Works may be purchased with cash or check only; the gallery is not equipped to accept credit card transactions.