Artifact Collection

SCC Artifact Collections

The Scandinavian Cultural Center Collections holds over three thousand  cultural artifacts and art works related to Nordic lands and people, Nordic-Americans, and PLU’s Nordic heritage. The Center’s collection represent artifacts dating from the 17th century up to the present and is especially rich in textile works, woodworking objects and ceramic plates.

To the left you will find a link to the Scandinavian Cultural Center’s Artifact Collection Online. The Collection Online is a work in progress and we will continue to work on it until we have all the artifacts accessible. Our progress has been slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Each record needs to updated for best practices and accuracy. We hope you enjoy what we have made accessible so far!

The SCC has accepted artifact donations since 1983. If you are interested in donating artifacts to the collection, please read the summaries below and contact the SCC Director for more information about our collection policy and procedures. The SCC does not accept books, manuscripts, or other printed materials. We suggest contacting PLU’s Archives.

Summary of Collection Priorities

The Scandinavian Cultural Center is adding to its artifact collection at this time.

Summary of Acquisition Policy

The following standards shall be satisfied for the acquisition of artifacts, whether acquisition by gift, bequest, purchase, transfer, exchange, commission, or field collection:

1. No materials or artifacts shall be knowingly or willfully accepted or acquired which are known to have been illegally imported into, or illegally collected in the United States, contrary to state and federal laws, regulation, treaty, and convention or any resolution of UNESCO Convention of 1970 and UNESCO Convention of 2001 or the UNIDROIT Convention of 1995.
2. The SCC shall refuse to acquire materials and artifacts where there is cause to believe that the circumstances of their collection involved unauthorized destruction of historic or archaeological sites, buildings, structures, habitats, and districts.
3. The SCC will not accept human remains, burial goods, or objects known to be sacred to Indigenous peoples such as the Sámi.
4. The SCC will not accept books, manuscripts, letters, postcards, and other paper materials, except for books that serve as reference material for artifacts in the collection. Such materials shall be referred to PLU University Archives and Special Collections.
5. Present owner must have clear title; no other party can make any kind of legal claim to its ownership.
6. The SCC must be in a position to care properly for the proposed acquisition.
7. The significance and relevance of the materials or artifacts to SCC collecting objectives must be determined.
8. The materials or artifacts should, if possible, be documented as to provenance.
9. The proposed acquisition must represent no physical hazard to the collection, building, or staff.
10. In the case of purchases, the curatorial staff must arrange funding in advance. The proposed purchase price should be established by the seller and is subject to negotiation and agreement by the SCC.
11. All moral, legal, and ethical implications of the acquisition must be considered.
12. If possible, acquisitions will not be encumbered by less than full literary rights, property rights, copyrights, patents, or trademarks.
13. Acquisitions must be free from donor imposed restrictions, except for compelling reasons which are approved by the Director.
14. Acceptance of fractional and promised gifts must be approved by the Head of Collections (Director) and presented to the CRC for approval. The potential donor must provide a written letter or agreement defining the terms of the promised gift. A promised gift is only accessioned into the collection at the time a Deed of Gift is signed by both parties, but may be accepted on short or long-term loan prior to be formally accessioned.
15. The Deed of Gift must be signed and filled out completely. The original copy will be filed in the Accession file.
16. Digital media or content donated to the SCC must be accompanied by a Digital Content Footage Release Form, signed by the donor. The original copy should be filed in the accession file. However, digital content should be referred to PLU University Archives and Special Collections.

The Scandinavian Cultural Center’s Collection Review Committee shall consider acquisition of artifacts for the collection based using the following questions.

1. Does it support the SCC mission?
2. Does it have a meaningful connection to Nordic culture, history, or PLU’s Nordic connections?
3. Does it have multiple potential uses for our staff, audiences, and researchers?
4. Is the SCC the most appropriate place for it?
5. Can the SCC adequately care for it?
6. Does it duplicate something the SCC already has?

The SCC Director shall be responsible for ensuring that this policy is implemented and adhered to by any staff, SCC Council members, and volunteers.