Donating an Object or Artwork to the Museum of Hartlepool or Hartlepool Art Gallery

Thank you for thinking of donating your object or artwork to us.

The collections team is working on the museum redevelopment project. This new museum space will let us tell more of Hartlepool’s fantastic history. Because we’re a small team, we have had to pause accepting new donations.

We would still love to hear more about the object you would like to donate, so please fill out the form below with information on the object and your contact details, so we can get in touch later. We are particularly interested in objects that help us understand the lives, experiences and changing history of Hartlepool and its communities. This includes recent and current events, and issues that have shaped people’s lives.

To ensure that we can properly care for all the items in our collection, we cannot accept every object or artwork offered for donation. For this reason, and to help ensure the smooth accession of new items, all potential donations must be discussed with a member of the collections team before they are transferred to the collection.

The Museum and Art Gallery’s collecting goals are outlined in our Collections Development Policy [hyperlink to policy]. Some reasons we might have to say no are:

  • We have a similar item in the collection.
  • The object does not fit the museum’s collecting priorities or help us tell new stories about Hartlepool and its people.
  • There are health and safety reasons why we could not care for it.

This does not mean that the object is not interesting, significant, or valuable. It simply means that we may not be the most suitable home for it.

Unsolicited donations

Unsolicited donations are objects or artworks that are left at, delivered to, or posted to the Museum or Art Gallery without prior discussion and agreement with the Collections Management Committee.

Please fill out the form

Thank you for your interest and for taking the time to fill out the form.