Artist Files

Artists Files at the University of West England Library 

What is an Artist File?

“Collections of small-sized documents relating to the visual arts that are collected and arranged for the purposes of research. Often, these materials fail to receive individual full-level cataloging.” 

ARLIS/NA Artist Files Working Group

As mentioned in the quotation above, artists files are collections of miscellaneous documents pertaining to a particular artist. These collections are often stored within vertical files in the art library, and generally do not circulate. Materials that may be included in artists files include, but are not limited to: artist resumes, artist statements, correspondence, announcements, clippings, brochures, and small exhibition catalogs. Throughout the professional literature the term “ephemera” is used quite frequently in substitution for artists files or the materials within them. While ephemera may very well be contained within artists files, it is necessary to note here that they are not exclusively ephemeral materials (ARLIS/NA Artist Files Working Group). Generally artists files are organized alphabetically by artist name (Perratt 43). 

Why are Artists Files important?

As artists files are unique to individual institutions, generally complementing the collections in their possession, they may very well be the only source of research material on a particular artist. Therefore, they are critical to the art library and are often the most valuable yet underused materials available - especially for information pertaining to local, regional, or obscure artists (Boese 34).

Who are the primary users?

• General and art historians, as well as researchers and visiting scholars/artists
•         Museum curators and staff 

A Brief Background of Artists Files

Artists files have traditionally been kept by librarians as a means to preserve various ephemeral and singular use materials pertaining to key artists for their institution. Historically, the collection of these materials began and ended in the library - meaning that the “most effective finding aid[s] for vertical files has been the librarian” (Boese 35). Access to these collections was usually only available by making the trip to the physical institution. However, artists files have been making a slow but steady appearance on the Internet, as more and more librarians realize the necessity of making these vital research materials publicly available. The ARLIS/NA Artist Files Working Group played a role in establishing a set of standards regarding the online availability of artists files through MARC records, and even went so far as to create a digital repository for the file records - The Artists Files Online Directory. Unfortunately, current records indicate that the site has become defunct (see reference number 6).  The SIG is currently working on the challenge of born-digital ephemera and artist materials.("How the Web Was Won...")

The National Museum of Women in the Arts has a remarkable example of online artists files, accessible both via their old catalog (CLARA) and in browsable format through their newly updated website. For a discussion of the project, refer to Heather Slania's 2013 article for Art Documentation. See examples of both interfaces below.

Artist File for Helen Frankenthaler on CLARA, the NMWA's old database. 

Browsable Artist Profiles on the NMWA website. 

Important Issues

There are two critical issues pertaining to artists files in the art library - access and preservation. As mentioned previously, historical access to these files has been severely limited. Due to small staffs, large workloads, and little time, many art libraries have not prioritized the digitization of their artists files records. However, it is critical to ensure that these files are accessible both via the Internet and the library’s OPAC (Boese). 

Preservation is another issue to contend with in the realm of artists files, as the materials within the files were often not created to last. Brochures, clippings, and other single use items frequently populate the artist file. Popular solutions include photocopying any materials, especially newspapers, that were produced on acidic paper, as well as generally treating the materials as archival (Boese 36). Finally, Boese also recommends storing the materials in a climate controlled environment, though this may not always be the most easily accessible goal for most institutions. 

Bibliography 

1. ARLIS/NA Artist Files Working Group, "Artist Files Revealed: Documentation and Access," Art Libraries Society of North America (2009-2010). 
2. Kent C. Boese, “Art Ephemera: Relics of the Past, or Treasures for Posterity?” Art Documentation 25, no. 1 (2006): 34-7.
3. Henry Raine, “From Here to Ephemerality: Fugitive Sources in Libraries, Archives, and Museums: The 48th Annual RBMS Preconference,” RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage 9, no. 1 (2008): 14-7. 
4. Patrick Perratt, “ARLIS/NA Artist Files Working Group,” Art Libraries Journal 36, no. 1 (2011): 41-2. 
5. Kristy Davis, “Slipping thru the Cracks: Issues with Performing Arts Ephemera,” presented at World Library and Information Congress: 7th IFLA General Conference and Council (2005). 
6. Heather Slania, “Online Art Ephemera: Web Archiving at the National Museum of Women in the Arts,” Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America 32, (Spring 2013). 
7. “How the Web Was Won: Collaborative Approaches to Web Archiving,” ARLIS/NA 43rd Annual Conference (March 2015), https://arlisna2015.sched.org/event/29e1d357e0fc1ab784cce5c949de17e9#.VhHYI7zBndQ
8. “Artist Files Revealed: Online Directory,” ARLIS/NA Artist Files Working Group (no date), http://www.artistfilesrevealed.com/tiki/tiki-index.php
9. “Artist Files,” National Museum of Women in the Arts (2014), http://nmwa.org/learn/library-archives/archives-women-artists/artist-files