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Artists’ archives: preserving the documentation and collections of an artist organization

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2016

Darlene Tong*
Affiliation:
Head of Information, Research & Instructional Services, J. Paul Leonard Library, San Francisco State University, 1630 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132-4030, USA
*
Email: [email protected], www.library.sfsu.edu/dtong
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Abstract

A wealth of primary documentation has been produced and collected by artists and artist-run organizations since the 1970s. Alternative art activities were often time-based and experimented with form and material, and documentation has become essential as a means to study and understand the intent, the actualization and the impact of artworks. What are the key issues for artists, archivists and researchers interested in the collection, preservation and provision of future access to the archives of the avant-garde?

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Art Libraries Society 2002

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Footnotes

dedicated to the memory of Carl Loeffler (1946-2001), founder and Executive Director of La MamellelArt Com.

References

1. The term ‘archives’ has been used in reference to those collections of primary materials created and collected by artists and organizations, and the term ‘archival repository’ to refer to those institutions such as universities, museums and places like the Archives of American Art, which are acquiring and organizing many different archival collections for their institutions.Google Scholar
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