An archive is an organic collection of items resulting from the activities of a person, family, organisation, club, etc. These documents may take the form of letters, postcards, bills, diaries, notes and files, but also photos, films and digital files. Archive items are different from other forms of documentary information because they have arisen as the direct consequence of the focused activity of an organisation, person or group of people, whether at public or private level. The value and significance of these items is not dependent on the material itself, but on the meaning it gains as part of a larger whole.
In an artist’s archive, other factors are also relevant. The archives that artists create are often a hybrid combination of both documents and works of art, and they contain more than what the artist themself has created in their artistic practice. Artists’ archives have a wide variety of documents that are also found in ‘ordinary’ archives, such as correspondence, invitations and printed matter, as well as preparatory materials for works of art and objects that are part of the creative process. Things like grant application files, accounts, correspondence, initial studies, collections, objects and printed matter such as flyers, posters and newspaper clippings are an inextricable part of an artist’s archive. Due to the variety of the archive items, care and management of these archives requires extra attention and commitment.
Please note that in contemporary artists’ archives, the physical archive is supplemented by a digital archive. This consists of the files on your computer, laptop or tablet, as well as what you have saved on CD-ROMs, USB sticks or external hard drives. The digital archive presents its own challenges for storage and accessibility.
Why should you take care of your legacy?
There are various reasons why it is recommended to preserve and care for artists’ archives. The archive is a memory aid and a source of knowledge about the legacy, and it is primarily kept for its informational value. Moreover, an artist’s archive is part of their artistic practice, and the information may be useful for preparing exhibitions, a publication or writing a biography. Furthermore, the archive acts as a support base for the day-to-day running of your estate and helps to tell the artist’s story. An orderly archive with an inventory makes access easier and is more appealing to people who want to consult it.
TIP: Appoint a person within the estate who is in charge of taking care of the archive, collecting and managing the items it contains and making them accessible to others. Make clear arrangements for this and draw up a task list!
TIP: KEEP UP-TO-DATE. Develop a system that you can easily supplement with new information.
Interested to read more? Go to the next page: Surveying your archive.