The Art of Business: How Archiving Can Preserve Your Story

Image: Courtesy of cottonbro studio via Pexels.

Guest Work Agency is your go-to source on art business – we want to provide you with useful insights, resources and tips on the day to day running of an art-oriented business.

In this Art of Business story, our Archives and Collections Consultant, Laura Brandon, shares her insights on why archiving is an integral aspect of quality studio and collection management. Laura has been assisting Guest Work Agency clients with establishing archiving systems as part of our estate planning services for artists and collectors.

In my many and varied roles in the art world over the last 2 decades, one of the key concepts that has emerged is the question of what happens to artwork and the related content and collateral of the making process, after it’s been created? Who is responsible for all of this information? The intention of creating art might ultimately be to sell. However, it’s important to ensure that the process of making, the narrative of the artwork and the story of the artist is preserved. Here enters the role of art archiving.

What do an artist, a collector, or a gallery do with all of the behind-the-scenes narrative accounts created as part of making an artwork? Art archiving intends to solve that issue. Establishing good archiving practice and identifying what tools are needed in order to formulate and maintain an ongoing inventory is the foundation of the work of an art archivist.

WHAT ARE ART ARCHIVES?

An art archive does a lot more than merely preserving an artwork itself. Art archives document the activities and decisions of arts practitioners, collectors and organisations. They provide a way of systematising and organising unique original documents in multiple formats, including paper and video, sound and digital. Art archiving extends to collecting correspondence and administrative records and storing these documents efficiently and practically.

Archives may not be an entirely new concept in contemporary art. However, the systematisation and archiving process has gained popularity in recent years, especially throughout the pandemic. Collections and archives originating from both artists and collectors, which have been carefully gathered, curated and documented, are emerging onto the world stage and being featured as part of museum collections worldwide.

WHY IS ARCHIVING ART IMPORTANT?

An art archive ensures artistic legacy, documenting provenance as well as historical and cultural value. The wide scope of an art archive's subject matter and content makes securing its future all the more vital, especially in light of ever-increasing channels for creating and sharing information.

Archiving preserves the story. It gives us background information that, if not available to refer to, would otherwise be lost. This translates to significance, both in relation to the original creator of the material as well as the information that this material contains. An art archive documents the entire creative process, subsequent business transactions, and why certain decisions were made.

At first glance, an archive might appear static and somewhat dull. Taking their role into consideration, archives focus on documenting activity: someone did something; it was recorded and documented; it was selected and then became part of the archive. So in reality, art archives are a dynamic entity. They are about people and their actions. They provide us with a narrative about the creative process. They also document the formulation and development of an artwork or exhibition, and any subsequent happenings.

Having information carefully stored and systematised enables transparency. Furthermore it provides a clear understanding as to how an archive is being cared for and by who, who owns it and who has the right to access and re-use it.

In my experience as an art archivist, there has been more than one occasion where archives have played an invaluable role in the sale or loan of an artwork, or in their ongoing preservation. I’ve been asked to track down documentation for an artwork that was held in Sydney but whose records were hidden away in a gallery in London. I’ve delved through an over 300 box archive at the State Library of NSW in order to locate a single piece of paper to authenticate an original artwork. I’ve helped numerous arts writers gather information to assist them in compiling research for publications and I’ve even managed to find original artworks amongst what was thought to be a load of old material ready to be sent to recycling!

WHERE ARE ART ARCHIVES KEPT?

Art archives can be held in a range of places, be it as part of a university’s special collections, in the studio of artists or the organisation who produced them, by a gallery or museum or by a local or national record office. 

In Australia, the National Art Archive at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) holds the country's most significant collection of original archival material on the visual arts. Having collected archival material from artists, commercial galleries and other individuals and organisations since 1955, the National Art Archive includes the personal archives of over 220 artists.

Internationally, Tate Archive held at Tate Britain holds the world’s largest collection of archives relating to British Art, comprising over 900 individual archive collections. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York collects, preserves and makes accessible nearly 90 years’ worth of the Museum’s historical records.

Importantly, these public institutions are free to use, providing an essential resource for students, curators, conservators, writers, journalists, artists and museum staff.  

WHEN SHOULD I START ARCHIVING?

Embarking on a process of archiving and documenting work should ideally start in the first couple of years of working as an artist. It can be a very daunting task when you have accumulated more than a dozen or so pieces of artwork and related material.

Taking the first step is crucial, as is establishing good archival practice and a system as to how the archive will come together and how it can be properly maintained. Starting this process early on is known to save a great deal of time and money down the track.

SHOULD I GO PHYSICAL OR DIGITAL?

Good archiving practice is key in establishing a clear and logical system for categorising and arranging archival material. Considering the essential elements of archiving - organisation, preservation, accessibility and maintenance - as well as deciding on a system of archiving that is the most appropriate and logical for your project is vital. As a starting point, the physical archives that are held need to be carefully collated and organised. Establishing an order as to how you wish to arrange these materials can be as straightforward as deciding to place them in chronological order, in order of theme or subject matter, or making use of a numerical system. Once that system has been established, this format should be adhered to moving forward, and creating a contents page as the project takes shape is incredibly useful.

The materials one uses to collate a physical archive is also a valuable consideration. I’ve found that using clear storage boxes with a file hanging system can make the process very efficient. Labelling boxes clearly as well as using colour coded hanging files is a simple yet effective way of organising the material - physically, visually and mentally! The best method of archiving physical documents comes down to what works best for you. Having a clear way of classifying physical archive material means that you can add to the archive as and when needed as well as being able to draw from it for reference.

After ordering your physical archives it’s important to select the best digital archiving software that suits the archival material you’re working with - its immediate and ongoing requirements. Having these documents digitised both future proofs their legacy and also means they can be more widely accessible if desired.

There are a number of online database software and inventory management platforms which support the process of art archiving. Three leading examples in this area are Artlogic, Artsystems and Artcloud.

HOW CAN GUEST WORK AGENCY HELP YOU?

Embracing the role of the non-traditional art advisor, Guest Work Agency understands the unique nature of estate planning for artists and collectors. Being an art law and advisory firm, we advise on the legal aspects, like drafting wills and deeds of gifts. We also advise on your archives' physical and digital needs, with our first-hand knowledge of managing and organising physical archives, leading inventory management platforms and digital authenticity record systems.

Guest Work Agency offers hands-on support in designing, building, maintaining and preserving functional art inventories for artists, collectors and organisations. If you require assistance with your archiving and estate planning needs, please contact us at info@guestworkagency.art.