"Overview of Archiving the Non-Archival":
Visual Images and Summary Considerations

Continued from page one.

For Those Developing Artists' Archives

• First, the necessity of moving an archive may happen swiftly because the building is sold as ours was or the space it occupies is needed for some other activity - having a plan in place about future placement of an archive may prevent the necessity of making difficult decisions too quickly.

• It is a good idea to have a clear agreement among the organization's board on the direction you plan to take before either seeking to place the archive or allowing dealers to review materials.

• Consider in advance, possible repositories for placement of an archive. Whether an archival repository pays for the material or not, it is an enormous commitment for them to store, preserve and provide access to the collection in perpetuity. Inquiries can be made to research institutions and museums about the potential of accepting a collection. Consideration should be made re: types of materials an archival repository will accept, whether they will take an entire collection or only parts of it such as the papers, whether your collection will be housed together, whether its physical location will be on the repository premises or in an off-site storage facility, whether the repository has developed alternative forms for providing access to the information, e.g., digitized images and text.

• Consider also who will have ready access and be the primary users of the collection - will it be accessible to the public at large? For us, placing our archives at an academic institution granting doctoral degrees in Art History was a factor, knowing that this primary material will most likely be used for research that will perpetuate further study and writing about the activities and artists associated with alternative art.

• What other archival collections are held by the repository and are they complementary to yours? At Stanford, there has been a concerted effort recently to acquire avant-garde materials - they had just received the Allen Ginsberg archive, for example, while we were negotiating with them.

• At a minimum, ask that a collection level record be created immediately, and try to ascertain how quickly the collection will be processed and to what level (to the series, file, item level?)

• An archival repository will try to adhere to the archival principles discussed earlier in this presentation. Because the basic organizational structure of the archive will be maintained by the repository, those responsible for developing the archive should take that into consideration and also the relationship of its various parts that hopefully reflects how the artist or organization made use of the materials. Be aware that out of necessity (usually related to space issues and environmental controls), an archival repository may not actually keep a collection with its varied formats physically together and separate from other collections. But the idea of "keeping a collection together/respect des fonds" and preserving its context can be accomplished by linking its various parts through well-developed archival finding aids.

• If at all possible, don't follow our example and sign the contract with the repository before the materials are transferred.

For Archival Repositories and Institutions:

• Repositories face some of the same issues in dealing with any archival collection, but in preserving the archives of the avant-garde, the array of types of works and forms of documentation may be even more diverse, eclectic, ephemeral and fragile. Experimental and diverse formats of artists' publications have already been a challenge for libraries to catalog, house, and provide access to. The preservation, possible need for conservation, provision for access to artists' archives provides an even greater challenge to libraries, museums and archival repositories.

• Works in electronic formats will require special care. Continually updating formats to current standards to keep readable and/or developing alternative means of access will be necessary.

• Because the archives we are talking about have been created within the past 30 years or so, if available, repositories should take advantage of individuals who could provide the background history of the organization and help identify materials and explain their context.

• Digitizing collections provides broader dissemination of the information and fosters greater preservation of the original materials. Most of the material generated by alternative art activities were ephemeral works and cannot withstand excessive handling. A digital electronic version may suffice for study and research using text, reducing the wear and tear of handling the originals

• Digital archival initiatives such as the Online Archive of California (a major component of the California Digital Library), the Research Libraries Group's recently launched Archival Resources, and Project CIAO provide a viable means for offering integrated access to a multitude of archives and will expand access to a broader audience.

For the Researcher:

• Conceptually-oriented, time-based works such as performance and sculptural actions are ephemeral by nature and their documentation through photos, text, and artists' statements become critical for understanding the intent of the artist and how a work is realized.

• During the 70s and 80s, many artists used alternative modes of delivery to present their ideas and document their work. To gain an understanding of these activities, especially from the artist's point of view, the researcher needs access to these sources and most will be found in artists' archives and collections.

• Coverage of alternative activities in commercially published books and periodicals usually provide a retrospective view of activities -- while they may include a valuable overview and historical analysis, these publications should be used in conjunction with primary sources. Exhibitions like San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's "Space/Time/Sound" in 1980 and L.A. MOCA's "Out of Actions: Between Performance and the Object, 1949-1979" in 1998 provided an opportunity for the public to see performance works and documentation from the past. It's important to keep in mind, however, that these re-creations are being viewed out of context and may only partially resemble the original or "primary" version.

Conclusion:

If I were able to look into a crystal ball and envision the near future I would see a significant number of artists' archives residing in perpetuity in archival repositories where they will be preserved and accessible to the public. Detailed full-text finding aids would be available online, and a large proportion of the collection would be digitized so that on-site and remote users could have access to much of the content of collections. Online systems such as Archival Resources or other subject-specific databases would provide integrated access to archival collections so that researchers could easily find out about an artist archive and its various parts that might be dispersed to several institutions. In addition, researchers would be able to access part of the collection in digitized form to determine whether making a trip to the archival institution to view the originals is worthwhile.

References:

• Ashe, Mary. "Preservation of the Avant-Garde: Contemporary Archives." Art Documentation, Summer 1991, v.10(2), pp.86-87.

• Crane, Michael and Mary Stofflet, eds. Correspondence Art: Source Book for the Network of International Postal Art Activity. San Francisco: Contemporary Arts Press, 1984.

• Lemke, Antje. "Art Archives: A Common Concern of Archivists, Librarians, and Museum Professionals." Art Libraries Journal, 1989, v.14(2), pp.5-11.

• "Libraries Acquire Eclectic Collection from Avant-Garde Art Organization." Stanford [Online] Report, August 1999 http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/report/news/august25/art-825.html

• Loeffler, Carl and Darlene Tong, eds. Performance Anthology: Source Book of California Performance Art. Updated ed. San Francisco: Last Gasp Press and Contemporary Arts Press, 1989. First edition, 1980.

• McKemmish, Sue. "Introducing Archives and Archival Programs," in Keeping Archives. Ed. Judith Ellis. 2nd ed. Port Melbourne, Australia: Thorpe in association with the Australian Society of Archivists, 1993.

• Tong, Darlene. "New Art Technologies: Tools for a Global Culture." Art Documentation, Fall 1993, v.12(3), pp.115-118.

Web sites:

Online Resources of California @ CDL

http://www.oac.cdlib.org/

Archival Resources from Research Libraries Group

http://rlg.org/arr/index.html

Project CIAO (Conceptual & Intermedia Art Online)

http://bampfa.berkeley.edu/ciao

Darlene Tong is the Head of Information, Research & Instructional Services and Art Librarian at San Francisco State University. She is also on the Board of Directors of La Mamelle, an artist-run organization in San Francisco. From 1995-1997, she worked on the review of the La Mamelle/Art Com Archives & Collection, and their transfer from artist space to Stanford University Special Collections.

This temporary Web site was created by Chris Mays for Darlene Tong.
Questions and comments should be directed to dtong@sfsu.edu