Ensuring the Legacy of Self-Taught and Local Artists: A Collaborative Framework for Preserving Artists’ Archives

Abstract

Many institutions collect the papers of prominent artists, but similar efforts have rarely extended to the archives of self-taught artists and artists of local renown. The author recommends that institutions establish collaborative relationships with local artists, supporting these artists' personal archiving efforts with guidance and resources, and providing an archival repository for long-term community access to these materials. This article presents a case study of such a relationship between Durham-based painter Cornelio Campos and the Durham County Library. The author analyzes this effort to articulate a general framework for establishing strong relationships between local artists and cultural heritage institutions.

A Guided Tour Study of the Untidy but InspirationalPIMof Visual Artists

“…This would confirm, that the way visual artists approach PIM affects how their personal information is valued (Post, 2017a). If the visual artists were to recognise the uniqueness and broader societal significance in terms of describing “time, place, and events” (Krtalić et al, 2021, p. 170), it could potentially impact the value that they assign to their personal information.…”

“…Previous research investigated the personal collections and PIM behaviour of notable people, but this research did not focus on digital collections (Krtalić et al, 2021). The personal collections of less well‐known individuals, like emerging artists who might become famous or local artists, might equally be considered culturally significant in the future and thus should be kept (Post, 2017a). Knowledge about the PIM of visual artists can inform institutions that might potentially be interested in keeping this information, raise the awareness of artists regarding their own PIM practices and challenges and guide the future development of PIM tools for visual artists (Krtalić et al, 2021; Post, 2017a).…”

“…Previous research on visual artists gives almost no insight into the handling of contemporary, digital, PIM‐related items and it has been noted that further research is needed to investigate the personal archives of artists (Post, 2017b). Beyond their use for the individuals themselves, the personal information collections of visual artists could potentially be valuable for others (Post, 2017a). Exploring visual artists' PIM practices and challenges thus has the potential to support artists and institutions in preserving personal information collections, raise artists' awareness regarding PIM, and inform the development of PIM tools.…”

Information in the personal collections of writers and artists: Practices, challenges and preservation

“…Personal collections, understood as those owned or managed by an individual [3], are kept by many kinds of people as records and sources of information for various personal, familial, professional and community needs [23][24][25][26]. Such collections contain items in physical and digital format spanning multiple spaces and devices [27], usually consisting of records of their owner's activities and interests, and thus comprise valuable personal information legacies [9,[28][29][30] which must be managed over time spans (i.e.…”

“…How artists manage information in their personal collections can have an impact on the ways artwork is reused, transferred to collection institutions, perceived and preserved. Even though available resources provide preservation guidance to artists [45], research reports that artists’ practices vary, and artists often report a lack of specialised knowledge and skills to create and maintain their personal archives or lack the motivation to do so [26,46]. Some artists develop their own preservation skills, but are interested in gaining preservation ideas from other artists and experts [47].…”