“My Work Is Work”

Abstract

Many studies on the information-seeking habits of artists have been largely librarycentric instead of considering the entire process of artists as integral to their research. This article examines the research behavior of artists Carmen Winant and Tomashi Jackson. The study recognizes the past literature on the information-seeking behavior of artists, framing it within literature by and for artists on artistic research practice. From this perspective, the authors analyze how research manifests into physical artwork in the cases of these two artists in order to situate the act of making as knowledge and research creation.introduction "I've learned that, my work is work. So, I try to work through these histories that link us as members of the public. And I'm comforted by the history of painting to hold me inside of all of this. I'm just trying to understand the world around me."Perceptions of artists and their information habits, particularly by information professionals, have long relied on library-centric understandings of information and research, often framed within outmoded and stereotypical conceptions of the artist as patron. Sandra Cowan, in a 2004 article on this topic, addresses the idea that most librarian-driven studies of artists and research have centered on the library. The failing