Hello! We are Sara and John, two Canadian art librarians representing the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, British Columbia) and Concordia University (Montreal, Quebec) respectively. Throughout our careers, we have both worked in libraries that have extensive artist file holdings. Inasmuch as we recognize the intrinsic value of artists’ files as information sources, we also understand how this value can be underestimated by today’s researchers – especially with so many competing electronic art resources at the users’ fingertips.
As art information specialists, it is helpful to remind ourselves that artists’ files can be rich and varied (and in many cases unique) sources of information. They not only document the careers of contemporary and historical artists, but they also reflect the development of the organizations that collect them. For instance, we both know that artists’ file collections in any given institution can wax (or wane) over time depending on the presence (or absence) of one or two key library stakeholders who manage their growth.
Historically, documentation about, and critical analysis of, artists’ files has been very limited, and it continues to remain an under-documented professional activity. For these reasons, we began to collaborate on an ongoing research project in 2021 to determine the current state of artists’ file collections in galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAMs) and artist-run centres (ARCs) across Canada. As our readers may be aware, the main resource on artists’ files in Canada is the Artists in Canada reference database, an online, bilingual (English/French) union catalogue that identifies the location of documentation files on Canadian artists at twenty-three libraries and galleries across Canada. We hypothesized, however, that the collection and maintenance of artists’ files is happening at more organizations than those identified via Artists in Canada. Additionally, we note that there is no comparable resource to identify artists’ files held at Canadian ARCs.
To gain a better understanding of the state of artists’ files management in Canada, we invited over 160 GLAMs and ARCs to complete an anonymous, online survey including multiple-choice and open-ended questions. The questionnaire itself was bilingual (English/French), and participants could respond in the language of their choice in twenty minutes or less. We were amazed at the high response rate we received – 54% (90 respondents)! This response rate, in and of itself, informs us that there are many institutions that are also interested in the management of artists’ file collections.
The results of our questionnaire were compiled using Qualtrics software and were reproduced, along with our preliminary analysis, in a 2022 report published in English as The State of Artists’ Files in Canadian GLAMs and ARCs: Report. In French, the report is titled État des dossiers d’artistes d’artistes conservés dans les galeries, bibliothèques, archives, musées et centres d’artistes autogérés canadiens : Rapport.
Despite our own backgrounds with artists’ files collections, we both learned a great deal from this experience and were surprised by some of the responses we received. We invite you to consult our openly accessible reports which have been deposited in the online catalogue and digital repository e-artexte:
- https://e-artexte.ca/id/eprint/34367/ (English)
- https://e-artexte.ca/id/eprint/34366/ (French)
The report also served as the basis for our 2023 poster presentation at the 51st Annual Conference of the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA). Documentation about our poster can be found here:
Now that our professional report has been published and initial findings have been shared with our ARLIS/NA, GLAM, and ARC colleagues, we intend to work on an article that builds on our findings along with additional critical assessment and research, including a literature review. We also anticipate a need to return to the survey in a few years’ time to maintain current awareness of the state of artists’ files in Canada. Beyond this, we encourage arts professionals working in other areas to utilize the project survey and overall framework as a model for their own research on artists’ files or other relevant formats and collections.
We hope that you will find our research of interest, and that you won’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions or feedback.
Image: Selected documents from the artist’s file of Daniel Olson in the collection of Artexte (410-OLSON, DANIEL). With permission from the artist.
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Sara Ellis is the Art & Visual Literacy Librarian at the University of British Columbia Music, Art & Architecture Library
sara.ellis@ubc.ca
John Latour is the Teaching & Research Librarian – Fine Arts at Concordia University Library
john.latour@concordia.ca