ArchiveGrid connects you with primary source material held in archives, special collections, and manuscript collections around the world. You will find historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more. ArchiveGrid also helps researchers contact archives to request information, arrange a visit, and order copies.

Archive Grid connects you to archives in your area & around the world

We’re pleased to profile ArchiveGrid today on the Library as Incubator Project. ArchiveGrid is a database and discovery service developed as a re-design of OCLC’s RLG Archival Resources database in order to make it more useful for researchers working with primary source materials. ArchiveGrid is available as a subscription, but the goal is to ultimately turn this resource into a free service. The beta discovery interface that OCLC Research is developing is freely available here, and invites users– researchers and librarians and archivists alike– to contribute to the project and submit comments that will continuously improve the service.

Artists & researchers:

ArchiveGrid offers an array of search options and services you can use to research your next project using primary source material– original documents, letters, photographs, manuscripts and other wonderful records preserved by archives all over the world.  Here are a few highlights from a quick tour around the site:

• Use the Find an Archives Near You function (pictured above).  Located on the center of the home page, this function allows you to plug in your zip code and find archives in your area.  You can then explore the descriptions of their collections and get in touch to arrange an in-person visit.
• Use the Narrow By Archive search option on the left sidebar.  You can search for archives that collect and preserve documents and materials related to Arts, Society and culture, Performing arts and music, and other broad topics.  Clicking on a topic here will open a page that links to an alphabetical listing of archives around the world and their collections related to the topic.
• Use the search box in the top right corner.  This function allows you to search for specific topics, people, places, etc., which may be collected in many different archives under many auspices. A few tips for searching:  if you search multiple words, you will only return records with all the words you list.  Likewise, if you’d like to search for a phrase like “Harlem Renaissance,” remember to put it in quotes. You can find more useful search tips for ArchiveGrid here.
• Let serendipity guide your search. ArchiveGrid includes daily features on the website that highlight beautiful items found in the database’s many collections, like these pages of dried flowers from a diary collected by the Harvard University Library. The homepage’s right sidebars also feature a daily question (for instance: What did George Ellsworth Hooker know about streets?) and a link to the archival record where the answer may be found, like this record from University of Chicago.

Archivists & librarians:

Do your collections include primary source material, like photographs, manuscripts, or artists’ and writers’ personal papers that artists use to research and inspire projects?  ArchiveGrid offers a rare opportunity to connect with artists around the world who use primary source material in their work– we’d love to hear about your experiences collaborating with them, and if ArchiveGrid has brought new interest to your collections!

Not on ArchiveGrid? Would you like your collections included in this resource discovery interface?  You can contribute your finding aids to the project by filling out this simple form.  It costs nothing and is quick to do!

"Polaroid ATC" created by Melissa Kolstad.

Artist trading cards (also known as ATCs) are miniature (2.5″ x 3.5″) pieces of artwork that are about the same size as a baseball card.  They can be created with everything from markers, pens, or pencils to watercolors, oils, collage, fabric or metals. After they are signed, dated, and titled on the back, they can be traded, exchanged, or sold as originals or editions.

Many websites and online communities exist for the purpose of trading, exchanging, and discussing Artist Trading Cards:

• ATCs for All – a swapping community that includes a gallery, online workshops, and special contests/projects for community members.
• Illustrated ATCs – a trading community. Their cards are divided into Pencil & Paint and Mixed Media.
• The Original Art Trading Card Society – a trading community with a lively blog, online shop, and a handy how-to video page.

Ideas for using ATCs in the library:

• Host an ATC workshop. If there is interest in developing a trading community, offer the library as a space in which to showcase and trade cards perhaps on a quarterly or semiannual basis.
• 

  "Blejski Otok ATC" created by Melissa Kolstad.

  Artists, do you create ATCs? Talk with your local programming librarian about the possibility of facilitating a workshop.

• There are loads of possibilities for tying these cards directly to library collections. Have books with beautiful covers or bindings? Have workshop participants create them in miniature on cards. Or tie it in to a favorite series and have participants create miniature alternative covers or illustrations from the text.
• Host a workshop in which participants create a journal or box to store and display their ATCs.

Have you used Artist Trading Cards in your library? Artists, do you have other ideas for how these miniature works of art can be made or shared in a library setting? Post your ideas here in the comments or send us a note: libraryasincubatorproject@gmail.com.

Postcards by Purgatory Pie Press.

Tell us about your relationship to libraries.

Esther K. Smith: We have had quite a few library exhibits of our artist books and limited editions – including Victoria & Albert (London), Metropolitan Museum of Art, RISD, Pratt, Smith College, Harvard University (in the room next to their Gutenberg Bible!), City University of NY – and we have an exhibit scheduled for Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus library sometime later this spring. Many libraries collect our artist books and limited editions: MoMA, Whitney, National Gallery of Art, Tate (London), Walker (MN), Corcoran (DC), SF MoMA, U Wisconsin, NYU, UCLA, UCSB, UCSD, University of SF, U Washington, Seattle, Free Library of Philadelphia.

I was a visiting author/artist in a New Jersey library for their summer children’s program – the kids all made Instant Books and the librarian published some of them via photocopy.

I did research at the Morgan Library last fall, working on a book for a client based on incunabula – it was so exciting working with those early printed books – and then I got interested in pre-printing binding structures, etc.

Artist coaster set by Purgatory Pie Press.

Dikko and I both did London Seminars when we were at Beloit College (different years, but we both studied Blake) and one of the professors there worked in London Museums and was able to write us little notes so that we had access to original Blake hand-colored books at the Victoria & Albert Library and British Museum Library.

I teach at CUNY and worked with a librarian at my campus on a zines project with the students. I brought them into the library for a presentation about zines (that was also sort of a stealth how to use the library intro) then they made zines, published them via photocopy, and donated a copy to her collection.

When I was a Beloit College student, I took a children’s literature class and did a project where I went into the Beloit Public Library and had kids tell me stories that I wrote down and made into books.

I like libraries. I like their variety. I like natural light, skylights, windows and natural wood. I like to be able to explore the stacks.
But I also love libraries where I work among scholars – researching Blake with original printed books in the British Museum Library was the high point of my undergraduate experience.

2012 weekly planner by Purgatory Pie Press.

What can libraries do to serve artists more effectively?

Esther K. Smith: Exhibiting our work is number one. This is great for everyone – librarians need to fill cases, we artists need to show our work – and then of course events surround exhibits are great too.

Buying and collecting and safely archiving our work for posterity is really important, but this is specific to book artists who make museum quality limited editions. Buying one-of-a-kind artist books does not make sense for libraries – this is specific to libraries with special collections. Real education about contemporary artist books and limited editions is important. Some librarians get it and some just don’t know much.

Public events can be lovely but it is important to have the right amount of staff support. In a few (free) hands-on events, we were mobbed – some people picked up the work we brought to show and in one case cut up a piece; in another case, someone grabbed a very rare book and took it to her work table to copy (it was there for gentle handing) and we were put in the position of having to reprimand. It is best if it is clear when an event is for adults, or for kids, or for both, instead of the situation of the artist having to police that. I love working with kids but I plan kids’ events very specifically and differently from what I do with adults.

Wedding invitations by Purgatory Pie Press.

Also, please raise funds to pay the artists.

Dikko Faust: Think of books as cultural artifacts, not information retrieval devices. Think of how out-of-date microfilm is, but the oldest book still works.

Judith Hoffberg spoke to a class of mine years ago and said “I have gone through computers, losing everything at least 3 times – but I have books from when I was a child.”

Libraries need to understand the importance of supporting books. Yes, access to the internet is important, but that stuff should run on donations from the big money electronics/software people instead of stealing budgets away from books.

I usually find one or two books in a subject using the catalog and go to the stacks and see what surrounds them – usually find something more than I bargained for…

Dikko Faust and Esther K. Smith travel as visiting artists, lecturing, demonstrating, and making collaborative projects in art centers and universities. Faust teaches letterpress at SVA. Smith teaches Artist Books at Cooper Union. The press also designs and prints logos, letterheads, invitations, custom books and cards. Purgatory Pie Press made the wood type logo for Greenlight Bookstore in Fort Green, Brooklyn and their posters, bookmarks and business cards. For WORD bookstore in Greenpoint, Bklyn, Purgatory Pie Press made wood type greeting cards: EAT. DRINK . SLEEP. READ. WORD. Visit purgatorypiepress.com for more information.

All content on this page is copyright of the featured artist. For more information, visit our Terms of Use page.

Click to go to Wikipaintings.org

Each entry contains information about the artwork, though some are more thorough than others. The entries also contain links and tags that guide users to similar paintings and styles.  Images are searchable by multiple facets:

• artist
• artwork
• art movement
• technique
• genre
• nationality
• school or group
• style

The purpose of the site is not to provide high quality images for download — in fact, because some of the images are not out of copyright, high resolution images are often not available.

Rather, Wikipaintings is more of a place to find inspritaiton from and infomration about your favorite painters and paintings.  The About page for Wikipaintings states, “We hope to make classical art a little more accessible and comprehensible, and also want to provide a new form of interaction between contemporary artists and their audience.”

The “wiki” aspect of the website is still under construction, so as of yet users cannot add their own edits to the site. However, after this function becomes available, Wikipaintings has the potential to become an even more comprehensive collection of art and information, created through collaboration from users.

Have you used Wikipaintings in your work?  How has it been helpful?  How might you see incorporating this site into library services for artists?   Let us know in the comments!

Post- WAPL smiles!

Our presentation was about the “makerspace mindset” in public libraries.  Makerspaces are collaborative learning environments where people come together to share materials and learn new skills.  We spoke about how makerspaces are not necessarily born out of a specific set of materials or spaces, but rather a mindset of community partnership, collaboration, and creation.  A perfect match for public libraries!

To illustrate this, we spoke about the future Madison Public Library makerspace, which is currently in the planning stages but will exemplify the “makerspace mindset” through it’s partnerships and “pop-up” programming model. We explained how this model can be scaled to work at almost any library, and shared our idea to create a National Art Your Library Day, which would connect makers at libraries all over the country.

After the program, we had some great conversation.  Attendees shared experiences, ideas and questions about makerspaces.  We want to keep the ball rolling!  Look for future kits and features about creating the “makerspace mindset” at your library on the Library as Incubator Project website.  If you want to share what your library is doing, join us in creating a National Art Your Library Day, or just want to learn more, please contact us!  Email us, tweet at us, or facebook us.  We’re so excited to see where this conversation goes.

-Christina

WAPL 2012

Today, we’re delighted to be presenting at the 2012 Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries (WAPL) Annual Conference, at the Holiday Inn in Stevens Point, WI!

Our presentation, titled The Makerspace Mindset, exemplifies the “share the driving” theme this year.  In it, we will profile a number of new DIY-based library initiatives that create community or leverage community talent to bring new ideas and skills to patrons.

If you’re attending the conference and are on the lookout for a lively conversation with tons of visual impact and practical ideas you can take home to your library, we hope you’ll attend! According to the program we’re presenting in the Fifth Session, from 10:30 to 11:45 am in the Harvest Room, but, as always, be sure to double-check.

Here’s the program blurb to whet your appetite for #LibraryasIncubator innovation:

In this program, The Library as Incubator Project team will introduce participants to the idea of the hackspace or makerspace, and how the idea can be incorporated into library programming in many different funding landscapes.  We’ll profile some of the libraries that have launched makerspace initiatives, the process they went through, and the pros and cons of different makerspace models for the public library. We’ll also share practical planning tips for how to launch a makerspace at your own library, and share the practical kits and resources available on the Library as Incubator Project website for free, and quick ideas for how to put them to work for you!

Speakers: Erinn Batykefer; Laura Damon-Moore; Christina Endres / Sponsored by MATS, OSRT & NMRT

Sounds fun, right?  We can’t wait to share this flexible and integrated new programming model with you, and to learn what you do at your libraries to support the arts!  Feel free to find us and chat us up at the conference, or, if you aren’t attending WAPL, connect online (we’ll be Tweeting the conference).  Shoot us an e-mail, start a conversation on Twitter, or comment on Facebook– we’d love to meet you and share the driving!

~Erinn

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Annual Staff Art Show

by Beth Lawry

There is so much talent in this institution—it’s amazing!

Created in 2007 to promote sharing the artistic talents of staff, the annual exhibit is now in its sixth year. Using an existing gallery in our Main Library, a variety of staff art work is displayed during the month of April and in recognition of National Library Week. We are proud to say we are now in our sixth year.

As Manager of an 18-20 person staff responsible for Customer Services (Circulation), I discovered that several of my staff were also artists.  It seemed a good starting point to get all library staff to think of each other ‘outside’ the normal definitions of clerks, librarians, support staff, and recognize that people had other talents and were not defined by their job title. This was designed as a staff-driven, staff-participant, staff-celebratory activity.

After we received administrative approval, several staff were selected to spearhead the gathering of art, permission forms, etc. Our gallery area was booked for the month of April to tie in with National Library Week. The first year we held the exhibit and produced a simple flyer of artists/works. We spread the word through our internal staff communications’ devices (Intranet, newsletter, emails) to recruit artists.

During February and March staff are recruited to display their artwork. Permission forms are used to develop the list of participants and art is collected one week before opening. Art is hung in April and, over the years, staff participation has averaged between 20-30 participants providing 50-60 pieces of art. The variety of art has really been a highlight—fabric work, quilting, glass, paintings, photography. We use beautiful glass display cases for the three-dimensional work and each piece of work carries an identifying tag with artist, title and medium used.

The addition of an ‘opening reception’ during National Library Week increased the staff interest and provided a perfect setting for people to talk to each other about their art. Learning a little about another person’s life (photographs from a trip to Tunisia, working as a graphic artist before becoming a librarian) creates unique bonds amongst people from different departments. Staff musicians were recruited to play for the reception and provide background music, often improvising with each other throughout the afternoon. Photos are taken at the reception and of all the artwork for archival purposes. The photos are then put into a slideshow which can be shared with staff who do not attend.

Although primarily created as a celebration of staff, the community has access to the gallery during the hours the library is open. Brochures are made available and signage indicates that these are staff contributors, and the current gallery highlight is featured on our website.

Several years we provided a guest book at the reception, garnering these great comments:

Thanks for the opportunity…

Enjoyed the creativity of the staff.

I love seeing everyone’s work!

What a talented group of people—so proud to know you!

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the event—food, music, art, company—what could be better?

The staff art exhibit is one way the Library celebrates the talents of its staff, and helps everyone to step out of standard roles.

When I last wrote, I had just made the “fabric paper” with the due date slips from the big bag o’ detritus.  Well, what I didn’t count on was the print completely disappearing from the slips!  I guess that heat blackens the slips, while moisture removes it completely.  The only printing that remained was some handwriting on some of the slips, which is okay with me!

Now we’re at the moment of truth – the transfer.  Now I can let you in on my original idea – to collage the background with the due date slips (I wanted the printing intact, but oh well) and then use transfer paper (such as Saral) to trace an outline of our beautiful library onto the paper from a photo my husband Brian took.  Here goes….

Success!  Sort of.  The transfer paper did its job a little TOO well – looks like I’ll have to clean up the smudges a little:

Success again!  Okay. WHEW.  This took a while but it worked fairly well, so onto the next part of the project – the needlework!

As I had mentioned in the previous installment, I had recently made a clock with fusible webbing and had stitched a flower onto it.  For this project, my idea was to stitch the “landscaping” in the library buildingscape, like this:

As you can see, I’m making “bushes’ with my green overdyed flax thread (there are many things that I’ve discovered about my own process through this project; one of them is how much I’ve missed stitching, which I used to do exclusively.).  Again, this is a drawn-out step in the project, but one that I feel will add to the overall look.

Hooray!  The stitching is completed!  But I still felt like there was something missing.  I couldn’t put my finger on it, exactly, so I began to play.

One of the (many!) unexpected things to arise from this project was the look and feel to the canvas; after the transfer was applied, it looks very “batik-y” to me, because the transfer ink had made its way into the creases of the paper.  I decided to leave it as is.  It was probably because of this “batikyness” that I got the idea to use crayons to liven it up a bit.

I colored the canvas with the crayons, then used my small iron to set the wax.  While the canvas was still warm, I colored over it again – this time, the crayon melted on contact and created a wonderfully “creamy” look.

YAY!!!  The piece is finally coming together in a way that I can quantify!!  Here is the “finished” canvas with the encaustic process completed:

Now, you may be thinking to yourself, “This is all well and good, but what about the rest of the huge bag of stuff?  Surely this can’t be it?”

You’d be correct in your thinking.  Tune in on the May 22, when I FINALLY get around to doing something with the rest of the detritus!

Documenting the Detritus Project is a guest blog series written by a dear friend of the Library as Incubator Project, Melissa Kolstad. Melissa is a collagist/ephemeralist who works in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. She is a member of the Fond du Lac Visual Arts collective, which has a close partnership with the Fond du Lac Public Library. The Detritus Project is a new project that Mel is working on, which seeks to document and examine what people leave – parts of their everyday lives and activities – when they return library books. Mel will document her progress on the Detritus Project twice a month until June.

All content on this page is copyright of the featured artist/library. For more information, visit our Terms of Use page.

Photography class held at Queens Museum of Art. The class began at Queens Library-Corona branch.

New New Yorkers classes focus on the arts, technology and English language acquisition. The free classes are taught in a variety of languages including Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, Turkish and Bengali, allowing immigrants to learn new skills and explore artistic talents and interests in a welcoming setting.

The Queens Museum started out by bringing in international artists to do lectures and programs in their native languages. The museum soon found that people attending these programs were interested in engaging more with the artists and the art, beyond the scope of one lecture or program.  So, they began creating series of classes and lectures that focused on a skill or skills.  Half the classes are studio classes, and about a third of the classes have an English literacy component.  There are classes on photography, painting, dance, book making, video editing, and web design, among many other topics.

About half the classes are held at the Queens Library branches.  José says that having classes at the libraries works really well for the program, partly because the libraries are great at community outreach.  The libraries help with promotion and program planning, and create more opportunities for independent learning in between classes or when the class is over.  For example, a traditional calligraphy class might be held in a branch located in a Korean neighborhood.  The library has connections in the neighborhood and can host several of the classes at the branch, and then patrons attend some of the classes at the Queens Museum studio.  In this way, New Yorkers that may not have heard about the program without the help of the library get to experience quality arts programming in their own language.  The programs encourage patrons to engage with the library and other cultural institutions in their communities.

Ebru (paper marbling) class in Turkish, held at Queens Library-Sunnyside branch. The class was sponsored by QMA.

Many immigrants who come to the United States already have their own interests or passions for art, and having workshops in other languages provides an opportunity to pursue that art in a language that patrons are comfortable with, José says.  He says that sometimes there’s a feeling that immigrants must drop all of their other interests until they learn English, and then are free to explore other topics.  With the New New Yorkers Program, immigrants don’t have to put these interests on hold.

The program allows English language learners to pursue their passions in their own language, and also provides a setting to use that passion to make learning English more interesting.  For example, José gave an example of students in a design software class.  Patrons attended the class at the library, and the next session came back carrying English how-to manuals checked out from the library.  The desire to learn Photoshop or other computer programs led patrons to books in English that they were truly interested in.

Interactive Art class in Mandarin held at Queens Library-Flushing branch. The class was sponsored by QMA.

While many of the classes have patrons directly creating art (such as the photography and paper making classes pictured here), some class series like “Open English,”  which was based on the idea behind open source technology, are more focused on computer literacy.  In another class, students will prototype a mobile app in collaboration with NYU Interactive Technology Program graduates.  The apps will be in Mandarin, English and Spanish, and will link art in the museum to library collections through QR codes.  These classes often have a software, social media, or computer skills focus, but almost always relate back to art in some way.

And according to José, art is where all of this comes together.  Museums are expanding their outreach efforts, while libraries’ outreach efforts are becoming more artistic.  Through collaborations like the New New Yorkers Program, José says, you are changing the role of the institution and the way that people interact with the institution.

The photograph in the slideshow features a Bengali folk dance class held at Queens Library-Broadway branch.  Stay tuned for our feature on a specific class in the New New Yorkers program next month! 

Playbill for "The Echo." Washington, D.C. : New National Theatre, 1910 October 3.

The American Variety Stage is a multimedia anthology selected from various Library of Congress holdings. This collection illustrates the vibrant and diverse forms of popular entertainment, especially vaudeville, that thrived from 1870-1920. Included are 334 English- and Yiddish-language playscripts, 146 theater playbills and programs, 61 motion pictures, 10 sound recordings and 143 photographs and 29 memorabilia items documenting the life and career of Harry Houdini. For more information on the intriguing background of this collection, please see the collection’s Introduction and the  Editor’s Note.

Highlights of the American Variety Stage collection include:

• Sound recordings. Click on the “Browse” link for a list of the ten recording titles. Files are available in RealAudio or WAV versions.
• The Harry Houdini component. Click on the “Browse” link for a complete list of materials. If an image does not appear in the record, click on “View this item” to open it.
• The Theater Playbills and Programs collection is a fantastic snapshot of popular graphic design styles and typefaces of the vaudeville era.
• The Motion Picture collection offers a rare glimpse of vaudeville performances. The collection includes information about the films and their historical context, help with viewing the films, and more.
• The collection of English-language play scripts contains 270 unpublished manuscripts of vaudeville sketches, spectacles, monologues, and more.
• The collection of Yiddish-language play scripts contains 77 unpublished manuscripts that came out of Jewish immigrant communities in the vaudeville era.

The American Variety Stage Collection is a remarkable resource for scholars, artists, and writers who are interested in the material performed in the American theatre 1870-1920 and the ephemera associated with those performances.

We hope you enjoy browsing the American Variety Stage Collection as much as we did – let us know what you find! Tweet at us on Twitter and post your comments on Facebook. We can’t wait to talk with you! – Laura