Professional Documents
Culture Documents
and Archivists: Preserva#on and the Crea#ve Process session Associa#on of Moving Image Archivists Conference December 7, 2012 | SeaAle, WA, USA Kathryn Gronsbell, New York University (Moving Image Archiving & Preserva#on) (to download only the presenta0on slides, please visit h4p://www.scribd.com/doc/ 122971474/Ar0sts-and-Archivists-Preserva0on-and-the-Crea0ve-Process-Archiving-the-Arts- out-of-the-basement-into-the-studio)
The concepts and collabora0ve spirit Im about to discuss are not new to AMIA, and probably less so to those in this room or already involved with the independent media commi4ee. Im here to oer my perspec0ve on what I have witnessed in this community, and what my hopes are for future eorts. My inten0on is not to sit here and preach, but rather to broadly address shiMs in the profession in hopes that the conversa0on will con0nue outside of this panel and this conference. A recogni0on of understanding the crea0ve process has been growing rapidly within the eld, with webinars and other ini0a0ves developing domes0cally and abroad, in an eort to share knowledge or conrm a collec0ve ignorance of our producers. That is to say, knowing the nuts and bolts of how media is produced in a crea0ve sePng including produc0on workows, crea0ve tendencies, and the ac0ons of individual content authors can only serve to benet the workows we create around them. As moving image archivists we have a ton on our plate already, we need to be able to explain what we do, why we do it, and why its important. We argue as much for the content we steward as for our set of ethics. The sen0ments I propose here support our commitment to respec0ng the creator, his/her content, and our evolving role in the rela0onship between the two.
(Je Mar0n, IMAP) Independent Media Arts Preserva0on was founded in 1999 with a mandate to serve the creators and caretakers of independently produced electronic media. For the past several years, IMAP has focused its eorts on low-cost workshops on media preserva0on. Our audience for these workshops has always taken in a wide range of peoplearchivists, librarians, students, and, of course, individual ar0sts. In 2011, IMAP decided to expand its workshops to create a more organized and thorough curriculum. We were fortunate to receive funding from the New York State Council on the Arts to carry out this expansion. In deba0ng the shape this expansion should take, IMAPs board realized that we had yet to create a workshop that was specically ar0st-centric. It seemed like an obviously good idea, but it was equally obvious that a workshop of this kind would be a challenge to create, and that we would need the input of ar0sts themselves. Happily, a chance mee0ng at the AMIA conference in Aus0n in 2011 led to the discovery that students from MIAP were exploring the same idea. It seemed like an obvious partnership. The community showed incredible interest and enthusiasm for the opportunity to sit together, listen, and discuss collabora0ons between archival professionals and ar0sts.
The
structure
for
Archiving
the
Arts
was
three-fold,
and
relied
heavily
on
community
feedback
to
form
the
iden0ty
of
the
event
and
to
inform
what
kind
of
needs
werent
being
met
in
both
the
independent
media
art
community
and
the
associated
archiving
and
preserva0on
elds.
Image
c/o
Kathryn
Gronsbell,
NYU-MIAP;
Program
by
Kris>n
MacDonough,
NYU-MIAP
As
men0oned,
November
2011
served
as
the
ocial
start
period
for
this
project.
Followed
by
a
one
year
planning
period
that
included
systema0c
re-assessment
of
the
community
expecta0on
of
Archiving
the
Arts
from
feedback
and
proposals.
Very
happy
to
share
that
the
event
brought
in
over
100
a4endees
and
13
presenters,
including
interna0onal
speakers,
cultural
workers,
ar0sts
and
lmmakers,
amateurs
and
everyone
in
between.
We
were
lucky
to
have
a
range
of
ar0sts
and
archivists,
and
individuals
who
iden0ed
as
both
and
could
comment
on
the
struggle
to
create
with
the
responsibility
of
preserva0on
or
archival
knowledge.
Image
c/o
Kathryn
Gronsbell,
NYU-MIAP;
Program
by
Kris>n
MacDonough,
NYU-MIAP
Id like to share a sampling of some of the ques0ons and concerns raised at the event and how they might impact the development of our profession, in addi0on to proposing three steps that could help us be4er communicate with ac0ve ar0sts. Inherent in all this discussion and even in the 0tle of this session is a sense of division. True, we have our roles as representa0ves of the audiovisual archiving community and do take those responsibili0es very seriously.
Original Cap+on: R.D.W. Connor (1st Archivist of the U.S.) receiving lm "Gone With The Wind" from Senator George of Georgia and Carter Barron, Loew's Eastern Division manager, January 30, 1941. U.S. Na+onal Archives Local Iden+er: 64-NA-265 Persistent URL: arcweb.archives.gov/arc/ac>on/ExternalIdSearch?id=3493235 Repository: S>ll Picture Records Sec>on, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-S), Na>onal Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD, 20740-6001. For informa>on about ordering reproduc>ons of photographs held by the S>ll Picture Unit, visit: www.archives.gov/research/order/s>ll-pictures.html Reproduc>ons may be ordered via an independent vendor. NARA maintains a list of vendors at www.archives.gov/research/ order/vendors-photos-maps-dc.html Access Restric>ons: Unrestricted Use Restric>ons: Unrestricted
Similarly,
the
ar0st
and
his/her
crea0ve
process
are
some0mes
pushed
aside
or
oversimplied
as
elements
or
risk
factors
in
the
long
life
of
an
object
before
it
reaches
our
desks.
From
our
collec0ve
point
of
view,
the
crea0ve
process
is
a
uid
and
una4ainable
sum
of
informa0on
that
further
complicates
the
work
we
need
to
do
when
we
receive
independently
produced
media.
A
tripping
point
for
us
is
the
separa0on
between
what
we
think
ar0sts
do
and
what
they
actually
do,
and
how
that
might
aect
the
manner
and
methodology
we
use
to
process
their
work.
This
division
can
really
be
a
slippery
slope,
so
instead
we
should
use
it
re-contextualize
our
rela0onship
with
media
producers
and
move
towards
mutually
benecial
ac0on.
Flickr
CC
Bain
News
Service,,
publisher.
J.M.
Flagg
1913
April
26
(date
created
or
published
later
by
Bain)
1
nega>ve
:
glass
;
5
x
7
in.
or
smaller.
Notes:
Title
and
date
from
data
provided
by
the
Bain
News
Service
on
the
nega>ve.
Photo
shows
illustrator
and
ar>st
James
Montgomery
Flagg
(1877-1960).
(Source:
Flickr
Commons
project,
2008)
Forms
part
of:
George
Grantham
Bain
Collec>on
(Library
of
Congress).
Format:
Glass
nega>ves.
Rights
Info:
No
known
restric>ons
on
publica>on.
Repository:
Library
of
Congress,
Prints
and
Photographs
Division,
Washington,
D.C.
20540
USA,
hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
General
informa>on
about
the
Bain
Collec>on
is
available
at
hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.ggbain
Persistent
URL:
hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ggbain.12297
Call
Number:
LC-B2-
2610-1
Those working with arts collec0ons are not the only ones who understand the value of communica0ng early and oMen in the produc0on process. Discussion surrounding standardiza0on of Producer-Archive Interface Specica0on in the OAIS model as proposed by the Consulta0ve Commi4ee for Space Data Systems has fed our desire to inuence crea0on atleast of metadata prior to our previously dened place in the model. PAIS iden0es and provides a structure for the interac0ons between an informa0on producer and a deposit archive. And simply, the more educated we are about where things come from and how the come to be, the be4er we can be at taking care of them.
Original Cap+on: Washington Na>onal Records Center, stack area, with employee servicing records. U.S. Na+onal Archives Local Iden+er: 64-NA-3502 Subjects: United States Na>onal Archives Personnel Persistent URL: arcweb.archives.gov/arc/ac>on/ExternalIdSearch?id=4477179 Repository: S>ll Picture Records Sec>on, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-S), Na>onal Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD, 20740-6001. For informa>on about ordering reproduc>ons of photographs held by the S>ll Picture Unit, visit: www.archives.gov/research/order/s>ll-pictures.html Reproduc>ons may be ordered via an independent vendor. NARA maintains a list of vendors at www.archives.gov/research/ order/vendors-photos-maps-dc.html Access Restric>ons: Unrestricted Use Restric>ons: Unrestricted
This
issue
has
also
been
addressed
locally
by
ini0a0ves
like
Ac0vists
Archivists,
with
postcards,
community
workshops,
and
on-going
communica0on
with
ac0ve
producers
whose
work
is
at
risk
for
persecu0on.
This
same
eort
can
be
put
forth
on
the
cultural
heritage
front,
and
allow
us
to
be4er
understand
the
content
we
spend
our
lives
caring
for.
From
across
disciplines,
developing
models
are
oering
educa0onal
opportuni0es
for
communi0es
interested
in
making
their
work
available
in
the
long
term
or
construc0ng
standards
to
hold
them
to.
Original
Cap+on:
Washington
Na>onal
Records
Center,
stack
area,
with
employee
servicing
records.
U.S.
Na+onal
Archives
Local
Iden+er:
64-NA-3502
Subjects:
United
States
Na>onal
Archives
Personnel
Persistent
URL:
arcweb.archives.gov/arc/ac>on/ExternalIdSearch?id=4477179
Repository:
S>ll
Picture
Records
Sec>on,
Special
Media
Archives
Services
Division
(NWCS-S),
Na>onal
Archives
at
College
Park,
8601
Adelphi
Road,
College
Park,
MD,
20740-6001.
For
informa>on
about
ordering
reproduc>ons
of
photographs
held
by
the
S>ll
Picture
Unit,
visit:
www.archives.gov/research/order/s>ll-pictures.html
Reproduc>ons
may
be
ordered
via
an
independent
vendor.
NARA
maintains
a
list
of
vendors
at
www.archives.gov/research/ order/vendors-photos-maps-dc.html
Access
Restric>ons:
Unrestricted
Use
Restric>ons:
Unrestricted
Whether draMing policies for your ins0tu0on or ac0ng as an individual, recognize that there will be challenges, inevitable loss, and complicated rela0onships that result from poking our collec0ve head into an ar0sts studio. Unless you iden0fy as an ar0st and can speak from experience, you going into their workspaces or communi0es is the equivalent of someone from a Tupperware conven0on coming in to this panel and telling us to preserve to SVHS. Read the specs for the machines ar0sts use, inves0gate and learn abbrevia0ons and annota0on styles for dierent parts of the crea0ve process, realize that not all developments are linear in crea0vity and that diversity in that sense should be embraced and recorded, instead of being seen as a hindrance to the preserva0on of an object.
Bain News Service,, publisher. Auto polo [between ca. 1910 and ca. 1915] 1 nega>ve : glass ; 5 x 7 in. or smaller. Notes: Title from unveried data provided by the Bain News Service on the nega>ves or cap>on cards. Forms part of: George Grantham Bain Collec>on (Library of Congress). Format: Glass nega>ves. Rights Info: No known restric>ons on publica>on. Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print General informa>on about the Bain Collec>on is available at hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.ggbain Persistent URL: hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ggbain.11114 Call Number: LC-B2- 2473-10
The misunderstanding or plain ignorance of the crea0ve process I men0oned earlier should not be seen as a pijall, but an opportunity for true inter-community rela0onship building. We can make our elds resources available to ar0sts and vice versa. Eorts to nurture an exchange of informa0on will compound and form 0es to the creators and their inten0ons. It would be irresponsible for this eld to evolve further without eorts to understand where and how our media comes into existence. A huge part of this ini0a0ve is to oer preserva0on and conserva0on training early in the crea0ve process so if the ar0st chooses to make responsible choices for their work, they have the proper resources and training to do so. Preven0ve preserva0on is not a radical idea taking small but consistent steps in stabilizing media during produc0on will only result in a healthier life for that object. You can think of this as scalable disaster planning, as something will happen to this object and we will do everything in our power to prepare as best we can.
ID Number: 013225 Maker: John Earl (Earl) McNeil An American soldier at an advanced allied base, with his pet kangaroo Rights Info: No known copyright restric>ons. This photograph is from the Australian War Memorial's collec>on www.awm.gov.au Persistent URL:hhp://cas.awm.gov.au/item/013225
10
Crea0on is an incredibly vola0le experience and should be handled delicately, especially early on in our rela0onship-building eorts with ar0sts. We must also recognize that some individuals dont want to have anything to do with us, and the best we can do is have the resources and training opportuni0es available for them should they change their mind. In the event that independent media ar0sts do wish to communicate with us, we need to be prepared as a profession to eld their ques0ons. When we suggest crea0ng certain types of masters or documen0ng their process, we must oer ways that are either already in their eld of vision or can be easily integrated with their consent. One of the demands of creators at Archiving the Arts was that we not create any more unique tools for ar0sts to document themselves, that they already choose what they like and a more eec0ve approach would be to use exis0ng models to gather informa0on we need for downstream use.
William Reed lming "The Romance of Runnibede", Sydney, 1927 / Sam Hood Format: Nega>ve From the collec>ons of the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales www.sl.nsw.gov.au Informa>on about photographic collec>ons of the State Library of New South Wales: acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/SimpleSearch.aspx Persistent url: acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemDetailPaged.aspx?itemID=10609
11
Here
we
get
into
a
li4le
bit
of
an
internal
ba4le,
which
Im
hoping
to
move
beyond
with
more
dialogue.
Professionally,
we
are
content-neutral.
For
many
of
us,
this
aligns
with
our
personal
beliefs
and
allows
us
to
argue
for
the
value
of
marginalized
material
within
our
ins0tu0ons
and
speak
on
its
behalf
in
other
communi0es.
A
huge
point
of
conten0on
about
reaching
out
directly
to
creators
is
that
we
are
stepping
on
the
toes
of
curators
and
pushing
against
ethical
boundaries.
By
selec0ng
which
groups
to
educate
about
our
goals
and
hopes
for
preserva0on
of
their
work,
we
are
hedging
the
bets
that
most
of
that
stu
might
make
it
past
its
own
inevitable
disaster.
Yes,
factually
that
is
correct.
My
response
is
simply
this:
we
dont
want
to
pick
&
choose,
because
its
not
in
our
nature
to
selec0vely
inform.
The
goal
here
is
equal
and
diverse
knowledge
dissemina0on.
It
may
not
be
easy
or
quick,
but
it
will
dene
how
this
profession
evolves
in
the
coming
years.
Flickr
CC:
Format:
Glass
plate
nega>ve.
Rights
Info:
No
known
restric>ons
on
publica>on.
Repository:
Phillips
Glass
Plate
Nega>ve
Collec>on,
Powerhouse
Museum
www.powerhousemuseum.com/collec>on/database/collec>on=Phillips_Glass
_Plate_Nega>ve
Part
Of:
Powerhouse
Museum
Collec>on
General
informa>on
about
the
Powerhouse
Museum
Collec>on
is
available
at
www.powerhousemuseum.com/collec>on/database
Persistent
URL:
hhp://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collec>on/database/?irn=386444
Acquisi+on
credit
line:
Gik
of
the
Estate
of
Raymond
W
Phillips,
2008
12
Our plan is to u0lize the ndings of the two events in Bualo, the NYU symposium, the discussion today, as well as consulta0on with IMAPs advisory board, to shape a full-day workshop aimed at ar0sts who want to care for their own collec0ons. IMAP plans to oer the workshop for the rst 0me in the second quarter of 2013.
Original Cap+on: "The Tetons - Snake River," Grand Teton Na>onal Park, Wyoming. U.S. Na+onal Archives Local Iden+er: 79-AAG-1 From: Series: Ansel Adams Photographs of Na>onal Parks and Monuments, compiled 1941 - 1942, documen>ng the period ca. 1933 1942 Created By: Department of the Interior. Na>onal Park Service. Branch of S>ll and Mo>on Pictures. Photographer: Adams, Ansel, 1902-1984 Coverage Dates: 1933-1942 Subjects: Parks, Monuments Persistent URL: arcweb.archives.gov/arc/ac>on/ExternalIdSearch?id=519904 Repository: S>ll Picture Records Sec>on, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-S), Na>onal Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD, 20740-6001. For informa>on about ordering reproduc>ons of photographs held by the S>ll Picture Unit, visit: www.archives.gov/research/order/s>ll-pictures.html Access Restric>ons: Unrestricted Use Restric>ons: Unrestricted
13
Original Cap+on: "The Tetons - Snake River," Grand Teton Na>onal Park, Wyoming. U.S. Na+onal Archives Local Iden+er: 79-AAG-1 From: Series: Ansel Adams Photographs of Na>onal Parks and Monuments, compiled 1941 - 1942, documen>ng the period ca. 1933 1942 Created By: Department of the Interior. Na>onal Park Service. Branch of S>ll and Mo>on Pictures. Photographer: Adams, Ansel, 1902-1984 Coverage Dates: 1933-1942 Subjects: Parks, Monuments Persistent URL: arcweb.archives.gov/arc/ac>on/ExternalIdSearch?id=519904 Repository: S>ll Picture Records Sec>on, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-S), Na>onal Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD, 20740-6001. For informa>on about ordering reproduc>ons of photographs held by the S>ll Picture Unit, visit: www.archives.gov/research/order/s>ll-pictures.html Access Restric>ons: Unrestricted Use Restric>ons: Unrestricted
14