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Brief summary:
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Archives record the history of art and artistic practice. Archives
inspire art and creative expression. Archives help drive the cultural and
creative industries.
Archiving the Arts supports the development
and sustainability of archive collections of the arts - visual art,
literature, music, dance, theatre, combined arts, live art - across the UK.
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Content:
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Archiving
the Arts is a
collaborative programme led by The National Archives to identify and
document existing arts collections, to support the continuing development
of collections, and to encourage creative use of those collections.
The
programme began in Autumn 2012 with exploratory surveys of collecting
organisations, strategic and funding bodies, and arts practitioners to test
assumptions and support planning. Respondents shared information on the
coverage and scope of collections, types and format of material, existing
projects and partnerships, skills and funding gaps, commercial and
non-commercial use of collections, deposit arrangements, rights and
ownership, sources of advice and guidance, and key challenges.
Using
information gathered, the team has since embarked
on a programme of workshops with archivists and artists - from across all
disciplines - as introductions to collections management, conservation and
preservation, access and outreach. Delivered in partnership with Arts
Council England (ACE), these workshops provide opportunities for the arts
and archive sectors to come together, to build relationships and to form
working partnerships.
But Archiving
the Arts has other clear objectives and has established an expert
advisory group - including representatives from the higher education sector
and research communities - to help deliver them.
Over the
next six months - the programme is funded 'til April 2015 - work will focus
on ensuring its legacy: collections information held, digitisation
underway, funding sources clearly signposted, access and outreach projects
established, advice and guidance published, and Archiving the Arts
business-as-usual for all.
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Scientific contribution:
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Archiving the Arts is a
practical experiment in strategic collection development: an example
of the application of documentation strategy based on a
particular theme. With The
Record - an initiative for ensuring a documentary legacy from
the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and
the Cultural Olympiad - The National Archives established a
methodology for working with partners from across diverse sectors to
agree an approach to recording the planning, delivery and impact of the
Games. Now the intention is to adopt a similar approach for
the arts: creating a supportive network of stakeholders
from creators, collectors, researchers, funders and any body with an interest in archiving the arts to educate and inspire future
creative generations.
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