Deena Engel, Glenn Wharton: "Artist Archives Initiative: New Research Models for Contemporary Artists"

Deena Engel and Glenn Wharton discuss the Artist Archives Initiative at New York University (NYU), a collaboration to develop public resources about contemporary artists beginning with David Wojnarowicz and Joan Jonas. The initiative responds to a growing need for art world professionals and academic researchers to work with artists in building information resources to aid scholarship, conservation, and future exhibition of their work. The focus is equally on the content of these resources and the software infrastructure used to house the information. In addition to creating artist-specific resources, the aim is to stimulate discussion about variability and authenticity in the display of contemporary art through symposia, workshops, and publications.