Indexing and Investigation of Artists’ Publications Workshop & Art Salon

Workshop on Indexing and Investigation of Artists' Publications
13 and 14 November 2009 at the Weserburg | Museum of Modern Art

From the 1960s onward, artists, publishers and collectors all over
Europe started establishing networks that were quick to spread
internationally regardless of political borders, their primary means of
communication being the postal exchange of published artworks such as
artists' books, magazines and newspapers conceived by artists, and
multiplied objects and prints reflecting approaches ranging from Mail
Art to Concept Art. The large majority of the works originating in this
alternative artists' movement have not yet been investigated or
catalogued, and only a small proportion of them have been published on
the Internet to be accessed through archival finding aids or databases.

Whether in museums, libraries or art institutions in Europe or
elsewhere, archives and collections of artists' publications do not have
sufficient personnel resources at their disposal to register their
holdings. What is more, many institutions have no clear concept for the
indexing and investigation of these artistic publications, or of the
factors to be taken into account in the process. A uniform approach or
standardised guidelines for indexing have yet to be established.

The aim of this two-day workshop will be to deliberate on the
standardization of the indexing categories, to work out chief criteria
for a comprehensive search mask and (thus laying the foundation for
later digital networking by way of online finding aids), and to begin
thinking about the exchange of data. Within the framework of the
workshop, an initial draft of a content-related standard is to be
discussed and further developed with representatives of museums,
collections, archives, and libraries. Building upon existing standards,
the participants will work towards a common manual to serve as a set of
regulations for the indexing of artists' publications. Thesauri,
standardised data, and catchword indexes are also to be addressed.
Presentations on already existing digital networks will grant insight
into the possibilities, problems, and opportunities associated with
digital networking, hence fostering discourse on long-term cooperation
between artist publication collections and archives and on the
establishment of collaborative affiliations between these collections
and archives. Through joint efforts - including the exchange of
information and data on artists' publications - we can accomplish the
task of investigating and indexing artists' publications and making them
accessible for all institutions despite diversity of language and of
socio-cultural and historical contexts.

The workshop has been conceived as a meeting of experts that is likewise
open to other interested parties, while also serving as a means of
training staff from the participating institutions.

Programme

Friday, 13 November
10.00 - 10.30 Welcome and Introduction
10.30 - 11.00 Lecture by Dan and Lia Perjovschi, Bucharest
11.15 - 11.30 Break

Session I:
Facts and Information to Be Considered in Indexing Artists' Publications
11.30 - 12.15 Presentation of Manuals:
- Artists' Books, Magazines, Newsletters
- Graphics
- Objects
Sylvie Boulanger, Centre nationale de l'estampe et l'art imprimé
(CNEAI), Chatou
Elizabeth James, Victoria and Albert Museum/ National Art Library,
London
Anne Thurmann-Jajes, Research Centre for Artists' Publications, Bremen
12.15 - 13.00 Discussion
13.00 - 14.00 Lunch Break
alternative: Guided Tour through the Exhibitions of the Research Centre
14.00 - 14.30 Lecture by Mauricio Nannucci, Florence
14.45 - 15.00 Break

Session I (continued):
15.00 - 15.45 Presentation of Manuals:
- Radio Art
- Distribution Media
Anne Thurmann-Jajes and Patrycja de Bieberstein Ilgner,
Research Centre for Artists' Publications, Bremen
15.45 - 17.00 Discussion

Evening Programme
18.00 Celebration of 10 years of the Research Centre for Artists'
Publications
19.00 Exhibition Opening Pro Musica Nova
20.00 Art Salon
20.00 and 22.00 Concerts by Die Maulwerker

Saturday, 14 November

Session II:
Skills for Standardisation
10.00 - 12.00 - Why Metadata and Thesauri?
The Uses and Properties of Metadata and Authority Files
Jörn Sieglerschmidt, Library Service Centre Baden-Wuerttemberg,
Constance
12.00 - 12.15 Break
12.15 - 13.00 Discussion
13.00 - 14.00 Lunch Break
alternative: Guided Tour through the Exhibitions of the Research Centre

Session III:
Online databases and online finding aids and their possibilities
14.00 - 15.30 - Artists' Books Collection of CNEAI
Sylvie Boulanger, CNEAI, Chatou
- Artists' Books Collection of the V&A Museum
Elizabeth James, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Online finding Aid, Planned by the Research Centre
Kathrin Stärk, Zetcom, Zurich, and Anne thurmann-Jajes,
Research Centre for Artists' Publications, Bremen
15.30 - 15.45 Break

15.45 - 17.15 Presentation of Networks
- BAM
Jörn Sieglerschmidt, Library Service Centre Baden-Wuerttemberg,
Constance
- European Art Net
Claudia Jolles, Kunstbulletin, Zurich
- European Library / Europeana
Britta Woldering, German National Library, Frankfurt am Main
17.15 - 17.30 Break
17.30 - 19.00 Conclusion: Further Proceeding, Building a Working Team

Art Salon
With an aim of showing both dated and contemporary European artistic
productions from the special field of artists' publications, the Art
Salon welcomes booksellers, publishers, institutions, and artists to
present their publications and put them up for sale.

Participants:
20th Century Art Archives, Cambridge
Antiquariat Udo Seinsoth, Bremen
Boekie Woekie, Amsterdam
Book Works, London
Bremer Verband bildender Künstler und Künstlerinnen (BBK), Bremen
Jan Van Eyck Academie, Maastricht
Material Verlag, Hamburg
Roma Publications, Amsterdam
Salon Verlag, Cologne
and a collective stand with publications from:
Centre nationale de l'estampe et l'art imprimé (CNEAI), Chatou /
International Graphic Arts Centre (MGLC),
Lublijana / Research Centre for Artists' Publications - Weserburg,
Bremen

The Art Salon will be running parallel to the workshop. On the occasion
of the 10th anniversary of the Research Centre for Artists'
Publications, the Art Salon will also be held on Friday evening from 8
p.m. to midnight.

The Workshop and the Art Salon are part of the comprehensive network
project "Living Memory - Artists' Publications in Europe" which is being
funded with support from the European Commission.

The project is being carried out on a cooperative basis by:
Research Centre for Artists' Publications - Weserburg | Museum of Modern
Art, Bremen/ Dr. Anne Thurmann-Jajes
MGLC - International Graphic Arts Centre, Ljubljana / Lilijana Stepancic
CNEAI - Centre nationale de l'estampe et l'art imprimé, Chatou / Sylvie
Boulanger

Opening Hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from
10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Closed on Monday

Research Centre for Artists' Publications
at the Weserburg | Museum of Modern Art
Teerhof 20, D-28199 Bremen,
Telephon +49(0)421 598390, Fax +49(0)421 505247,
studienzentrumweserburg.de, www.weserburg.de