The digital artist archive

The Archive of an artist, museum, art gallery, or public or private collection is a fundamentally important structure that, with constant updating and organisation, gathers the most comprehensive documentation on artists, works, events and publications.
As a place of study and memory, it documents and reconstructs artistic personalities and institutional events through the collection of critical and theoretical writings, press articles, catalogues and invitations, audio-visual materials, photographs and correspondence.
The Archive is not, however, exclusively dedicated to the preservation of historical materials, but increasingly becomes a tool for daily use in the organization and administrative management of its institution.

Management and activities for the Artist's Archive
One of the fundamental tasks of the Archive is therefore to collect, catalogue, correlate and adequately preserve all documents and information related to the life and production of artists, contributing to a more agile and correct institutional activity.
Our customized software solutions meet all these needs, with a guarantee of maximum confidentiality and data security, project flexibility and integration with the most innovative technologies.

The digital catalogue
The digitization of the archive and the use of IT tools provide new tools and functionalities for daily activity:

  • optimized data compilation and consultation forms for the management of Works, Exhibitions, Bibliography, Collector and contact details, Documents, Movements, Warehouses, etc.
  • quick data search and query functions, possibility to sort data according to multiple criteria
  • implementation of scripts to automate frequently performed procedures: exporting images, creating documents, updating data on the site or other platforms
  • design of dossiers and printing formats specifically designed for different needs (certificates of authenticity, cards, lists, labels, etc.)
  • quick access from browsers and mobile devices with FileMaker GO and FileMaker WebDirect, a web technology that lets you instantly run FileMaker solutions directly in a web browser
  • possibility of personalising access for each user, assigning differentiated privileges that determine viewing, data entry and editing capabilities for each section.
     

 

Johann Zoffani
Charles Towneley in his Sculpture Gallery, 1782
Oil on canvas
127 × 102 cm
Towneley Hall Art Gallery and Museum, Burnley

Art archives

In a few minutes Ilaria Cardirola, art historian and Senior Project Manager of OFFICINEBIT, explains how we design and create digital archives dedicated to art based on relational databases.