Critical Conversations: bridging pathways forward to greater understanding and creative solutions.

INFO-661 Art Documentation

3 Credits

This course explores current methodologies in the documentation, description, and management of artist records and their works of art in order to gain an understanding of current trends and best practices. The course will provide a foundation for students to develop localized standards to serve different stakeholders across the fine arts spectrum so that international standards are leveraged for particular needs. By investigating the complexities in documenting the artist and their works of art, students will learn the information gathering need for contextualizing artist's work through the retention, acquisition, and processing of core documents. The course will also address use patterns and reference practices of art documentation for museums, artist's studios, foundations and estates, and academic stakeholder communities. Additionally, key elements that define core concepts of documentation standards for a large body of artists' work, such as data elements that comprise an artist's catalogue raisonne, will bring to focus the necessary tools needed to document, contextualize, and implement proper documentation strategies for the artist. This class will bridge theory into practice by providing students a forum to develop their skills by researching case scenarios of audience sectors in the fine arts and incorporating those findings using software platforms for dissemination.