Artist’s Legacy Toolkit: Resources

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Are You Excited About Archiving Your Work?

Image of Pickup Performance Co(s) archive project: Fellow Patsy Gay, stage manager Ed Fitzgerald, and visiting fellow Kat Bell pose with a David Gordon cutout in the PUPCS archive/office room.

You don’t have to do this alone. Here are some resources that address big factors like money, time, space, and expertise. To assess what resources you already have and what you will need, consider who is going to do the tasks described in this toolkit, where the work will be done, where the records will be kept, when the work will occur, and how long the project may take. If you are working in an organization, start building support within your organization and among your board members for the investment of resources. Hold meetings to increase awareness of both the benefits of protecting your legacy and the resources required to do it. Have any of your peer organizations or artists embarked on their own archive project? They may be a good contact for advice.

Money

Time

  • Archiving is time-consuming, but can save you time in the long run, as you and/or your team won’t waste time hunting for things.
  • Think about what needs to be done, or something that might help the project. Is this something an intern could do? Remember, you don’t have to do this alone. Local dance studios or library/archive programs may have students that are interested and qualified to work with your materials. To find accredited library science programs in your area with contact information, use the American Library Association’s directory.

Documentation and platforms

Expertise

  • Form a relationship with a local library, museum, or archive; national performing arts library; the archivist at your alma mater; an historical society; or an ethnic studies institute. Look for regional non-profit video preservation and digitization groups such as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Moving Image Archive (MARMIA), Moving Image Preservation of Puget Sound (MIPoPS) and New York’s XFR Collective.
  • We are happy to answer your questions. We are also able to support assessments, and though these generally do cost your organization money, it is our first step to helping all dance organizations with their archive needs.
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