DMA Exhibition Photography Collection

Collection

Identifier: PC-002

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Exhibition Photography collection is a combination and reprocessing of multipe collections of exhibition-related photography, though all material was transferred to the archives over time from the imaging / photography / visual resouces / slide library departments. Exhibitions are defined here as a curated collection of works on display for a defined and limited period of time with a title for the group of works.

All types of photography related to an exhibition was combined for ease of access. Types include installation, installation in progress, venue installation, people in exhibition, artist portraits, objects, PR or publicity images, catalogue images, various opening events, adult and family programs, tour groups and docent trainings, and crowds and lines.

Photographic formats included in the collection are: slides, transparencies, black & white (b/w) and color prints, black & white (b/w) and color negatives, and digital formats - TIF, JPG, PSD, PDF, and DOC - on CD or DVD.

Dates

1919 - 2011
Majority of material found within 1949 - 2011

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for public research. Researchers must make an appointment to view this collection.

Extent

19.58 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Exhibition Photography collection contains all types of photography related to an exhibition, combined for ease of access. Types include installation, installation in progress, venue installation, people in exhibition, artist portraits, objects, PR or publicity images, catalogue images, various opening events, adult and family programs, tour groups and docent trainings, and crowds and lines. The collection primarily covers exhibitions held between 1949 and 2011. All photographic formats are included, both analog and digital on media.

Arrangement

Exhibition photography are arranged chronologically by start date of exhibition, with DMCA exhibitions at the end of the chronological series.

Physical Description

Notes about the detailed description of photography for each exhibition: 1. All slides are color 2. Negatives and contact prints are all b/w unless otherwise noted (ie color negatives) 3. Transparencies are all color 4. Prints will always be noted as either b/w or color 5. 35mm and 1x2 negatives were counted by strip; 4x5 negatives were counted individually 6. Digital images on CD and DVD were retained; digial images are described by format (TIF, JPG, etc.) 7. All born digital installation images were checked to the images in Piction and loaded were necessar

Exhibition Dates Note

Dates given for exhibitions are the dates the exhibition was on view; creation dates for documents in the file may be before or after the on view dates.

Processing Information

Various groups of exhibiton photography was reprocessed and combined into a single chronogically-arranged collection by Hillary Bober, between February and May 2016; description completed 17 May 2016.

Collections combined include two separate series of installation photography in the archives, processed by two different people; installation slides transferred from the image library and digitized; exhibition-related event and program documention, miscellaneous exhibition-related photographs in the general photography collection; and exhibition image files, transferred from the image library (from Lectrievers).

Photographs were weeded of duplicates, extraneous images and unidentified object images. Collection was also often rehoused, reducing unnecessary packaging material.

The contents of photography types and formats was recorded for each exhibition to facilitate reference services.

The Exhibition ID, as assigned in Piction was included for each exhibition as a user-defined field for future use and coordination with online exhibition material.

Additional description/notes were added for DACS compliance and ArchivesSpace local usage guidelines in 2021.