Artmakers Records
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Creator
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Abstract
Artmakers Inc. is a community mural organization that develops and creates politically-oriented public art relevant to the lives and concerns of the neighborhoods in which the murals are. Artmakers was established in 1983 and has created over 50 murals nationally and internationally, with a strong focus on New York City. The group is artist-run, and works in collaboration with many community organizations. This collection consists of materials in paper and electronic format documenting the activities and creative works of the Artmakers Inc. collective from the 1980s to the 2010s. Materials in this collection include correspondence, project documentation, photographs, books and other publications, flyers and other ephemera, artist portfolios, research files, and process documentation for murals and other works.
Historical Note
Artmakers Inc. is a community mural organization that develops and creates politically-oriented public art relevant to the lives and concerns of the neighborhoods in which the murals are located. Artmakers was established in 1983 and has created over 50 murals nationally and internationally, the majority of which are in New York City. The group is artist-run, and works in collaboration with many community organizations, including block associations, schools, community gardens, homeless shelters, health care facilities, and other artist groups, to develop mural projects. The organization also offers an apprenticeship program for youth to build their artistic abilities and professional skills.
Arrangement
The collection has been arranged into two series, chronologically within each one. The series arrangement is as follows:
Series I. Administration
Series II. Murals, Exhibitions, and Projects
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of materials in paper and electronic format documenting the activities and creative works of the Artmakers Inc. collective from the 1980s to the late 2010s. Also included are materials from Cityarts Workshop (later, Cityarts, Inc.), an organization that existed prior to, and concurrently with, the founding of Artmakers and shared many of its artists. Materials in this collection include correspondence; project documentation such as preparatory drawings and paintings; books and other publications; flyers and other ephemera; artist portfolios; research files; documentaries; and interviews. Artists prominently documented in this collection include Eva Cockcroft, Janet Braun-Reinitz, and Camille Perrottet. Topics and themes include women's rights, community organizing, the African diaspora, and New York City neighborhoods. This collection also includes materials produced during the writing and publishing of On the Wall: Four Decades of Community Murals in New York City, a history of community murals in New York City.
Subjects
Donors
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use materials in the collection in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Artmakers Records; MSS 564; box number; folder number or item identifier; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Jane Weissman in November 2018 and February 2019; the accession numbers associated with these gifts are 2018.131 and 2019.032.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact Fales Library with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
Born-Digital Access Policies and Procedures
Advance notice is required for the use of computer records. Original physical digital media is restricted. An access terminal for born-digital materials in the collection is available by appointment for reading room viewing and listening only. Researchers may view an item's original container and/or carrier, but the physical carriers themselves are not available for use because of preservation concerns.
About this Guide
Processing Information
At the time of accessioning, materials were rehoused in archival boxes and described on the collection-level with a box-level inventory. Born-digital items were identified, physically separated, and inventoried.
At the time of processing, materials were rehoused in archival folders and legal manuscript boxes. Materials were arranged into two series and inventoried at the file level. Many items were removed from non-archival sleeves and photographs were removed from photo albums. Financial materials (bank statements, receipts, and invoices), duplicate publications and documents, publications available online, and documents with sensitive personal information were removed. Born-digital materials have been forensically imaged, analyzed, and described. New York University Libraries follow professional standards and best practices when imaging, ingesting, and processing born-digital material in order to maintain the integrity and authenticity of the content.
