ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Internet resources in the visual arts

By Martin R. Kalfatovic

Visiting museums and galleries has never been so easy

The explosion of the World Wide Web in the past year has been a boon for the visual arts. The Web’s ability to merge text, im- ages, and inventive graphic design has attracted artists, museums, and galleries unlike the Internet’s now poor cousin, gopher. The abil- ity of the Web to show as well as tell means that most of the resources listed below will be Web sites. Also, be forewarned that a few sites sacrifice accessibility (e.g., text-mode access) in favor of design.

Indexes and general resources

Listed below are a number of good starting points for exploring the visual arts on the Internet.

• Archives of American Art (Smithsonian Institution).Provides bibliographic access to the manuscript and archives collections of American artists, galleries, and museums. Most of the collections are available on microfilm. Access: telnet://siris.si.edu, select “Archives.”

• Artsource.A thorough and well-orga- nized index to art resources. Access: http:// www.uky.edu/Artsource/general.html.

• Arts Wire.Provides news and information to the arts community, A program of the New York Foundation for the Arts; full access by subscription. Access: http://www.tmn.com/ Artswire/www/awfront. html.

• FineArt Forum.A comprehensive guide to art resources. Particularly good information about online journals. Access: http:// www.msstate.edu/Fineart_Online/art-resources.

• Getty Art History Information Program.Projects and programs from the Getty Museum. Access: http://www.ahip.getty.edu/ ahip.

• Inventory of American Painting and Sculpture.Database of more than 300,000 paintings and sculptures by American artists. Searchable by creator, title, subject, and other access points. A project of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American Art. Access: tel- net://siris.si.edu, select “Art Inventories.”

• U.S. General Services Administration, Public Building Service’s Art in Architecture program.Information about art and artists contributing art to federal buildings. Includes a “virtual” museum of artworks. Access: http: //www.gsa.gov:80/pbs/pt/pts/switcher.htm.

• WebMuseum Network.The ultimate “virtual” museum on the Internet. A compendium of artists’ biographies (from Fra Angelico to Francis Bacon) with numerous examples of their work. Selected “exhibitions” are also available. Mirrored at numerous sites around the world. Access: http://sunsite.unc.edu/wm/.

• World Wide Arts Resources.This includes more than 9,000 categorized art resources. A unique aspect of this site is that it has a section on artworks for sale. Access to the site is by either an efficient search engine or regional guides. Access: http://www. concourse.com/wwar/defaultnew.html.

• World Wide Web Virtual Library Museums Page.An excellent source for locating museums and online exhibitions. Access: http: //www.comlab.ox.ac.uk/archive/other/ museums.html.

• Yahoo’s Arts:Museums.A hierarchical subject-oriented guide for Internet resources. The “Arts:Museums” section includes a wide range of museums and exhibitions. Access: http://www.yahoo.com/Art/Museums_and_ Galleries.

Martin R. Kalfatovic is the information access coordinator for Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Washington, D.C.; e-mail: mkalfato@sil.si.edu

Artists and artistic movements

• Christo and Jeanne-Claude.Dedicated to the work of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, this includes the “Wrapped Reichstag” project, as well as images from earlier projects including “Running Fence” and “The Umbrellas." Access: http://www.nbn.com/youcan/christo.

• Find Arts.Includes links to many individual artists’ homepages. Access: http:// www.find-arts.com/.

• Fluxus Online.Information about this ongoing avant-garde movement. Performance art is covered, as well as specific artists such as Joseph Beuys and Yoko Ono. Access: http:// anansi.panix.com/fluxus.

• !Surréalisme!.An often witty and properly irreverent guide to the literary and visual arts movement. Access: http://pharmdec. wustl.edu/juju/surr/ surrealism.html.

Online exhibitions

Online exhibitions by individual artists have proliferated on the Internet. Many individual artist have seen the Internet as a way around the gallery system. Listed below are some of the major sites devoted to individual artists.

• äda ‘web.This is an interactive art space featuring the work of a number of New York City artists. Includes a fascinating Webbed version of conceptual artist Jenny Holzer’s “Truisms.” Note: this site is accessible only with the Netscape browser. Access: http://adaweb. com.

• Art-Link.Based in Canada, this site features works by Canadian and other artists. Access: http://www.niagara.com/artlink.

• Gallery Row Maui.Features artists and galleries in Maui, Hawaii. Access: http://www. mothlight.com/grm/gallery.html.

• Artslink.Sponsored by Time-Warner Electronic Publishing, this provides an online forum for artists and museums. Among the “artists in residence” are photographers Doris Kloster and Chris Makos. Access: http://www. pathfinder.com/twep/artslink/artists/.

• Artnetweb.A space for artists that includes a slide registry and brief biographies of artists. Access: http://artnetweb.com/artnetweb/ indexl.html.

• The Blue Dot.This site includes online exhibitions and art experiences from New York City artists. Access:■ http://www.razorfish.com/ bluedot.

Museums

Museums have flocked to the Internet. Large museum complexes such at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institution have significant presences, but smaller museums (the Huntsville Museum of Art and the Montreal Museum of Fine Art, for example) are also available. University museums and galleries in particular have taken advantage of campus Internet expertise to put themselves on the Internet.

• Art Institute of Chicago.A unique site that includes information about both the museum and its associated art school. Access: http: //www.artic.edu.

• Art Tower Mito.Japan’s premier venue for contemporary art. Access: http://www. soum.co. jp/mito/art-e.html.

• Dia Center for the Arts.This contemporary arts organization’s site maintains a wealth of information about the Center and contemporary art. Includes online exhibitions and a special Web project by the idiosyncratic artists Komar & Melamid. Access: http://www. diacenter.org.

• Emory Museum, Michael C. Carlos Museum.Focuses on the museum’s wonderful collections of arts from Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Americas, and Asia. Access: http:// www.cc.emory.edu/CARLOS/carlos.html.

• Heard Museum.This Phoenix museum has a large collection of Native American art that is well presented on the Web. Access: http: //www.heard.org.

• Los Angeles County Museum of Art.A superbly designed and organized site. Provides information about the museum and its collections. Access: http://www.lacma.org.

• Metropolitan Museum of Art.This site offers information about the collections and current exhibitions. Provides an excellent guide to the museum’s shop and allows the user to order items. Access: http://www.metmuseum. org.

• Philadelphia Museum of Art.Exhibitions and visitor information about this eclectic museum. Access: http://www.libertynet.org/ ~pma/.

• Pushkin Museum of Fine Art.Provides a brief introduction with a small selection of works from the collection. Access: http:// www.rosprint.ru/art/museum/pushkin/.

• Smithsonian Institution.Provides information about the programs and collections of the Smithsonian’s art museums (Freer-Sackler Gallery; National Portrait Gallery; Cooper- Hewitt, National Museum of Design; National Museum of African Art; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, etc.). Of particular interest is the National Museum of American Art (access: http://www.nmaa.si.edu) which maintains its own extensive Web site. Access: http:// www.si.edu.

• The Andy Warhol Museum.A well-or- ganized and informative guide to the museum dedicated to the pop art maven. Access: http:// www.warhol.org/warhol.

• Whitney Museum of American Art.The pleasing minimalist design of this site provides access to a wealth of information about the museum. Access: http://www.echonyc.com/ ~whitney.

Commercial galleries and auction houses

Only a small number of the major commercial art galleries have an Internet presence. However, numerous smaller galleries around the world have seen the Internet as a good place to promote their business. See World Wide Arts Resources (listed above) for a very complete listing of commercial arts resources.

• Artsline.A small but growing site for major commercial galleries including Sylvan Cole Gallery (New York), Kathleen Ewing Gallery (Washington, D.C.), and Jane Haslem Gallery (Washington, D.C.). Also includes information about art dealers’ associations. Access: http://www.artline.com.

• Auctions Online.A central site for auction information. Includes an international auction calendar and auction news. Access: http:// www.auctions-on-line.com.

• Bonhams Auction House.Good information from the British auction house. Access: http://www.bonhams.com.

• Christie’s.Provides information about upcoming auctions, general information about Christie’s, and information about subscribing to the auction house’s sales catalogs. Access: http://www .Christies.com.

• Contemporary Art SiteA worldwide selection of smaller art galleries and individual artists. Access: http://www.tractor.com.

• Pace Wildenstein.The site for this major commercial gallery is a rich resource for biographical information about artists represented by Pace Wildenstein (e.g., Mark Rothko, Ad Reinhardt, etc.). Also includes images of the artists’ works and information about the New York City and Los Angeles locations. Access: http://www.razorfish.com/pace.

• Phillips Auction House. Good information from the British auction house. Access: http://www.phillips-auctions.com.

• Plexus. An “online gallery” and journal that hosts information about a number of artists. Access: http://www.plexus.org.

• Sandra Gering. This New York City gallery’s site provides information about the gallery and intriguing, inventive online exhibitions. Access: http://www.interport.net/~gering.

• Sotheby’s. Provides a much glitzier interface than arch-rival Christie’s. Content is not, however, sacrificed to presentation. Forthcoming auctions, a history of the firm, and auction results available in Adobe Acrobat PDF format are all included. “Auction Adventures,” three interactive explorations of the auction process, are interesting and informative. Access: http:// www.sothebys.com.

Organizations and associations

• ARLIS/NA. Homepages of the Art Libraries Society of North America. Access: http:// web.syr.edu/%7Edcstam.

• College Art Association. Information for and about the association of art historians. Access: http://alberti.mit.edu/caa/.

• Museum Computer Network. The MCN is an organization dedicated to promoting the use of technology in the museum environment. Access: http://world.std.com/ %7Emcn/MCN.html.

• Visual Resources Association. Promotes the goals of the association in furthering research and education in the visual arts. Access: http://www.vra.oberlin.edu/.

Electronic journals

• ArtForum. Online version of the important and influential print journal. Under construction at press time. Access: http:// www.artforum.com.

• ArtPage. Extensive and informative guide to galleries and museums in Manhattan, especially useful for information about contemporary artists. Access: http://www.walrus.com/ ~artforum.

• Bomb. Online version of the contemporary arts print journal. Access: http://www. bombsite.com.

• Communications Arts. Online version of the magazine for designers, illustrators, and art directors. Access: http://www.commarts.com.

• Journal of Contemporary Art. Coverage of the contemporary art scene, including interviews with leading artists. Note: for graphical Web browsers only. Access: http:// www.thing.net/jca/.

• Leonardo. Journal of the International Society of the Arts, Sciences, and Technology. Access: http://www-mitpress.mit.edu/Leonardo/ leohome.html.

• Maine Antique Digest. Online version of the venerable monthly newspaper. Contains both articles and, importantly, the display ads. Access: http://www.maine.com/mad/.

• Museos. Information about museum exhibitions from around the world. Text in English and Spanish. Access: http://www.ivc. com.mx/museos.

• Studio Space. An online magazine dedicated to the arts of the Seattle area. Access: http: //www.uspan.com/Studio.

Discussion lists and newsgroups

• AMART-L. Moderated discussion list for scholars of American art. Subscribe: listserv@ cunyvm.cuny.edu.

• ARLIS-L. Official discussion list of the Art Libraries Society of North America. Dedicated to issues related to art libraries. Subscribe: listserv@ukcc.uky.edu.

• ARLIS-NE. Official discussion group of the New England chapter of ARLIS. Subscribe: listserv@mitvma.mit.edu.

• ARLISWYN-L. Official discussion group of the New York chapter of ARLIS. Subscribe: listproc@cornell. edu.

• ARTCRIT. Forum for general discussion of art criticism. Subscribe: listserv@yorkvml. bitnet.

• ARTIST-L. Serves the needs of student artists. Subscribe: listserv@uafsysb.uark.edu.

• ArtNEWS. Daily headlines in the print media’s coverage of the art world. Subscribe: artnews-request@arttrak.metronet.com.

• CAAH. Consortium of Art and Architectural Historians. Subscribe: listserv@pucc. princeton.edu.

• CLAYART. For the discussion of all aspects of fine art ceramics. Subscribe: listserv@ ukcc.uky.edu.

• DESIGN-L. Discussion on basic and applied design in art and architecture. Subscribe: listserv@psuvm.psu.edu.

• FINE-ART. Major list for the discussion of the fine arts. Subscribe: listserv@rutvml. rutgers.edu.

• ALAA. Discussion group for the Association of Latin American Art. Subscribe: listserv@listserv.arizona.edu.

• MEDART-L. Discussions on Medieval art history. Subscribe: listserv@utoronto.bitnet.

• PAINT-L. “For painters to discuss all aspects of their art including technical and aesthetic issues.” Subscribe: majordomo@charliek. coe.edu.

• TEACHART. Serves the art teacher’s community. Subscribe: listserv@sivm.si.edu.

Usenet groups

Only a small number of Usenet groups are available in the fine arts. The alt.binaries. pictures* hierarchy contains a group for artists to post examples of their work.

• alt.art.colleges. Low-volume group about art colleges.

• alt.artcom. The lively discussion in this group covers a wide range of topics including media and current exhibitions. Individual artists also post announcements of their Web pages.

• alt.binaries.pictures.fine-art-digitize. This group provides a forum for artists to distribute reproductions of paintings, drawings, prints, etc. Images are posted in a variety of graphic formats (JPEG, GIF, etc.). This moderated group does not have a high volume of submissions.

• rec.arts.fine. The major list for the discussion of fine arts. Includes technical discussion about media, art history, and social issues in art (e.g., AIDS). ■