Non-profit Art Venues' Online Exhibits Research and Advocacy Project
Advocacy
TFAO advocates that museums place -- and archive -- as much exhibit information as possible in online postings. For each exhibit, information may include images, a description, artist statement, curator statement, plus links to a press release, media coverage, gallery tour or artist interview videos, teacher guide, wall texts, object labels, check list, brochure and more. Students, teachers, curators and others may find this information useful many years into the future.
Many museums create a page for each exhibit which is transferred from the future exhibits section, to the current exhibits section, and finally to the past exhibits section. Some museums add information to an exhibit page when new information becomes available. However, other museums delete some or all previously posted information once the exhibit has ended. This is unfortunate because little effort is needed to retain the information.
We hope that eventually all museums will post and archive full exhibit information on their websites.
Past exhibitions
Beginning in 2014, TFAO began studying museum coverage of prior exhibits. Through TFAO's research, if prior exhibits were found for a museum during a museum's "looked back thru" study period stated in the (A-C D-G H-L M-Q R-S T-Z) Calendar Update Schedule that were not covered in Resource Library's articles and essays -- yet qualified for coverage in Topics in American Art -- the exhibits were entered into the appropriate Topic. Some "looked back thru" study periods state that the review covered the time period from the beginning of a museum's listing of past exhibits to the "looked back thru" study date. Other "looked back thru" study periods are from the date of a prior study period to the most recent period. The "looked back thru" study periods generally end at December, 2016 because starting in 2017 all of a museum's exhibits, based on its study status, were being researched for inclusion in Topics in American Art.
Update of present "looked back thru" notations
For museums listed within the (A-C D-G H-L M-Q R-S T-Z) Calendar Update Schedule with current "looked back thru" tags and without "limited descriptions of past exhibits" or "no permanent URLs for exhibits" tags, TFAO will look back from the date of the last review through 12/16 for openings of exhibits that qualify for inclusion in Topics in American Art. After 12/16, the National Calendar of Art Exhibitions listed all exhibits subject to research and published the resolution of research.
For "looked back thru" reviews last completed prior to 10/16, TFAO will:
For "looked back thru" reviews last completed 10/16 to 12/16, check only Topics in American Art for exhibits opening after the review.
After the above research is completed, those exhibits that qualify for inclusion in Topics in American Art will be added to the appropriate topic. Each revised National Calendar of Exhibitions entry will say, e.g., "(study date) looked back through 12/16"
As of 8/18, all museums in this category have been studied.
Museums without "looked back thru" notations
After the above museums with present "looked back thru" notations are updated, TFAO will study other museums without "limited descriptions of past exhibits" or "no permanent URLs for exhibits" tags. TFAO will study Past Exhibition sections to find information on qualified exhibits for addition to Topics in American Art.
Procedure:
A: Windows to open:
B: Look back steps for admissible exhibits:
As of 1/14/19, museums in this category have been studied through McNay Art Museum
Return to Non-profit Art Venues'
Online Exhibits Research and Advocacy Project
Return to Research Projects,
Reports and Studies
Search
Resource Library
Copyright 2019 Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc., an Arizona nonprofit corporation. All rights reserved.