archiving socially engaged art:
a toolkit
The toolkit responds to the archival turn in social practice. It proposes ways to better utilise archives and archiving to align with the participatory and collaborative principles of socially engaged art. It is broken down into 12 sections that outline how to collaboratively navigate and archive during an active socially engaged art project.
These sections will continue to be updated as the research unfolds, the toolkit is tested and feedback is gathered. The toolkit has been created and distributed as part of ongoing PhD research for feedback and review purposes. It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
A downloadable beta version of the toolkit is available by clicking the link below.
1. introduction
this section situates the toolkit within the context of wider research interests, including community archives, and offers some useful definitions
2. how to use the toolkit
instructions, prompts, and links for navigation
3. archiving socially engaged art
this section outlines the types of traces created by a socially engaged art project and how they might lay the foundations for an archive
4. where to start
planning and the key questions to ask when considering if to archive a socially engaged art project or not
7. sharing an archive
this section outlines things to consider such as social media, data protection and copyright
10. templates
downloadable and adaptable context sheets, consent forms, and cataloguing spredsheets
5. archiving sessions
this section outlines four (repeatable) archiving sessions, including a retrospective archiving checklist
8. sustaining an archive
preservation basics to keep any archival materials created safe and usable
11. resources
links to other toolkits, guidance, and archives, this section also includes a glossary and a reading list
6. oral histories
this section covers before, during and after an oral history interview including ethical considerations and chosing an interview format
9. equipment list
some tools to consider
12. end note
some final thoughts and considerations