Preservation Assessment of the New York Studio School Audio-visual Archives

FAIN: PG-50084-07

New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, Inc (New York, NY 10011-9002)
Charlotte Priddle (Project Director: May 2006 to June 2008)

Hiring a preservation consultant to assess a collection of 1,350 audio and videotapes of lectures from 1966 to the present given by prominent artists and scholars (among them Willem de Kooning, Philip Guston and Buckminster Fuller) that focus on theories and philosophies of the arts.

The New York Studio School has an extensive collection of historically significant audio and audio-visual recordings that are a part of its library's collection. This part of the collection, known as the Archive, dates since the 1960s and consists of approximately 1,350 individual lectures, in a variety of mediums. The condition of the Archive, particularly of the earlier records is poor and its preservation is essential. In order to take the necessary steps to safely preserve this invaluable resource, the school must hire an archives consultant to assess the collection and offer sound advice. With the proposed Preservation Assistance Grant, the school will engage a consultant to visit this collection and assess its preservation needs. This assessment will include recommendations for upgrading current storage options and the possible transfer of recordings into different mediums for better preservation use.