The Art Museum of WVU is launching its searchable collections database, putting the museum’s vast assortment of art and artifacts at users’ fingertips.
“It is important for us to have the Museum’s collection accessible online and front and center on our website. This not only allows us to present our collections to our broader community, but also opens our collection as a research resource for our colleagues in the museum community. Part of our duty in holding and caring for a collection is to make it as accessible as possible to as many viewers as possible,” said Art Museum Director Aaron Levi Garvey.
The collections database uses software designed for cultural institutions, such as museums and historic sites, to capture basic information on each item belonging to that institution.
The website version of the database contains much of the information Registrar and Collections Manager Karen Louvar records for the museum’s posterity. On the back end, Louvar can upload photographs, create inventory lists, add insurance values, document incoming and outgoing artwork loans and note the condition of each object, including conservation treatments, environmental hazards and handling restrictions. She can also adapt the database to group objects together and add greater detail for each item for research purposes.
“In this digital age, it is almost impossible to rely solely on printed files. The database serves as an institutional memory, and it’s vital to the museum and collections management,” said Louvar.
The Art Museum brought in two professional photographers, Matt Thornton and Mason Williams, for a multi-week documentation project to capture high-resolution images of all 4,000-plus items in the collection. Visitors to the database can view those images and other details about the items by going to artmuseum.wvu.edu/collection-database or following the link in the upper right corner of the Art Museum’s homepage. Once there, users can scroll through the many pages of artwork and historic objects, or if they are looking for a specific item or items, users can search the collection by artist name, medium or keyword.
Anyone interested in researching a particular artwork or object can email Louvar at karen.louvar@mail.wvu.edu to make an appointment, preferably two or more weeks in advance. The Museum continues to welcome class and community group tours of the galleries, which can be arranged by completing a request form. The exhibitions change every semester, so there’s something new for visitors to see, and admission is always free.
For more information on current exhibits and upcoming events, visit https://artmuseum.wvu.edu and follow the Art Museum of WVU on social media @artmuseumofwvu.