The Irish Artist-led Archive (1970 – the Present day):
Sustainable Activism and the Embrace of Flux
INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTING ARTIST-LED
INITATIVES, COLLECTIVES AND ORGANISATIONS
www.theartistledarchive.com
Project Overview
The Artist-led Archive - Sustainable Activism and the Embrace of Flux is an
archive project initiated by the artist and curator Megs Morley in 2006 as part
of an on-going investigation into artist-led initiatives in Ireland. The project
aimed to decipher the kind of cultural conditions that led to artist-led initiative’s
birth, their economic independence (or lack of), their organizational structures
and how all of these factors effected their activities and life spans.
As an archival project and touring exhibition (2006-2008), The Artist-led
Archive sought to investigate, activate and inform artist-led culture in Ireland
by collecting and presenting examples of works and documents from artists
organisations, groups, and collectives working in Ireland (North and South)
from the 1970’s to the present day, a period marking significant economic,
social and political change in Ireland.
Comprising of an interactive archive, commissioned art works, installations,
video & films, photography, sonic works and constitutive documents gathered
from both Southern and Northern Irish artist-led initiatives over the past 40
years, these documents provide a unique insight into the variations and
similarities between initiatives operating at different periods and within distinct
contexts across Ireland, acknowledging past initiatives work and exposing the
roots of some of our oldest cultural vehicles.
The Artist-led Archive used a variety of live archiving strategies to initiate
dialogue and debate into artist-led culture and was involved in many live
events and initiatives across Ireland between 2006-2008 as the Artist-led
Archive exhibition toured. Methods in collecting information included; live
presentations, focus groups, roundtable discussions, symposiums, the
commissioning of installations and performance art works and word of
mouth. These strategies served to socially collect and transfer information and
initiate dialogue around the critical ideas, pragmatic issues and socio-political
contexts of artist-led culture in Ireland.
As a moving platform for discussion the Artist-led Archive attempted to initiate
and inform interest in artist-led culture in localized contexts by providing a
national and international context for such activities. Contributors included;
Julie Ault (Group Material, NY), Rachel Bradley & Julie Crawshaw
(Midwest.co.uk UK), Catalyst Arts (NI) Ben Geoghegan & Niall Moore (G126
IRE), Daniel Jewsbury (Factotum & the Vacuum NI), KDFS (IRE), Aileen
Lambert & Mick Fortune (Real Art Project IRE), Sean Lynch, Brian Patterson
& Rainer Pagel (Art, Research & Exchange NI), Deirdre O’Mahony (the Xpo,
IRE), Lise Skou (UKK- Young Danish Artworkers DK).
The Artist-led Archive- Sustainable Activism and the Embrace of Flux
exhibition was launched in the Galway Arts Centre on 9th November 2007
and subsequently toured to Catalyst Arts, in Belfast (April 2008) the Lab,
Dublin (June- July 2008) and was hosted by “Sligo Local” by the Model, Sligo
in April 2009.
The Artist-led Archive comprises of documents relating to over 80 artist-led
initiatives and is currently housed in the National Irish Visual Arts Library
(NIVAL) in the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) Dublin, as part of
their special collections. NIVAL maintains a policy of maximum accessibility to
the collections. Acess to the collection is free, but it is recommended to make
an appointment by contacting Donna Romano at romanod@staff.ncad.ie
It is envisioned that the Artist-led Archive will be infinitely malleable and
continue to evolve and change form according to the environment it finds itself
in, whether used as a formal research resource as in NIVAL, or on tour as a
contemporary art exhibition, as a moving platform of information the Artist-led
Archive will continue to;
activate, initiate and inform artist-led culture in localized contexts by
providing a national and international context for artist-led activities.
The website www.theartistledarchive.com will continue grow to form an
online resource and directory of artist-led culture in Ireland. If you do not have
your own website, you can submit the information and images that you would
like on a short webpage on the ALA website info@theartistledarchive.com
stating that you would like such a page to be created. If you have any further
writings or relevant information that you feel could contribute to the project or
the website please contact info@theartistledarchive.com
Guidelines for Registration
Please read the guidelines for information and ideas on submitting materials

You can submit any materials that you feel best represent the past and
present activities of your organisation.

Please keep in mind the more variety of materials submitted the more
potential information the researcher has.

Examples of materials might include: Works of Art, documentation of
art works, publications, brochures, photographs, slides, board minutes,
constitutive documents, application forms, proposals, press clippings,
press releases, presentations, proposals for events/performances,
audio recordings, video documentation

Digital Formats: Where hardcopies of the information you wish to
submit is not available, digital files are accepted. However, to ensure
that the files are accessible, please convert image and word files to
PDF, video files to MPG 4, sound files to MP3. Please submit digital
files on USB flash drive only. Please also ensure that the USB flash
drive is both mac and pc compatible by first formatting it to FAT 32.

Where possible, please submit originals, however in the case where
there is only a single copy, please only submit a reproduction(s).

Please label all the materials with corresponding dates.

Please complete the registration form below and submit it as a printed
hard copy with your materials and email it as a soft copy to
info@theartistledarchive.com.

If you do not already have a soft copy of this registration form as a
word doc please contact info@theartistledarchive.com.
Any queries, please contact Megs Morley: info@theartistledarchive.com
The Irish Artist-Led Archive
Registration Form (please return to info@theartistledarchive.com
and submit a copy with the archival
materials)
General Information
Name of
Group/
initative:
Date/Year Initiated
Date/Year Disbanded
Address:
Street Address
Town/City
Phone No:
County
Email:
Name of person
submitting materials:
Website:
Role/Position
Date Submitted :
Organisational Information
Mission Statement (If any)
Description of legal status (if any)
Limited Company
Co-operative
Registered Charity
Registered not-for-profit
Collective
Other (Please Describe below)
Other:
Do you have a constitution or articles of association?
Yes
No
If possible can you include a copy of your constitution?
Yes
No
List of activities:
Live Art
Gallery/project space
Studios
Facility (please describe)
Publication
Other (Please describe below)
Other:
Description of Organisational History
(Any Length)
List of materials submitted in archival box (please tick)
Board Minutes
Video documentation VHS
Video documentation DVD
Photographs
Photographic negatives
Slides
Brochure
Press Releases
Press Clippings
CD
ZIP or other digital media
Publication
Constitution
Art Work
Other (Please Describe)
Other:
Disclaimer and Signature
I understand that the information and materials submitted in this application form and archival box are to be used for
the public research, exhibition, advertisement, website and publication purposes of the Irish Artist-led Archive Project.
Signature:
Date: