Honors FYE - Artist Research Assignment

This guide supports Honors FYE students in researching artists and collectives, using primarily electronic resources available through the EWU Libraries.

Below you will find 4 suggested steps for researching your artist/collective, with links to relevant resources and some directions and tips.

Please don't hesitate to be in touch with me to request assistance with research for this project.  My email address is rkrause3@ewu.edu.

Best of luck with your assignment!

Rose Krause, Librarian for Art

Links to class presentations (You'll be prompted to "Enroll" in my Canvas site, which is where these files live):

Session 1 (October 22): Covers Steps 1 and 2

Session 2 (October 29): Covers Steps 3 and 4

• Search for your artist/collective's name to see if there is an entry in Grove Art.
  • View the Grove Art video tutorial available on Canvas (sign in with your EWU SSO).
• Use the PDF icon in the upper right area of the window to export a copy of the entry.
• Use the bibliography and publications list at the end of the entry to identify additional sources of information.
• Use the External Resources section at the end of the entry to link to works by the artist in museum and gallery online collection databases and catalogs.  **Note:  When I was using these links, I frequently encountered "Page Not Found" (404) errors.  You may need to search the museum or gallery website to locate the information that was linked.

• Search by artist/collective name.
• The results you see will be works by the artist/collective, not a biographical entry about the artist/collective.
• Each work will include some information in the detailed view.  View the How to Search, View Images and Data in ArtStor video to learn how to search and navigate in ArtStor.
  • Look to see which museum or gallery contributed the image to ArtStor.  There may be additional information about the work or artist/collective on the museum or gallery's website.  See Step 4 below for tips on searching museum and gallery websites.
• Suggestion:  Create an Image Group for images you want to use for your presentation.  View the Image Groups video to learn how to create an Image Group.  You must have an ArtStor account to use Image Groups.  View the Introduction to ArtStor video to learn how to create an account.

Use the EWU Library catalog to locate electronic articles and books on your artist/collective. You may find an interview with the artist/collective or a useful overview of the artist/collective's work.

Search by artist/collective name and limit to "Available online". This will allow you to see only content available online. You may also want to limit the language to English.  Also use the Format facet to exclude Reviews.  See the "How do I search the catalog?" page for instructions.  Please contact me for help searching the catalog and accessing resources.

Many museums and galleries include information about artists and artworks on their websites.  Below are links to museums and galleries that provide substantial information about artists on their websites.

Also try searching the websites of museums and galleries that were listed at the end of the Grove Art entry for your artist/collective (see Step 1) and in the ArtStor artwork records (see Step 2).

For living artists/collectives, search for gallery websites that have exhibited the artist/collective's work.  The artist/collective may also have their own website, which you can use for information.

For some criteria to use when evaluating websites, visit the EWU Libraries' Evaluating Websites page.