Free archive tool
Is your artwork archive ready when you need it?
Check the practical pieces that make an artwork record usable. It takes a minute, does not ask for an email, and gives you a clear place to start.
Use the free tool
Tool 01
Mark what already exists
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Archive readiness
A sensible next step: photographed or scanned, identified, located.
Artwork Codex · Free studio tool
artworkcodex.com/resources/artwork-archive-readiness
Archive readiness
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In place
Nothing selected yet.
Still to add
- Photographed or scannedEach work has a clear overall image.
- IdentifiedTitle, date, medium and dimensions are recorded.
- LocatedThe current home, storage location or lender is noted.
- Status checkedAvailable, sold, gifted, destroyed or on loan is clear.
- Documents gatheredInvoices, certificates and condition notes are together.
- History capturedA useful ownership and exhibition trail is recorded.
- Copied somewhere elseYour records do not live in only one place.
- Review date chosenYou know when this record will next be checked.
Most archives do not need to be rebuilt from scratch. Start with the work that is most likely to be sold, loaned, moved, insured or shared. A clear image, a reliable description and a current location turn a loose list into something you can use.
If a record is incomplete, do the smallest useful thing next. Photograph the work in daylight. Measure it. Put the invoice and certificate in one place. Then move on. The system becomes valuable through steady, repeatable attention, not one exhausting weekend.
When you want to keep records together, and see how images, documents, location and status can sit beside each other.