What does WTAS do?

The organization, conservation, and maintenance of artworks and personal archives can be beneficial for ensuring the legacy of an artist, by making these materials more available to potential researchers, including curators, art historians, librarians, and university students. With access to well-organized materials, researchers can gain insight not only into the individual artist's career, but also discover how that artist participated in local art scenes and how that influence may have rippled out, regionally and nationally. 

As a consultant, Kristina Newhouse works with artists and their advocates to devise and implement plans for organizing the fruits of artists' lifelong practices; promoting artists' portfolios of art; and identifying potential repositories for artworks, records, ephemera, and other materials. As needed, she can work with artists or their advocates to identify appropriate legal, financial, accounting, appraisal, and secondary-market partners for estate planning.

 Although the process can vary, depending on the needs of the client, typically there are two steps that lead to the work. First, there is an ideally in-person meeting (although Zoom meetings are available by request). The desires of an individual artist must guide decisions about their life's work and the assets they have accumulated, whether this is art they have created or acquired from others.

In this initial meeting, Newhouse will listen to the artist and/or their advocates and provide prompts to identify needs that may require further articulation.

  • What are the artist's wishes and how should they be carried out, should they be unable to make decisions due to age, disability, or death?

  • What decisions must be made for the care, storage, possible sale, or other disposition of amassed artworks and records after an artist’s death? For example, is exhibition a top priority or do they want their work to be distributed to family and friends? Do they want their art to be donated to a public, non-profit organization such as a museum or do they want the art to be sold or reproduced to provide income?

  • What should be done, if anything, with other materials in the artist’s archive, such as correspondence and ephemera?

Following the preliminary meeting, if requested, Newhouse will produce a detailed white paper in which she summarizes the desires of the artist and/or advocates, presents potential solutions to implement plans, and establishes priorities for action items.

Available Services

 Master documents

  • A written review, development, and augmentation of existing artist documents

  • A narrative biography and historic contextualization; production of a visual biography, including images from studio, performances and other time-based activities, gallery installations, exhibition receptions, etc.

  • The compilation of a contact directory of curators, other artists, dealers, collectors, etc. with whom the artist has had prior working relationships or exploring new, potential affinities

  • The creation of an oral history, recording and transcription, with identification of keywords; creation of an artist statement and curriculum vitae (education, exhibitions, bibliography, awards, collections, public projects, participation in jurying or other panels, etc.); Production of a critical narrative, based upon oral history, articles and reviews, and curriculum vitae

Inventory and archives

A comprehensive review of physical inventories and archives will be conducted. A written overview will:

  • Provide an analysis of the volume, condition, and storage of art, photographs, and other materials

  • Propose a plan for digitization and back up of digital storage, if needed

  • Provide basic archival services or advise on the hire of professional archivists

  • Identify organizations for donation or sale of artwork

  • Identify organizations for archival donation or sale of archives

Database and preliminary finding aid

  • An assessment will be made for updating or creating a detailed digital database based upon "best practices" to catalog artworks

  • Relevant documents for an archive will be identified, and organization will proposed for a "finding aid" according to series (projects, notes, correspondence, ephemera and objects, research files, recordings and performance files, writings by or about the artist, other clippings, teaching and student work, etc.)

Marketing and Promotion

 If desired, master documents will be used to develop a promotional packet and plan for outreach to commercial galleries, curators, and institutions

Web Resources

  • Strategies to expand outreach for artist will be identified, relative to exhibitions, placement of artworks, and journalism

  • The artist's extant website can be reviewed, and suggestions made to upgrade and optimize; appropriate third-party platforms and online databases to promote artist can be presented

  • A discussion of artist social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Tik-Tok, Snapchat, LinkedIn, etc.) can be presented, with advice for optimization

Curation

 If desired, master documents and art inventory can be used to produce a curatorial packet to showcase the historical context for the artist and their practice (exhibition fact sheet; curatorial statement; annotated checklist; exhibition wall texts and object labels; publicity images and captions; press release; assessment of space requirements; framing estimates; crating and packing estimate; condition reports).

 Publications

  • If desired, the master documents and inventory will be used to produce a catalogue to showcase the historical context for the artist and their practice (Curatorial essay; artist interview or guest essay [as needed]; annotated checklist; biography and bibliography)

  • A plan can be devised for printing, promotion, and distribution

  • An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) and Library of Congress LCCN (control number for inclusion in LOC collection) can be procured for accessibility

  • A preview can be produced for Google Books

  • A plan can be devised to distribute an e-catalogue through Google or Amazon or via Print-on-Demand (Blurb, IngramSpark, Bookbaby, etc.)

What we don’t do

Appraisals

Kristina Newhouse is not certified to provide appraisals. However, if requested, she is happy to source and vet local professional appraisers.

Financial and legal planning

Kristina Newhouse does not provide financial or legal estate planning. However, if requested, she can research local estate resources.