Wednesday, June 20, 2007
For Susan Craig, more than a decade of work — most of it done without the help of a computer — is finally being recognized.
Craig, head of the Murphy Art and Architecture Library at the University of Kansas, recieved the Art Libraries Society of North America’s Worldwide Books Award for Electronic Resources for her electronic book, “Biographical Dictionary of Kansas Artists (active before 1945).”
“It’s a record of cultural history for the state,” Craig said.
Craig began the project in 1981 when she came to the University, after she realized that no such resource on Kansas artists existed. Craig worked on the manuscript throughout the ‘80s, but abandoned the project after plans to publish the book fell through.
Along with national recognition, Craig said she continues to receive notes from people who have relatives listed in the dictionary or own a piece of art by one of the listed artists.
“I literally shelved it in my attic,” she said.
The book lay untouched until 2005 when Craig decided to continue her project utilizing Internet and other computer resources to track down a good deal of information that had previously eluded her.
The eBook, published in August 2006, is a free dictionary of artists who were either born in Kansas or produced art while they lived in the state.
Craig said she chose online publication instead of traditional publication because she had found so much free information on the Internet.
“I wanted to share the work that I had done that same way,” she said.
Some of the entries contain as much information as an artist’s birth and death dates, a list of artworks, awards received, and other biographical information. Other entries are less complete, including only the names of people who “lived in Kansas and called themselves artists at certain times,” Craig said.
She said she used 1945 as a stopping point because it marked an important shift in art history. The movement of people and the development of art institutions after World War II changed the way art was produced, Craig said.
Charles Eldredge, professor of the history of art said that the resource could benefit collectors, students, archivists and history preservation professionals alike.
“It’s the kind of fundamental resource tool that is far too seldom encountered,” said Eldredge.
“The Biographical Dictionary of Kansas Artists (Active before 1945)” can be found online at KU ScholarWorks.
Craig said she will continue to expand the dictionary’s information and plans to release a second volume, though she didn’t know an exact date.
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