Updates on the Professional Guidelines
January 17, 2019
The Professional Guidelines were conceived in 2000 and I along with others pursued this idealistic effort until completion a few years later. Many people helped to bring these documents to fruition -- and to give them grateful recognition, their names are listed at the bottom of this post* and at the bottom of every document.
Now in 2019, a few updates are due.
The updates involve all three contracts:
and updates in the professional practice documents:
Some of the updates are significant, such as references to outdated visual technologies like slides (which have been removed).
The updated versions are now ready for more current use.
Take a moment to download any of the 19 documents that interest you to boost your career goals -- or share with a fellow artist or maker. More updates are coming. If you notice anything that should be updated, please bring it to my attention.
Artists and makers may sometimes underestimate the value of professionalism in their field, but a recent situation reminded me just how important it is to keep appropriate records. A well-known curator in the jewelry metal arts field contacted me regarding an important and historic book.
Amazingly she asked me to go back 35 years looking for exhibition records. When did I first show this work? What other artwork was in that show? We are talking about craft history of the 20th century and I hoped that my "20 something" self wrote it down or kept sufficient records.
Yikes!
Fortunately, (or at a bare minimum), I found my original index cards with the necessary information -- but I had them. Looking back, those index cards were the precursor foundation that led to the recommendations presented in the Professional Guidelines document "Inventory Records: Documentation and Provenance".
Ahh, what a stroll through distance memories as I was looking through boxes of old images, even black and white photos, that seem so archaic in comparison to our technologies now, but I found them.
Your work could be part of the history in your field. Yes, the media that you might be inventing today may become history in future decades, but only if you document the work in a permanent way. Posting on Instagram is great, but it is not a permanent record.
Are you prepared for your future history in the arts?
Harriete
Professional Guidelines Committee:
Author: Harriete Estel Berman
Artist, Advocate
San Mateo, CA
Contributing Editor: Andy Cooperman
Jeweler, metalsmith
Seattle, WA
Suzanne Baizerman
Independent Curator
Previously curator, Oakland Museum of California
Oakland, CA
Boris Bally
Production metalsmith
Providence, RI
Sharon Campbell
Collector, Artist Representative
Seattle, Washington
Tami Dean
Jeweler
Portland, Oregon
Jeannine Falino
Independent Curator
Previously curator at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Wayland, MA
Cherry LeBrun
Owner, de Novo Gallery
Palo Alto, CA
Nancy Moyer
Jeweler, Professor (retired)
McAllen, TX
Marc David Paisin
Attorney at Law
Oakland, CA
Sienna Patti
Owner of Sienna Gallery
Lenox, MA
Biba Schutz
Studio jewelry
New York, NY
Linda Threadgill
Educator, metalsmith
Santa Fe, NM
Bruce Metcalf
Board Liaison & Editor
Bala Cynwyd, PA
Kathleen Browne
Board Liaison
Ravenna, OH
Lloyd Herman
Independent curator
Bellingham, WA
Darle and Patrick Maveety
Collector, former curator and gallery owner
Gleneden Beach, OR
Palo Alto, CA
Marilyn da Silva
Metalsmith; Professor, California College of the Arts
Oakland, CA
Lynda Watson
Artist
Santa Cruz, CA
Don Wollwage
Distribution of paper copies
Alameda, CA