Photo opportunity: 10.30am on Tues 30 October at the Visual Research Centre, Dundee Contemporary Arts, Nethergate, Dundee.
A unique art archive held by the University of Dundee, including over 400 books and original prints including works by international figures such as Eduardo Paolozzi, opens for free access to the public at a special ceremony on 30 October.
The ceremony also marks the opening of Viewpoints, an exhibition highlighting a range of the University of Dundee's cultural services including the museums collection, exhibitions, archives and conservation service, and the Visual Research Centre.
The Visual Research Centre Archive, which has also been fully digitised for ultimate on-line access, is held within a specially designed suite at the University of Dundee's Visual Research Centre within Dundee Contemporary Arts.
An exciting new addition to the collection is a substantial portfolio of small works by Ian Hamilton Finlay, gifted by Alan Swerdlow and Jeremy Greenwood through the National Art Collections Fund and directed to Dundee where there is already a substantial collection of his books.
The archive also holds over 200 works from the era of the 1970s and 80s - a period of rich activity in Scotland - and features works by east coast of Scotland artists such as Will Maclean, Elizabeth Blackadder and Joyce Cairns. These were originally part of the Scottish Arts Council collection which was disbursed to selected institutions two years ago. Also archived are a selection of contemporary Scottish artist books and catalogues and publications by a range of international artists, many of them working in Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design.
Professor Murdo Macdonald who holds the chair of the history of Scottish Art at the University of Dundee highlighted the value of the archive: "This resource is not just important for Dundee but for Scotland and indeed internationally. It draws attention to the significance and excitement of contemporary Scottish art." Director of the Visual Research Centre Ms Babs McCool said: "Art archives are commonly held in conditions of restricted access where users have to register and request items in advance. But this VRC archive is held in a public building where it is uniquely accessible to all. This means that, for example, pupils studying Higher art will be able to experience the thrill of seeing original works and artists' books at first hand - opening up an area of study to them that has previously been remote and restricted."
The archive will be formally opened by University Principal Sir Alan Langlands who will also launch the Viewpoints exhibition.
Viewpoints will feature work from the University's Museums Collection - an extraordinary assortment of over 15,000 items collected over 120 years and ranging from gruesome early medical instruments to an unusual collection of designer chairs, one of which is among those featured.
The Conservation Unit where the focus is on paper conservation and rare books, charts and parchments are preserved and treated for a range of customers public and private.
Exhibitions who will be featuring highlights from some of the dozen exhibitions a year they put on public display.
University Archives who will feature items from their vast collections of manuscripts, drawings and photographs including some original forerunners of modern photography - colour stereographic glass plates dating from the turn of the century, a selection from the 130,000 photographs taken by Hungarian photo-journalist Michael Peto and items from the Drawn Evidence project featuring the architecture of Scotland.
Visual Research Centre who will feature pieces from the Scottish Arts Council bequest as well as the award winning Centre for Artists' Books.
Viewpoints exhibition runs for one week from Wed 31 October - Tues 6 November in the Centre Space gallery at Dundee Contemporary Arts./ends
Contact
Carol Pope
Press Officer
University of Dundee
01382 344021
press@dundee.ac.uk
Miriam Lea
Press Officer
DCA
01382 606229
miriam.lea@dundeecity.gov.uk
Note to Editors
The Archive is situated in the Visual Research Centre at Dundee
Contemporary Arts. It forms part of the University of Dundee Art
Collection and is managed by Museum Collections and VRC.