David E. Davis, Falcieu No. 17, 1977, Collage on paper, 19 x 28”, Collection of the AAWR
Beginning December 8th, 2021, the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve (AAWR) is thrilled to announce the launch of the online catalog of its permanent collection of Ohio art. Featuring over 10,000 works from 89 watershed artists, the digital database positions the vast wealth of the region’s visual culture squarely at the public’s fingertips.
“We hope that this database becomes a resource not only for art lovers, but also a research tool for museums, universities, historical societies, area schools, and for artists seeking inspiration from the rich history and current talent of the Western Reserve,” explains AAWR Executive Director Mindy Tousley.
The project represents years of effort by a team of archivists, interns, and volunteers who painstakingly entered thousands of records while preserving the work for storage in the museum’s massive 108,000 cubic foot archival facility. Making these records accessible to the public also critically supports the Archives’ ongoing mission to “document and promote Ohio’s cultural heritage for the benefit of the public.”
To Board President Stuart Pearl, whose own photographs, as well as the paintings of his father Moses Pearl, are included in the collection, the launch is the crowning jewel of the museum’s landmark 25th anniversary celebration.
“When the Archives was founded by sculptor David E. Davis in 1996, he couldn’t have conceived of the role the internet would play in advancing the art of our region,” Pearl reflects. “As an enthusiastic innovator by nature, Davis would have embraced the opportunity to share our creators with the world. Online access to our permanent collection is the next step in our evolution as an organization. With this new feature, Ohio artists will have yet another way to claim their rightful place in the history.”
VIEW THE COLLECTION ONLINE
About the Artists Archives: The Artists Archives of the Western Reserve (AAWR) is a unique archival facility and regional museum created to preserve representative bodies of work by Ohio visual artists. Through ongoing research, exhibition, and educational programs the AAWR actively documents and promotes this cultural heritage for the benefit of the public. The Artists Archives of the Western Reserve would also like to thank Ohio Arts Council, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, the people of Cuyahoga County, the George Gund Foundation, the Bernice & David E. Davis Foundation, the William Bingham Foundation and the Zufall Foundation for their continuing support.