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To know ourselves; A Canadian perspective on national art bibliography

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2016

Mary Williamson
Mary Williamson*
Affiliation:
York University, North York, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada
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Abstract

In smaller countries where the art literature has tended to be overlooked by international indexing services, there is a pressing need for national art bibliographies. A retrospective bibliography can serve a vital role in awakening citizens to unfamiliar artists and artistic activity, and to the richness of the cultural heritage. Beyond that, national art bibliographies make possible the investigation of artistic influences and international cultural connections, and of individual artists on the move.

Type
Research Article
Information
Art Libraries Journal , Volume 11 , Issue 1 , 1986 , pp. 5 - 7
Copyright
Copyright © The Art Libraries Society 1986

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References

1. Art & Architecture in Canada: a Bibliography / Bibliographie sur l’art et l’architecture au Canada (provisional title) is based at Concordia University in Montreal. Loren Singer of Concordia and Mary Williamson of York University, Toronto, are co-editors. The Bibliography will list over 9000 books, articles, exhibition catalogues and theses, with publication dates beginning around 1820 up to and including 1981. It will cover the broad field of Canadian art, including Indian and Inuit (or Eskimo) art, folk arts, decorative arts, photography, museums, government and the arts, and art education. The language of the text in each case determines the language of the abstract or annotation, but all entries will be indexed in both English and French. The Bibliography will closely but not precisely follow the RILA format, bibliographic style and index terminology, but will be classified by subject and geographic areas. The editors have received a supplementary grant to translate the index from English into French which brings the total of successive annual grants from the Social. Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to close to a quarter of a million Canadian dollars. The entire bibliography is being entered onto a computer disk, but initial publication will be in the form of bound volumes.Google Scholar
2. The gift of the slide collection prompted an article in the Kenya Times of 26 August 1984, by Gacheru, Margaretta wa entitled: “Bid to retrieve EA’s scattered cultural heritage”. The following is an excerpt: “More East African art is scattered all around the world than any Kenyan can begin to know. The art is situated in art museums, galleries and libraries from Canberra to Chicago, and from London to Stuttgart to Sydney, Australia and the western interest in East African art has sky rocketted over the past few years… This is why a collection of over 600 works of East African art and material culture donated by the International Federation of Library Associations to the Kenya government may make an impact on local policy makers and potential patrons. For even though the collection… is all on slide… it might still wake us local folk up to the fact that East African art is highly prized (both economically and aesthetically) abroad.”Google Scholar
3. My biography of Allanson, John will be published in 1985 in vol. 8 of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography (Toronto, University of Toronto Press).Google Scholar