DACS is delighted to announce it is supporting Art360, a major national initiative led by DACS Foundation to digitise 100 British artists’ archives and to provide practical, bespoke advice and support on legacy planning.
Safeguarding the UK’s cultural heritage
Supported with public funding from
Arts Council England,
Art360 is the most ambitious public project for UK visual arts archive management to date.
It will draw on the expertise of DACS and other major cultural partners,
The National Archives,
the Art Fund and
The Henry Moore Foundation to explore how cultural heritage in the visual arts can be safeguarded for future generations.
The three year pilot programme will see the digitisation 100 artists’ archives, including artists from the Modern British canon (1900 – 2000) and contemporary artists active between 2000 and 2014. In addition, it will offer expert advice and technical support in developing sustainable systems to help the selected artists and artist estates manage their legacies for the future.
Knowledge sharing and learning
Art360 will be supported with a series of regional events and workshops to celebrate and promote the notion of 'soft cultural heritage' and provide legacy planning support for artists and estates across the UK.
The story of the project will be shared through the Art360 website, showcasing rare materials and images of artwork from artists’ archives. It will also feature interviews and ephemera from the artists’ careers.
Why now?
Art360 meets a major need to address the issue of legacy planning for artists in the UK. It is particularly resonant at a time when a number of important cultural shifts have disrupted the traditional model for art collection and preservation, and cultural assets are being depleted more swiftly than ever before.
Keir McGuinness, Chair of
DACS Foundation, said: “This is a hugely significant investment which will contribute to re-mapping the history of British art for the benefit of present and future generations. This project will celebrate the UK’s cultural heritage, promote best practice for artists for their own archiving and legacy planning, and make accessible new cultural content to the British public.”
To find out more, visit
DACS Foundation’s website.
Image credit: The studio of artist Anthony Frost. Photography by Brian Benson © Brian Benson, 2015