ABOUT

Founded in 2012, IAM is a non-profit 501(c)3 public charity and arts organization created with the mission to take on and care for the works of brilliant, under-represented artists once they have departed. We receive the collections of deceased artists and also work alongside artists who are ready to consider how their legacy will evolve after they've passed. 

IAM's mission is to Remember the Artist.

For us, this means giving significant thought to who the artist was during their lifetime, and establishing a powerful legacy that is in alignment with the artist's beliefs, values and vision. It means keeping the artist at the forefront of our minds as we archive their work, create a system of digital preservation, and seek out opportunities for the work to be exhibited, researched and discussed. To that end, we are currently focused on the following activities:

Living Archive

IAM maintains a living archive of the works of outstanding under-known artists. The term “living archive” refers to an archiving process in which works are digitally documented to enable physical artworks and ephemera to be placed and traveled throughout the world. This process provides a permanent digital resource to ensure complete collections remain available for study. The extent to which IAM maintains a permanent in-house collection for any one artist's work will be dependent upon the nature of the artist's collection and the artist's wishes.

We currently manage the collection of the provocative figurative painter, outspoken activist and renowned international mail artist, Carlo Pittore (a.k.a. Charles Stanley). We are also working with living artist Josefina Auslender. Originally from Argentina, Auslender is a master draftswoman whose graphite works are a stunning abstract evocation of her experience in Argentina (including life during the Dirty War), through to her more peaceful existence as a United States citizen.

We are also viewing additional collections for inclusion within the archive. Please feel free to contact us with artists to consider, or to set up an appointment to view our collections in person.

As part of our archival procedures, we seek to establish both a physical space for each body of work, and a public-facing digital archive. Because each collection varies in the content and scope of works included, this process may take months or years to complete. If you are interested in assisting with this process, we would love to hear from you!

Placement OF ARTWORKS

We strategically place portions of our archived collections in both public and private spaces, increasing visibility for our artists and offering the public more diverse opportunities to encounter their work. To date, artwork from the Carlo Pittore collection has been positioned at the MoMA Library (NYC, NY, USA), the Getty Institute (LA, CA, USA), the Sonja Henie Museum (Oslo, Norway), the Ruth and Marvin Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry (Miami Beach, FL, USA), the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC, USA), the Bowdoin College Museum of Art (Brunswick, ME, USA), the Portland Museum of Art (Portland, ME, USA), the Manhattan School of Music (NYC, NY, USA), the Leslie Lohman Museum (NYC, NY, USA) and other private and institutional collections. 

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

Under supervised access, our collections provide artists, art historians, writers, and students with an opportunity for experiential learning. We actively solicit applications from post doctoral and graduate students interested in undertaking immersive study of our artists’ works. In this way, we provide intensive academic experiences while also generating the critical discourse and study required to build enduring legacies for each of our artists. As we position the artworks outside of the collection, the digital archive will continue as an educational tool for students.

COLLECTION LENDING

IAM both lends and leases portions of the collection to further the organization’s educational capacity.  By positioning artworks within key educational and nonprofit institutional settings, IAM expands the visibility of the artists whose work we represent while offering opportunities for the public to encounter our artists’ works in diverse spaces. 

Housing the Archive

We anticipate our archive storage will develop into an interactive contemporary art space for the public, international artists, curators, scholars, and students. The Carlo Pittore collection is currently housed in a repurposed warehouse in Brunswick, Maine. We are in the process of planning a custom-built space to accommodate Pittore’s work and a much broader vision for the archive.

FUTURE ACTIVITIES

Future activities include exhibitions, lectures, presentations and symposia as well as online and print publications. Documentaries, catalogues, monographs, manuscripts and biographies on our artists will be created, promoted and sold. Existing documentaries and publications included within the collections we receive will be provided as source materials for educational purposes. We will also create suitable merchandise to promote each artist’s work, including, but not limited to limited-edition reproductions and innovative objects.