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ARTH 4690/5690: Critical Issues in Modern & Contemporary Art: Step 1. Searching for Your Artist

ARTH Exhibition Proposal Projects LibGuide for ARTH 4690/5690

Searching Summon

Summon searches 80% of the library's collections, including EBSCO and JSTOR, the main databases for the Visual Arts. Use the Discipline filter to narrow down to the "Visual Arts" discipline when searching for your chosen artist or piece.

Summon is also the only place to search all the library's databases for eBooks. Just use the "eBook Full Text Online" filter to find eBooks in Summon.

Searching the Book Catalog

The catalog is the best place to search for physical books. Watch the short video below to learn how to use it effectively.

If you are creating an exhibition, you may want to look at published exhibition catalogs, especially on the artist(s) or topic you've chosen. It will help you by:

- giving you ideas of works to include (and their details: size, media, current location)
- helping you think of installation ideas (especially valuable for installation or performance artists or 3- and 4-D media)
- providing examples of catalog essays
- providing a bibliography
- providing an artist's bio or CV details (education, major exhibitions, representation in permanent museum collections)

There will usually be notes in the catalog to tell you more about the exhibit and where it was installed:

Notes Published to accompany an exhibition at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas, June 27 - September 20, 2020 and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, November 1 - April 18, 2021

To search for museum exhibit catalogs, use the Advanced Search function. Using the drop-down menu, select "Subject" and search for "Exhibitions". You can then add a search term for your artist, material, or other general search term.

Screenshot of advance library catalog search

Art Magazines Online

Best Bests for Articles

Exhibit Catalogs from the Collection