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Tate Britain

Artist Placement Group (APG): records


IDENTITY STATEMENT

Reference code(s): GB-70-tga-20042

Held at: Tate Britain

Title: Artist Placement Group (APG): records

Date(s): 1960s-1990s

Level of description: Collection (fonds)

Extent: 45 boxes

Name of creator(s): The Artist Placement Group (APG)

CONTEXT

Administrative/Biographical history:

The Artist Placement Group (APG) emerged in London in the 1960s. The idea of artist placements took its focus from the group of UK artists, including John Latham and Barbara Steveni, who were experimenting with new art forms. Initiated and directed by Steveni, the APG pioneered the concept of art in the social context; from the outset her concept of 'placement' directly acknowledged the isolated and marginal position that artists held within society and was an effort to overcome this situation. The APG acting outside the conventional art gallery system, attempted to place artists, through negotiation and agreement, within industry and in government departments. Artists such as Keith Arnatt, Ian Breakwell, Stuart Brisley, and Barry Flanagan, had important placements or early associations with the APG.

Today the organisation exists as Organisation and Imagination (O + I), and describes itself as 'an independent, radical international artist initiative, a network consultancy and research organisation'. Its board of directors, members and specialist advisors include leading artists, senior civil servants, politicians, scientists, and academics from various disciplines. The name was changed in 1989 in order to distinguish the initiative from arts administrative placement schemes set up following the APG example.

CONTENT

Scope and content/abstract:

Records of the Artist Placement Group (APG), [1960-1999]. Including files relating to: their approaches and placements within industry and government departments; the APG's involvement with art colleges, galleries, universities and artists' groups; lectures and symposia; correspondence with artists; the day-to-day running of the Group; publications, press and publicity; audiovisual material and photographs.

ACCESS AND USE

Language/scripts of material: English

System of arrangement:

Arranged as: 1.Correspondence; 2.Artist's Statements; 3.Admin and Constitutional records; 4. Printed Material; 5. Press; 6.Promotional Material; 7.Photographs; 8. Audiovisual Material; 9.Original Artwork; 10.Ephemeral items

Conditions governing access:

Open. Access to all registered researchers.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Usual copyright restrictions apply.

Finding aids:

Online and paper catalogue available.

Detailed catalogue

ARCHIVAL INFORMATION

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Purchased by Tate Archive from Barbara Steveni and the O + I Group, January 2004.

ALLIED MATERIALS

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Archivist's note: Entry compiled by Suzanne Keyte for AIM25 from the Tate Archive catalogue.

Rules or conventions: Compiled in compliance with the General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD (G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions: 2010


INDEX ENTRIES
Subjects
Government policy | Government
Art
Artists

Personal names

Corporate names
Artist Placement Group (APG)

Places