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Toolkit for Artists’ Archiving – Focus Group, June 2025

A group of people seated around a large table in a well-lit archive or office room with a vaulted ceiling and skylight. They are participating in a collaborative workshop or focus group. Flip charts and folders line the walls, and one person is standing and facilitating the session.
Focus Group attendees participate in the collaborative session in NIVAL’s Reading Room.

NIVAL collects a wide range of materials and welcomes donations from individual artists, artists’ estates and arts organisations and institutions. Donors often ask what types of materials NIVAL collects and how they could develop their own archives. We are therefore creating a toolkit with practical steps and prompts for artists who would like to develop their own archive.


As part of this work, last week we hosted a group of artists from all over Ireland who have approached archiving their own documentation in a variety of ways. This lively focus group provided us with personal insights, ideas and opinions to help to frame our final toolkit, which we look forward to launching in the autumn. Thank you very much to all the participants, and remember to sign up to our mailing list to hear more about NIVAL’s opportunities and projects!

empty seats around a large table in a well-lit archive or office room with a vaulted ceiling and skylight. The table shows remnants of a collaborative workshop or focus group with pens, pencils, notebooks and papers. Flip charts and folders line the walls.
A wall covered in large white paper sheets with multiple colorful sticky notes (green, orange, pink). Each note contains handwritten reflections and ideas, categorised under themes like “Overwhelmed,” “Excitement,” and “Belonging.” Shelves beneath the papers are filled with labeled archive boxes and books.
Close-up of large sheets of paper pinned to a wall, filled with handwritten notes under headings such as "Obstacles" and "Solutions." Suggestions include ideas like “Make it fun – zines?”, “Keep it simple,” and “How to prioritise.” Colorful post-it notes are visible on adjacent sheets, indicating active group participation.

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Posted: 17 June 2025

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