The Public Art Archive’s Collection Management System, built in partnership with CollectionSpace, was developed specifically for the management of public art collections. The web-based system accommodates public art workflows from commissioning through conservation and is designed to increase the flow of information to administrators, artists, and the public. The PAA CMS is administered through WESTAF’s Public Art Archive project. Subscribers to the system can connect to this cloud-based tool anytime, from anywhere with an internet connection. WESTAF provides hosting services that include setup, migration and/or import of existing collections data, maintenance, backups, and security in addition to training and customer support.
See the CMS in Action
Functionality Checklist
Manage your collection and your daily workflows from a centralized platform.
- Cataloging: Manage information about all forms of public art in your collection.
- Commission and Acquisition: Manage the process for bringing new and temporary artworks into your collection.
- Conservation: Manage the conservation process including information regarding the conservator, the conservator’s assessments, treatment options, and priority levels for conservation projects.
- Condition and Maintenance Check: Perform inventory assessments and condition checks on your collection. Set renewal dates and document proposed recommendations.
- Exhibition Planning: Manage your virtual and in-person exhibitions composed of artworks from your collection and artworks on loan.
- Intake: Manage the delivery/deposit/installation process for incoming artworks to be better prepared for their arrival.
- Loans In/Out: Manage documentation about incoming and outgoing loans from your collection.
- Media Handling: Manage your collection’s digital assets, including audio, video, image, documents, spreadsheets, PDFs and external links. Utilize your system as a central repository for meeting notes, invoices, contracts, and other necessary documentation beyond images of the artworks in your collection.
- Object Exit: Manage the process of deaccession, disposal, and removal of artworks from your collection.
- Valuation: Track original, current, and replacement values of artworks in your collection.
- Web Publishing: Published artworks including associated media and artwork details will be available on the Public Art Archive.
Additional Features
The PAA CMS promotes best practices through the integration of data templates, widgets, and additional features to streamline your data management.
- Authority Fields: Use consistent records to manage information about the people, organizations, places and concepts. Avoid duplicative data entry processes.
- Clone: Use the clone button, available on every record, to streamline the creation of new records.
- Data Updates: Manage batch processes such as merging authority records to streamline record clean-up.
- Data Exports: Use the system’s Advanced Search feature to pinpoint particular records and export specific fields for the subset of records identified.
- Collection Engagement Tools: PAA offers additional products and services to showcase your collection including Collection Showcase Landing pages, Collection-Specific Maps, and Collection-Specific Web Apps. Get in touch to make the most use of your PAA CMS!
- Reports: Use the system’s reporting feature to export data from your system in multiple formats, including XLSX, DOCX, PDF, CSV, among others. Reports can be run on all records or limited to specific lists of records.
- Vocabularies: Use consistent vocabulary terms imported from Getty’s Art & Architecture Thesaurus to document the materials and work types in your collection.