A vision of the future for Traditional Fine Arts Organization

A Vision of the Future for Traditional Fine Arts Organization

(above: Guy Rose (1867-1925), Lifting Fog, Irvine Museum. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons*)

Filling in areas of knowledge

Even though TFAO's online digital library has amassed information about many facets of American representational art, some areas remain underdeveloped:

Dozens of American Representational Art topics require further information.

Although biographical information on thousands of deceased artists is available though America's Distinguished Artists, the biographies for many included artists are inadequate and some artists are yet to be included.

All catalogues can be further developed.

A special feature of TFAO's website is that comprehensive instructions for acquisition and management of its contents are visible to volunteers and readers via its online pages. This feature is helpful to other organizations interested in developing sites on related topics such as architecture and conceptual art. Instructions may be further refined for clarity and completeness.

Recent history

Early 2022 stats:

February summary

We changed hosting provider in mid-April. New stats started then.

August, 2022 stats:

August daily traffic

Our website was visited by people in most nations. The top 25 are shown here.

Strategic plan

Click here and here to view our 2021-25 strategic plan.

Future TFAO project ideas

1 Video references for topics. Google video search for TFAO's topic Hudson River School retrieved many videos, some from museums. After the list of references to other online texts for major topics, create a general statement about online videos such as "A December, 2022 Google search using the phrase "Hudson River School" (and then by counting the videos found in the videos part of the search results) yielded "x" (number) related videos." If then appropriate, add the sentence "Some of the videos were created by notable sources such as private or public museums, universities or television networks." While doing this research edit URL dry rot links but keep the references in gray color. Links are not made to individual videos because they are susceptible to rapid dry rot.

2. Edit "other online resources" exhibit citations for URL dryrot. Error 404 links will be removed and the text color changed from black to gray, indicating that the link no longer is active. Links to museum URLs will be kept active.

3. Redesign Art Museum, Gallery and Art Center pages based on Resource Library articles and essays for improved design and ease of access. Changes will include exhibit entry bullet list format to paragraph format; exhibit bold text to larger plain text; addition of TFAO logo and modifications of font size.

4. Add images of artworks, created by artists included in the Distinguished Artists, catalog and sourced from Wikimedia Commons, into pages of the catalog. Many artists listed in the catalog already have accompanying Wikimedia Commons images yet a larger portion do not. New images will have unconditional public domain designation and complete label information.

5. Publication of references to Resource Library articles (excluding essays) by named authors. This will be a sister project to the first Online Encyclopedia American Art References Project.

6. The Art Story is an academic-curated online encyclopedia for worldwide art. It has a summary page that focuses on notable American artists, art movements and styles from early history through today. Topics include: Native American Art, Folk Art, American Architecture, Hudson River School (1826-70), Luminism (1850-75), Tonalism (1870-1915), American Impressionism (1880-1920), Ashcan School (1900-15), Photography: Pictorialism, Straight Photography, and Beyond (1902-Present), Synchromism (1912-24), Harlem Renaissance (1920 - early 1940s), Fourteenth Street School (1920-40), American Regionalism (1928-43), Social Realism (1929 - late 1950s), Abstract Expressionism, Color Field Painting, Post-Painterly and Hard-Edge Abstraction (1943-65), Neo-Dada (1952-70), Pop Art and Photorealism (mid 1950s-1970s), Minimalism and Post-Minimalism (1960 - Present), Earth Art and Environmental Art (1960s - Present), Postmodernism (1960s - Present).

Pursue publication of references to Resource Library artist biographies by named authors. The Art Story says: "Though our content is written and edited by art historians with Doctorate degrees, our primary audience is the general public. With our work, we hope to connect a much broader audience beyond the academy to the richness and depth of art history. While we summarize and analyze movements and artists, we do not use scholarly citations so as to simplify the reading experience, although all of our essays are checked for facts and content. For those looking for more academic sources, each of our pages has a "Further Resources" section to point the reader to both popular and more traditionally academic essays, articles, videos, and books." Resource Library provides a plethora of references to online articles, essays, videos and audio - plus references to thousands of paper-printed books and articles - concerning over 200 topics and over 3,000 deceased artists. It's over 1,300 published essays are penned by noted experts in their fields. We believe that the public will be well served by The Art Story publishing these references.

7. TFAO Virtual Gallery of Early California Impressionist Art (new framed start page). This gallery would exist in the cloud, a collection of images gathered from Wikimedia Commons. Perhaps some day a terrestrial one will be built. Cloud room one, etc. each including five initial images so there is room to add more images for newly discovered artists. Alphabetical order. List all rooms on each page.

Succession of management and ownership

TFAO is researching the long term potential for a separate nonprofit organization to acquire its operations to provide for future years:

further in-depth education in American art for the public;

long term online continuity for content provided without charge;

innovations in management and volunteer relations.

As a result of TFAO's research, a suitable university, museum, library or other nonprofit organization of high integrity and passion for education concerning American art may be found, which will enable new leadership, management and ownership to be provided. TFAO seeks an institution that will build on TFAO's accomplishments, proceed in the future with enhanced creativity and professionalism, and provide necessary financial resources. TFAO's online Catalogues, National Calendar of Art Exhibitions and Reports and Studies are features which TFAO intends to be preserved and enhanced by an acquirer.

The president of TFAO has served as editor of Resource Library and provided volunteer leadership since the founding of the organization in 2003 and was also editor of Resource Library Magazine from 1997 until it was acquired by TFAO in 2004. The president has accomplished major personal objectives sought for the benefit of the public and seeks to lessen volunteer service to TFAO in order to devote increased time and effort to other causes. The president is willing to provide substantial training to new management.

Contact

If you wish to contact TFAO, please send email to:

Links to sources of information outside of our web site are provided only as referrals for your further consideration. Please use due diligence in judging the quality of information contained in these and all other web sites. Information from linked sources may be inaccurate or out of date. TFAO neither recommends or endorses these referenced organizations. Although TFAO includes links to other web sites, it takes no responsibility for the content or information contained on those other sites, nor exerts any editorial or other control over them. For more information on evaluating web pages see TFAO's General Resources section in Online Resources for Collectors and Students of Art History.

*Tag for expired US copyright of object image:

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