Background

“ We needed something more comprehensive, more academic, more precise. Other countries have this - it’s an obvious thing to do.”
Professor Bernard Smith

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The Dictionary of Australian Artists project began in the 1970s at the University of Sydney with Bernard Smith’s research into Australian content for a new edition of Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Kunstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart. The first editor was Eve Buscombe.

The project then evolved into an Australian Research Council supported project for a comprehensive dictionary of Australian art, to publish full original biographies of all Australian artists, to identify the artists’ work and interpret it critically within its contemporary context. Dictionary of Australian Artists Online Chief Investigator Joanna Mendelssohn was one of several research assistants working on the archive. In 1981, after Smith’s retirement, the project was taken over by Professor Joan Kerr, who succeeded in maintaining Australian Research Council funding and refocussed the research to a manageable series of publications.

The dynamism to this online project lies in the framework provided by Kerr's singular approach to the collection and interpretation of a dictionary - how she challenged the artificially framed historical construct. Her theoretical framework addressed art history as an analysis of cultural practice, based on a culture in use, not relying solely on the received wisdom of existing mediators. This is especially important for the way she included Indigenous art into the canon of Australian art. The online version aims to reflect the entire landscape and history of artistic production in Australia. Most published histories of Australian art conceal gaps in knowledge. Not this one.

In The Dictionary of Australian Artists: painters, sketchers, photographers and engravers to 1870, Kerr created a tessellated panorama of visual culture, unpredicted by any other scholar. Kerr extended her approach in Heritage: The National Women's Art Book, and her research on black and white art.

The extent of Kerr’s archive is far greater than the published titles. It represents a dynamic framework for a dictionary, highly adapted to the architecture of the web.

Vivien Johnson’s inclusive research into Indigenous art echoes Kerr’s. Johnson’s research combines cultural sensitivity with an all embracing scope, making her the key researcher in this field. Johnson is Editor-in-Chief of the Dictionary of Australian Artists Online.

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Where it began and where we are headed ...

1970s

Bernard Smith researches Australian content for a new edition of Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Kunstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart at the University of Sydney. Eve Buscombe appointed as first editor.

1979

Smith retires and Eve Buscombe continues as editor, working with research assistants to compile entries.

1981

The project is taken over by Professor Joan Kerr, who refocusses the research to encompass colonial art before 1870. 1870 is chosen as the population base was sufficiently small to permit all artists then working to be included.

1983 - 1992

Australian Research Council supports the project to publish full original biographies of Australian artists, identify the artists’ work and interpret it critically within its contemporary context. Annual grants equivalent to a research assistant’s salary.

1984

First draft published, Dictionary of Australian Artists, Working paper 1: Painters, Photographers and Engravers, 1770 - 1870, A-H (384 pp). (Financial assistance from: The Australian Research Grants Scheme, The University of Sydney, The Myer Foundation, The Australian Academy of the Humanities).

1992

Dictionary of Australian Artists: painters, sketchers, photographers and engravers to 1870, published by Oxford University Press.

1994

Aboriginal Artists of the Western Desert by Vivien Johnson published (grants from Macquarie University Research Grants and AITSIS).

1995

Heritage: The National Women's Art Book published (grants from: the Gordon Darling Foundation, Visual Arts Craft Board of the Australia Council, NSW Ministry for the Arts, the NSW Ministry for the Status and Advancement of Women).

1998

Joanna Mendelssohn's writing students at UNSW’s College of Fine Arts create a web version of their publication Artwrite.

1999

Joan Kerr, Craig Judd and Jo Holder co-curate Artists and Cartoonists in Black & White at the State Library of NSW and the S.H.Ervin Art Gallery. Kerr continues to expand her archive of black and white artists but cannot interest a publisher.

2000

Introduction of Goods and Services Tax, GST, makes print publications less viable. Artwrite becomes an exclusively online publication.

2002

Artwrite being widely sourced as a resource by secondary, undergraduate and PhD students.

2003

April:
Mendelssohn convinces Kerr to consider online publication for her black and white research, and subsequently that all Kerr's work go online.
Kerr is diagnosed with cancer.

May/ Jun:
UNSW University Librarian Andrew Wells joins the group.
Kerr, recognising that her cancer is terminal, invites Vivien Johnson to be her successor as Editor-in-Chief, citing in part the centrality of Indigenous art to Australia. Johnson brings her Aboriginal Artists of the Western Desert to the project.

Nov 25:
First meeting of prospective partners (The University of Sydney, State Library of NSW, National Library of Australia, National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of NSW), at UNSW library. Kerr is too ill to attend. UNSW Research Office recommends a LIEF rather than a Linkage project.

Dec:
Kerr approves the concept of the DAAO grant application. She also names particular parties she wishes to be involved.

2004

Feb:
Wells convenes meeting at UNSW Council Chamber to discuss DAAO options. It was met with much interest. Johnson chairs; indicating how her vision relates to Kerr’s, and that although Kerr's material covers the dead, Indigenous artists include the living.

Feb 22:
Joan Kerr dies. The birth of the DAAO is announced at her funeral.

May:
UNSW, University of Sydney, National Library of Australia, National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of NSW, State Library of NSW and Charles Darwin University submit LIEF application.

Dec:
DAAO project funded under Australian Research Council’s Linkage Infrastructure Equipment and Facilities.
Johnson, Mendelssohn, Jo Holder and Catriona Moore give papers on the DAAO at the AAANZ conference at Auckland, a week after the success of the LIEF grant is announced.

2005

Feb:
Inaugural meeting of the DAAO Advisory Committee.

Jun:
DAAO Project Director, Leonie Hellmers appointed.

Jul:
DAAO Technical Manager, Ian Bryson appointed. Editorial Working Group and Technical Working Group established.

Aug:
Draft schema v1.0 developed. Technical Environment Workshop convened.

Sept:
DAAO Server power on.

Oct:
DAAO Content Analyst, Eric Riddler appointed.

Oct & Nov:
Client Working Group identifies DAAO priorities.
2006 Australian Research Council Linkage Infrastructure Equipment Facilities grant application placed on reserve list.

2006

Jan:
DAAO website v1.0 goes live.
Foundation content migrated to database (Module 1).

Feb:
Content mining tool delivered. Mining of content commences (module 2).
Wells gives paper on DAAO at VALA, Libraries, Technology and the Future Inc.
Mar:
Contract and specification for modules 3 and 4 set.

Apr:
Application for 2007 LIEF funding submitted.
As at April: partners: 7, Chief Investigators: 17; core staff: 4; casual staff: 20.

May:
The authoring workflow and search modules, known as the DAAO 3000 delivered. Testing begins.
158 expressions of interest registered via website. Domains include Europe, UK, Japan and New Zealand.

Jun:
Design on DAAO 3000 development site begins.

Jul:
Partners: 6, Chief Investigators: 16; core staff: 3; casual staff: 40.

Aug:
Primary mining of the 7,000 foundation biographies completed. Approval and copyright processes proceed.
Tracing 350 original contributors begins.

Sept:
Content verification continues.
Hellmers gives paper to ARLIS/ ANZ Conference.
End User Access terms finalised.

Oct:
The Dictionary of Australian Artists Online application to the Australian Research Council for a 2007 Linkage Infrastructure Equipment Facilities grant is successful.
Partners: 6, Chief Investigators: 16; core staff: 3; casual staff: 6.
Client testing begins.

2007

Development on three major fronts continues throughout 2007: technical development, quality control on content and copyright clearances.

Sept:
Jo Higgins appointed as DAAO Editor.

Oct 5:
First meeting of the DAAO Editorial Board.

Oct:
Hellmers presents the DAAO at the ICHIM conference in Toronto, Canada.

Nov 14:
DAAO 3000 transferred to the public server.

Nov 15:
The DAAO is launched by David Gonski AC and NewSouth Global professor Vivien Johnson at the UNSW Chancellery.

Nov 17:
First new biography published on the DAAO system.

Nov 20:
A contributor launch is held at Power Institute, Schaeffer Library at the University of Sydney. It is officiated by Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC, VCO and Professor Roger Benjamin.

2008

Jan:
Mendelssohn and Johnson present the DAAO at the CIHA conference in Melbourne.

Feb:
Further developments made to the system in line with user testing and member feedback.

Mar:
DAAO incorporated into undergraduate and postgraduate coursework at several universities.

Apr 2:
Biography totals hit 7,000

Jun:
Total biographies - 7,081
Subscribers (email)- 1,061
Members - 377
Reviewers - 73
Biographies in progress - 421
Biographies published since launch - 393
Daily page views - 3,000 - 11,000

Jul 1:
DAAO moves into service phase.
With the project development phase complete, project staff Leonie Hellmers and Olivia Bolton leave the system in the capable hands of the editorial team.
The DAAO office moves from the UNSW Library to the College of Fine Arts.