1. The Mary Nohl Estate:
A Prototype for Artist Foundation
Documentation
Mia Bathke, Jacqueline Black, Eva Ives, Dana Kautto
Pratt Institute School of Information
INFO 661-01: Art Documentation, Fall 2018
2. About Mary Nohl’s Work
● With over 50 years working as a
practicing artist, Mary Nohl
worked with wood as a primary
source of inspiration.
● Originally from Fox Point,
Wisconsin, the artist moved to
New York City in the late 1960s.
● Used reclaimed wood and found
materials around the city as the
basis for many works.
Mary Nohl’s Art Environment in Fox Point, Wisconsin (photo by Alison Meier for Hyperallergic)
3. Current Status of Materials & Constituents
● Sizes range from table top sculptures
to ones over ten feet tall.
● Nohl maintained sketches and
sketchbooks to aid in assembly and
sculpting of these materials into the
final work.
● Less than 100 sculptures, along with all
her drawings, sketches, and
sketchbook, were bequeathed to Nohl’s
cousin after her passing.
Mary Nohl’s Art Environment in Fox Point, Wisconsin (photo by Alison Meier for
Hyperallergic)
4. Project Overview
● We are seeking to prepare the estate
for donation to a museum (or to several
institutions).
● Survey and determine the scope, size,
valuation of the mixed media materials.
● Bibliographic research may be
conducted to authenticate the works.
and provide context to our
documentation.
Mary Nohl’s Art Environment in Fox Point, Wisconsin (photo by
Alison Meier for Hyperallergic)
5. Mary Nohl at her lake cottage environment (1994) (photo by Ron Byers,
courtesy John Michael Kohler Arts Center)
To appropriately use existing
standards in the field of artists’
estates and foundations, utilizing a
flexible approach to accommodate
the particularities of this collection.
To fully photograph, catalog, and
organize the materials so the estate
can access this information readily,
as well as provide it to museums
for the donation process.
Mission Statement
6. Methodologies
of Work
A conserved fountain by Mary Nohl (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)
● Object Identification
● Photographic Documentation
● Cataloging & Description
7. Assign each object a unique identifier,
while enabling us to start organizing
according to:
● Type of material
● Relation to other objects
● Date created
Wherever possible, inventory numbers will
be marked on the object or affixed with a
tag or sleeve.
Object Identification
Chicken bone sculptures in Mary Nohl’s kitchen (photo by the
author for Hyperallergic)
8. Assigned
sequentially in
order of
documentation,
starting at 001.
Type Codes:
S (sculpture)
D (drawing)
B (sketchbook)
Year of
completion.
Unknown
dates will be
represented
195U, 19UU.
Optional, for
multi-part
objects.
Single letters a-
z, then double
(aa, ab…).
TYPE_###letter_YEAR
9. Required Usage ExplanationElement
● 3-digit inventory number
● Assigned sequentially per material type, in
order of documentation
● Optional, for multi-part objects (e.g. sketches
bound within a sketchbook)
● Single lowercase letters a-z, then double letters
● Year of completion
● Unknown dates estimated to the best of ability,
represented as such: 19UU; 195U
● Denotes the material type
● Codes as follows:
S = Sculpture; D = Drawing; B = Sketchbook
TYPE
###
letter
YEAR
The first sculpture we document.
(photobyAlisonMeierforHyperallergic)
Example:
S_001_1961
10. Required Usage ExplanationElement
● 3-digit inventory number
● Assigned sequentially per material type, in
order of documentation
● Optional, for multi-part objects (e.g. sketches
bound within a sketchbook)
● Single lowercase letters a-z, then double letters
● Year of completion
● Unknown dates estimated to the best of ability,
represented as such: 19UU; 195U
● Denotes the material type
● Codes as follows:
S = Sculpture; D = Drawing; B = Sketchbook
TYPE
###
letter
YEAR
The 30th sketch in Sketchbook 2.
Example:
B_002ad_1959
11. Sculptures:
● Digitally photographed
from at least 6 different
angles
● Special attention to any
indications of placement
and/or orientation
● Detail shots of any
conservation concerns,
inscriptions, or labeling
Sketchbooks & Drawings:
● Sketchbooks will be
photographed front and
back, plus inside covers
● Drawings and individual
sketches scanned with a
flatbed scanner
(images courtesy of the
Wisconsin Historical society)
Photographic Documentation
12. Technologies
● xDams (a cloud-based metadata
management platform)
● xDams translations records into
XML for interoperability with
outside institutions
● Google Sheets for inventory,
sharing, and export options such
as CSV, XML, and JSON
● Digital photography of all
sculptures and found objects
● Scan sketches and sketchbooks
with a minimum 300 dpi image
resolution.
● All images created from
documentation will be
catalogued both to the
spreadsheet and the xDams
record
Capturing Assets Describing Assets
13. Staff & Supplies
Staff required:
● One professional conservator
● One professional archivist
● Interns as needed
● Two to three art handlers
Supplies required:
● Digital camera
● Flatbed scanner
● Secure storage for digital assets
● Secure storage for physical assetsInstallation view of Mary Nohl’s living room in Greetings and Salutations and Boo
at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center (photo courtesy of Hyperallergic)
14. Budget
Sony A7 III Digital
Camera
$1,998
Epson Perfection V19
Flatbed Scanner
$65
LaCie 2 TB Portable
Hard Drive (2)
$350
Physical Storage $1,000
Equipment and Technical Expenses
Total Estimate $53,700-$78,913
Part Time
Conservator
$12,000-$18,000
Part Time Archivist $34,000-$51,000
Part Time Interns $0
Part Time Art
Handlers
$4,300-$6,500
Personnel Expenses
16. Cataloging & Description
● Dimensions of all works will be
taken and recorded during inventory
and photographing process
● Instructional sketches will be
scanned and maintained digitally in
relation to the sculpture they
represent
● Using the LIDO framework we will
be able to provide prospective
institutions with the standardized
information they will need in
assessing whether or not to accept
donations from the Nohl estate
(LIDO environments model, courtesy LIDO Schema pamphlet)
(Nohl’s loose sketches/instructions, courtesy Kohler Foundation)
17. Has Attributes:
Inventory #
Title
Date(s)
Creator / Role
Object Work Def.
Place of Creation
Repository
Description
Material(s)
Measurements
Shape
Inscription
Copyright
Sculpture*
Collection
Has Attributes:
File Name
Object Inventory #
Image Orientation
Capture Date
Photographer
Drawing* Sketchbook*
Sketch*
Visual
Surrogates**
Related Work Related Work
Key
if applicable
required
Digitized
Images**
Digitized
Images**
Related WorkRelated Work
ORGANIZEBYDATE
Visual
Surrogates**
20. Bibliography
Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York. "Session 4. Art, Artifact, Artist’s Record: Processing and Managing Collections: Rachel Jirka, Sally Brazil, Julia Pelta Feldman, Erin
Murphy, Denis Lessard." Proceedings of Artists Records in the Archives: Symposium Proceedings, New York Public Library and Fashion Institute of Technology, New York. Accessed
November 2, 2018. https://www.nycarchivists.org/resources/Documents/ArtistsRecordsSymposiumProceedings.pdf.
ATHENA WP3 Working Group. Lightweight Information Describing Objects (lido): The International Harvesting Standard for Museums. LIDO Schema. Accessed November 2, 2018.
http://www.lido-schema.org/documents/LIDO-Booklet.pdf.
Brehmer, Debra. "A Single Woman Is a Witch: Battling to Save the Art Environment of Mary Nohl." Hyperallergic. June 22, 2017. Accessed November 12, 2018.
https://hyperallergic.com/168575/a-single-woman-is-a-witch-battling-to-save-the-art-environment-of-mary-nohl/.
Kohler Foundation Inc. "Mary Nohl Collection » Preservation." Kohler Foundation Inc. Accessed November 13, 2018. http://www.kohlerfoundation.org/preservation/major-
collections/mary-nohl/.
Manger, Barbara, and Janine Smith. Mary Nohl: A Lifetime in Art. Badger Biographies Series. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2013.
Meier, Allison. "Saving the Art and Home of Mary Nohl, Whose Neighbors Called Her a Witch." Hyperallergic. September 06, 2017. Accessed November 10, 2018.
https://hyperallergic.com/394874/greetings-and-boo-the-saving-of-mary-nohls-witch-house/.
Meier, Allison. "50 Years of Celebrating, and Saving, Artist-Built Environments." Hyperallergic. August 24, 2017. Accessed November 10, 2018. https://hyperallergic.com/395525/50-
years-of-celebrating-and-saving-artist-built-environments/.
Muckian, Michael. "Sheboygan Exhibition Recreates the World of Artist Mary Nohl." The Wisconsin Gazette, March 10, 2016. Accessed November 11, 2018.
https://www.wisconsingazette.com/entertainment/sheboygan-exhibition-recreates-the-world-of-artist-mary-nohl/article_4eeed97f-502e-5680-a17d-47dde677926c.html.
Editor's Notes
Methodologies of Work
Now we’ll take you through our process, the first stage of which is:
Object Identification.
We want to assign each item in the collection a unique identifier.
And in the process start to contextualize and organize our holdings.
With our inventory naming we want an at-a-glance reference of the
Type of object
Any Relations to other objects and
The Date
So if you see this ID in a record, or a list of image files, you have an idea of what it is
"TYPE" codes are one-letter designations assigned to the different kinds of materials
S for sculptures / D for drawings / B for sketchbooks
3-digit inventory ("###") will be assigned sequentially in order of documentation
since our aim at this stage is just to be able to identify each item for subsequent cataloging
There’s also an optional “LETTER” after the # for multi-part objects, such as sculptures with multiple pieces or the sketches bound within sketchbooks
Provisional "YEAR" designations will be assigned to the best of our ability, with some leeway for uncertainty
Once we have our items identified, we can document everything photographically, as per the cousin's request
For the sculptures, at least six different views will be photographed.
Special attention will be paid to any indications of placement / orientation / articulation of sculptures
We also want detail shots of any conservation concerns (any damage: dents or scuffs, flaking paint, rust) // Also any inscriptions
Sketchbooks will also be photographed
and individual Sketches and Drawings will be scanned with a flatbed scanner.
Pictured: Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX1 Digital Camera {24.3 M/P} // Epson Perfection V800 flatbed scanner
Features:
Ultra premium compact camera with astounding image quality
Full frame 35mm format sized sensor (larger than most DSLRs)
Large low noise sensor and 14bit A to D (Analog to Digital) processing produces ISOs up to 25,600 and excellent dynamic range
24.3MP (MegaPixel) resolution
Carl Zeiss 35mm f/2.0 Sonnar T* lens produces outstanding sharpness, color, & contrast
Dedicated lens mounted control rings for aperture, focus distance, and infinity/macro range selection
o
1-3Inventory and identification including background research and bibliographic research
2-4 acquisistion files and condition reports, done at the same time as inventory. So we can file condition reports simultaneously to inventory
4-9 photographic documentaion
7-15 catwlogueing and description
Close attention will be paid to any relations among works, including any sketches that might be indicative of her creative process, assembly, or exhibition specifications for sculptures--we want to facilitate the understanding of relationships between her works and artistic processes
LIDO grew out of and plays with a few other standards and protocols: It follows CDWA and CDWA Lite, which came out of the Getty, and Museumdat and SPECTRUM, two standards from Germany and the UK respectively, and was created to unite these efforts. It focuses on Event relationships.
LIDO to provides a harvestable set of an item’s descriptive metadata, and enables an organization to participate in metadata initiatives in a standard way--it’s intended to facilitate data aggregation.
LIDO is a cost effective solution for:
However, the system isn’t perfect and there are still tensions between museums’ desire to express the full complexity of their records and aggregators’ (like Europeana and Artstor) desire to have things in the format they want.
