Running head: VISUAL ARTISTS 1

Visual Artists: Group Definition and Literature Review

Alyson Hayes

LIS 5053: Information Users in the Knowledge Society

University of Oklahoma
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A. Group Definition and Description:

Visual artists are individuals who are involved in the arts of painting, sculpting,

printmaking, photography, etc., as opposed to practicing arts such as music, drama and literature.

There are over 921,000 professional artists in the United States, but that number does not include

all of the visual artists for whom art is not their main profession or source of income,

(Cobbledick, 1996). They can be male or female of any age, educational and ethnic background.

Visual artists may be considered either professional or hobbyists and may or may not have

formal education in an artistic field. They may have a specific artistic medium or work with a

variety of mediums.

The information seeing behavior of artists can be very diverse based on their medium,

inspiration and search topic. They might research extensively before starting a project or simply

let their work direct them towards a destination. Depending on their motivation, location and

education level, they might use a variety of different sources for seeking information, including

public or academic libraries, art magazines or journals, the internet, personal contact with

colleagues or friends, just to name a few.

They may be looking at information for a variety of reasons, such as technical or visual

information on a current art piece they are working on, upcoming art shows to enter, contact

information about other artists and/or art groups in their geographic area. For practicing visual

artists, public libraries and librarians are best equipped to meet their needs because they have a

diverse catalog of items and are conducive to browsing and serendipitous discovery,

(Cobbledick, 1996). Due to the vast number of visual artists, it is imperative for information

professionals to understand their information seeking behavior to make sure that their needs are

being properly met. Also, the ability of visual artists, to create works that broaden ideas and
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speak to a multitude of people, across various cultures, economic backgrounds and education

levels make them an asset to libraries, whose goal it is to educate all members of society.

B. Literature Review:

Few studies have been done on the information seeking behavior of visual artists.

Cobbledick (1996) believes that the explanation for this oversight lies in the fact that there are

somewhat inaccurate preconceptions when thinking of visual artists, such as the fact that they are

self-contained individuals who predominately create via inspiration. The studies that have been

done build on the findings of researchers before them and either confirm or refute previous

conclusions.

Hemmig (2009) believes that when artists seek information it is for four main reasons: 1.

Inspiration, 2. Specific visual elements, 3. Knowledge of materials and techniques, and 4.

Marketing and career guidance.

Areas of Consensus

Browsing is the preferred form of information seeking and public libraries are more

conducive to this type of information seeking: Visual artist’s inspiration can come from a

variety of sources, including nature, life experiences, pop culture and even dreams, (Hemming,

2009). Most scholarly researchers agree that when seeking information to bring their inspiration

into fruition, artists prefer to browse in their public library. Cobbledick states this theory several

times in her article, “The public library is ideally suited to meet the needs of artists because they

often use the literature of other disciplines,” In addition, artists also prefer the joy that comes

with serendipitous discovery when they are browsing and find a perfect image or long forgotten

book. Hemming (2008) further promotes this theory when he references Dane’s theory that the
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public library’s appeal for visual artists is the fact that it has the ability to meet their needs for

information on a wide variety of subjects and materials.

Little information seeking research has been done with visual artists outside the

academic realm: Research into the information seeking behaviors of visual artists has been

heavily skewed toward the academic realm. Cowan states in her 2004 article that because

teachers, students and other academics who are visual artists are all readily available to

researchers, there is a “convenience bias” towards studying those individuals. Hemmig (2009)

describes artists as a phantom community that uses libraries but goes unnoticed and further

describes them as a highly elusive community of information seekers. He then goes on to state

that at the time of his article there had been no published studies on the information behaviors of

communities of practicing artists; all of the previous literature focused on art students, academic

art faculty or librarians. In his 2017 article, Gorichanaz still asserts that while scholars have

pointed out the lack of research and difficulties that surround recruiting visual artists outside the

academic world, they also haven’t seemed overly bothered by the lack of research on the

information behavior of these artists.

Aspiring artist’s information seeking needs vs. practicing artists: Researchers suggest

that the information needs of aspiring artists are quite varied from those of practicing artists.

Current art students who are still searching for their creative self-identification are drawn to the

lives and careers of successful artists and often look to art books for inspiration far more than

established artists do, (Hemming, 2008). While art students rely heavily on the use of art books

and periodicals, which is not necessarily the case for practicing artists. Practicing artists are

looking for a library with a wide variety of print materials and verbal and visual content that

covers a wide variety of topics that don’t necessarily focus on art, (Cobbledick, 1996).
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Art is a “thinking” medium: Artists are constantly seeking information as they go

through the creative process. This information might be about a specific element of their artwork

or how to correctly execute a technique and even what art shows to enter said work in. An

artist’s ideas emerge from their creative process as opposed to an already mentally formed idea,

(Sawyer, 2016). Sullivan’s 2001 article begins with the simple statement, “art involves thinking”.

He then goes on to elaborate saying that artists are adept at using their intuition and insights to

bring their ideas into existence in ways that might be perceived as bizarre but in retrospect seem

entirely appropriate. He also says that an artist’s imaginative thoughts can come out in any stage

of the artistic process, whether it be planning, making, reflection or critiques made by others,

(Sullivan, 2001).

Although art is considered a solitary practice, artists seek community: As stated

above, art requires information seeking for many various reasons. In addition to artists using

libraries to find this information, it is also essential that they look to their peers for guidance.

Hemmig’s 2009 article concluded that gathering information in a social setting is vitally

important, especially when gaining knowledge on materials and techniques, promoting their

works and career guidance. While the creation of art might be mostly solitary, artists seek advice

and direction on technical information current developments in the art world and upcoming art

shows from their peers. All of the subject’s in Cobbledick’s 1996 study use interpersonal sources

to keep up with these various areas of the art world.

Areas of Disagreement

Artist’s primary information seeking needs: Researchers are somewhat divided on the

types of information that visual artist seek in their library searches. Stam (1995) says that, “Most

characteristic of artists is the need for images, images, images”. She suggests that while most
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library patrons ask, “where can I find information about…” artists ask “where can I find an

image of…,” (Stam, 1995). Cobbledick contradicts this in her 1996 article, where she states that

one of the most central assets to an artist’s creative process is the need for print materials,

specifically monographs. She then goes on to state that for all of the artists in her study, “print

materials constitute the single most important source of inspiration and/or visual information.”

(Cobbledick, 1996).

Artists do not use libraries correctly: Stam’s 1995 article states that although artists

seek information in libraries, they do not seek information “correctly”. She goes on to state that

artists have no patience for using library reference tools, such as indexes, and they also have little

interest in learning how to use these resources. She also says that they don’t have the time or the

skills for reading and asserts that they may even have reading disabilities, (Stam, 1995). Her

article implies that browsing is not the correct way to seek information in the library and further

states that artist’s aren’t smart enough to use library tools such as the card catalog. Cowan, in her

2004 article, states that studies have shown that artists are at or above the norm in terms of

intelligence and are highly educated people. She also challenges information professionals to

look at artist’s information needs and learn from them instead of disparaging them for not using

libraries as librarians think they should. (Cowan, 2004).

Significant Anomalies

Imagination is the key information source for visual artists: It is hard for information

professionals to determine what resources visual artists might need because much of an artist’s

inspiration comes from their imagination. The sources that artists use in the creation of their

work is quite unusual and diverse and can range from dreams to television commercials or pulp

horror fiction to cracks on the wall, (Cobbledick, 1996). That is greatly different from most other
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information seeking individuals who are typically somewhat confined within a specific subject

area.

Sheer variedness of artist’s information seeking needs: Artists may seek information for a

variety of reasons. They might need access to a computer to look at techniques or they might

need reference material to ensure that their piece is historically accurate. One artist in

Cobbledick’s 1996 study said that children’s books are a great resource for artists because they

have simple and straightforward illustrations. She also said that, Artists need access to a universe

of knowledge not just part of it and libraries who are looking to meet their information needs

must become the access point to that universe, (Cobbledick, 1996). Trying to ensure that a

library is properly equipped to provide a “universe of knowledge” is quite a daunting task.

Topics for Further Study

Because there are so many visual artists who are not considered “professional”, meaning

that they have another primary source of income or create are as a hobby, it is hard to properly

determine their information seeking needs due to the fact that one might not know that they exist.

All of these studies included small numbers of individuals. Many of the studies were conducted

with participants that the author knew or were easily accessible to them. A broader study,

conducted with help from the National Association of Independent Artists (NAIA) or the

National Society of Artists (NSA) might help to provide a more rounded view of artist’s

information seeking behavior, and in turn, help information professional be better equipped to

meet their needs.

Due to the vast amount of visual artists, information professionals, such as librarians,

have a vested interest in making sure that they keep up with the information seeking needs of

these individuals. With more of these artists looking to technology to help them find information,
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databases such as Lynda.com would be a wise investment for libraries to meet the needs of these

artists. Also, simply providing public computers where artists can visit various websites to study

techniques, register for art shows and view images would be a great asset to both the library and

the art community.

Future information needs of visual artists will be much more varied and possibly

technology driven. The incorporation of 3D printing in various aspects of the art world is already

gaining popularity. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, they are using 3D

printers and artificial technology (AI) to produce more detailed replicas of classic art pieces.

Libraries providing patrons with CAD technology and 3D printers, have the potential to be a

great benefit to many visual artists.

C. Studying Information Behavior of Visual Artists:

As discussed above, the information behavior needs of visual artists can be quite varied. To

better understand their needs, two overarching research questions are asked: 1. What is the

creative and information gathering process of a visual artist?, and 2. How do visual artists share,

organize and store their information? To better understand these questions, observations were

made in two different formats, conducted from October 1st-November 10th. The first was a survey,

sent to members of the Ardmore Artist Critique Group, and the second was an in-person

observation of their meeting on October 6th from 12-2 p.m.

Survey Results:

The survey (Appendix A), was comprised of seventeen open ended questions designed to

explain where visual artists find their inspiration, what research methods they use in their creative

process, how they store the information they gather and what barriers they encounter when

seeking information. Fourteen artists completed the survey. Participants came from various
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professional backgrounds, including a retired high school art teacher and two college art

professors, and they use a wide variety of mediums.

The first questions on the survey was, “how long have you been an artist?” Although

some participants stated when they started doing art professionally, they all stated that in some

form or another, they had been practicing artists all of their lives. Many of the artists stated that

they found inspiration everywhere with some stating specifics such as nature (5), faces (2), music

(1), light (1) and even friendly competition with their peers (1).

Nine of the artists do some form of research before starting a project. Four of the

participants find most of their information on the internet, specifically YouTube, two piece

together old photographs they have taken to create a new piece, two use resources at their local

public library and talk to other artists.

Artist's Research Sources

Thoughts and creation Internet

Files and photographs Public Library and peer interaction

When asked what their creative process was, most said that they start with a basic idea, as

stated above, some do research to flesh out this idea, some glean information from photographs

they have taken others meditate or journal about the project. Four of the artists surveyed said they

just dive right into their project and one went further to state that art is an organic process that

grows and develops on its own. One artist surveyed states that he creates all of his paintings to
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music. He selects a genre, usually classical or jazz, and repeats the specific piece of music until

the painting is complete.

Ten of the artists surveyed have some method of organizing and storing the information

they gather. Most (7) have file folders, either on a computer or store in boxes or binders, of

various photographs they have taken over the years for future use. Some (2) have binders of

reference materials and three have sketchbooks and journals full of drawings and notes. Two

artists surveyed state that they simply rely on their memory, one of which said can sometimes be

problematic.

Artist Information Storage

File folders Binders Sketchbooks/Journals

When asked if they experience barriers when seeking information for their work, half of

the participants said no. The remaining seven respondents had varied barriers to their information

seeking. Two respondents said that their information barriers were only in their minds. Three

stated that information was hard to find, with one elaborating that it is difficult to find information

on specific artists at many libraries or local bookstores so she must resort to buying books online.

She also states that another issue she has is a lack of information about current topics in her work.

One participant stated technical issues with “a contrary internet” makes his preferred information
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seeking method a challenge. One of the respondents, whose medium is photography, stated that

her primary issue is getting permission to go onsite to take photos.

Although much of the information gathering processes stated above are solitary practices,

13 of the survey participants said that they welcome feedback from trusted peers. Most prefer not

to show their work until it is complete and two said that although they welcome the critique and

feedback, they don’t usually alter their piece in any way.

Observations:

The Ardmore Artist Critique Group meets one Sunday a month in the Champion Public

Library meeting room. The purpose of this meeting, while social, is also to allow members to

show pieces they are working on, or have recently finished and share their creative process and

ask for feedback about improving their work. For this observation, the researcher was a guest of

the group and interacted and engaged in conversation with group members throughout the

meeting.

At the October 6th meeting there were 11 attendees, eight of whom were visual artists.

The meeting was from 12-2 and all participants brought a lunch dish and had casual conversation

for the first 30 minutes. During this time, some talked about what pieces they were working on,

they also talked about an upcoming show in Hays, Kansas and how many pieces they were

sending and the entry cost per piece. One member of the group was designated to take the groups

pieces to the show and another member was charged with picking them up at the show’s

conclusion.

Once the lunch was over, four of the artists presented their work

for discussion and critique. The first presented an altar piece

that represents the European cat holocaust. He used a mixture of

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found materials, 3D printed elements (the cat skull) and bought pieces. He did extensive research

to complete this piece and used both the internet and his local public library as his resources. The

group gave feedback, overall positive, about the piece and pointed out the aspects that they liked

and inquired about the construction of the piece.

The second artist had several pieces to show. His medium is photography and he creates

his art by layering pictures on top of each other. He has a massive collection of photographs he

has taken to use for future art projects. His colleagues joked that he had never met a texture he

didn’t like. Many of the pieces he showed were pictures that he had taken while on a trip to

Europe and layered with pictures of close up items, such as a used painters tabletop and a

watercolor paint palette. The participants critiqued how he should be frame his work and also

suggested which would be the best options to send to the Hays, Kansas show.
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The third artist to present also works primarily in photography. She focuses on nature for

her sources and sometimes layers images on top of one another. The work she presented was all

printed on metal. The group discussed the details of the images she captured and had found

details that she didn’t even notice in her creation. They also discussed the best way to hang the

photographs, because she had them hung one way but once she received the prints back, thought

they might look better if hung a different direction.

The fourth artist paints watercolors from pictures he has taken, primarily in Southern

Oklahoma. He discussed the locations that inspired the pieces. He also discussed a gallery

showing that he was recently in and asked advice to the group on pricing his pieces and how best

to promote his work in the future.

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Both of these methods answered the research questions in various ways. Both the surveys

and the observation showed the artists creative methodologies. The survey answered this

question in more of a hypothetical manner, assuming their process is the same for each piece, but

in the meeting, the artist was able to show the piece and actually share in detail their process for

its creation. The main barrier to answering this question is the fact that their creative process

varies for each project. For some pieces, they may do extensive research but for others they just

start their work and see where it takes them.

The question of how artists share, store and organize was also answered in both the

survey and observation. They listed their storage and organization methods, if any, on their

survey, but their primary source of sharing this information is via e-mail and in person within

their critique group. They share open and honest advice with one another and all the participants

in the group had an apparent respect for each other’s works. One barrier to getting this

information, was the fact that most participants did not share detailed answers when filling out

their surveys. A more detailed survey with multiple choice options might have been better to

acquire this information.

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D. Theory into Practice

Visual Artist’s Information Behavior Model:

The above model represents a visual artist’s creative process. It is loosely based on

Krikelas’ information seeking model, in that it relies on both internal and external sources for

information and also the fact that it can be heavy in interpersonal contact and the giving and

receiving of information.
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A visual artist’s information seeking process begins initially with inspiration. As

concluded from the above surveys and observations, this inspiration can come from a variety of

sources including nature, faces, music, light, competition with peers and the world around them.

This inspiration serves as an information need inspiring event and will require them to find

information sources to fulfill this need.

These sources of information may be both internal and/or external. The literature review

states that an artist’s imagination is their key information source. They may let the project grow

organically by simply beginning their creation and seeing where their thoughts and feelings take

them. Artists may also heavily rely on their memories. This is another way in which the model

above reflects Krikelas’ model, which emphasizes the importance of one’s memory in the

information gathering process.

External sources may be quite varied and depend heavily on the particular project an

artist is working on. They may research books or internet to find information. Many artists have

a “library” of personal files and photographs that they may use. They also may heavily rely on

peer interaction and information received from others as their information sources. For most

projects, visual artists will use a combination of both internal and external sources in their

information seeking.

Depending upon their project, an artist might encounter barriers in the information they

seek. Much like the information sources, barriers to this information can also be both internal

and external. To remove these barriers, the visual artist must often times seek a new information

source. This process may repeat itself over and over until a sufficient information source is

found, and the barrier no longer exists. If no barrier exists, the artist is free to proceed with their

creative process.
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During the creation process, or after an artist has completed a piece, they will often

present it to their peers for critique and feedback. This interaction often leads to more

information giving and receiving and in some cases can present new barriers in information

seeking. If barriers arise or more information is presented that cause an artist to edit their project,

the information seeking process repeats itself. Optimally, if no barriers exist, the artist will be

able to present a finished piece in a gallery, art show or simply for their personal enjoyment.

Implications for Professional Practice, System Design and Policy-Making:

The literature shows that visual artists are browsers when it comes to information

seeking. They prefer the surprise that comes with serendipitous discovery. Due to the nature of

their work, their information needs are quite vast, this can sometimes make it difficult to find the

information they are seeking. They also enjoy a feeling of community and interaction with their

peers. This makes the public library the quintessential choice to serve this community.

In addition to printed materials that the public library already offers, there are many

services libraries and information professionals can provide to help the visual artist community

in their area. Several artists surveyed said that they prefer to use the internet for their project

research. In addition to allowing them access to a public computer and the internet; databases

such as Lynda.com, which offers online courses, classes and trainings in a variety of fields, has

the potential to greatly benefit artists in all areas.

The addition of 3D printing and AI are also gaining popularity in the visual arts. Many

public libraries around the country currently provide 3D printing services to their patrons. These

services could be targeted to the local artist community. To implement this, the library would

need to make sure that they have a 3D printing policy and cost structure in place, if they don’t

currently have one.

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The American Library Association’s Center for the Future of Libraries is promoting

Google’s Arts & Culture Experiments site, which encourages artists to submit experiments that

combine the visual arts with technology. Providing a space and the resources for artists to

develop this experiment would be a great way for libraries to serve this community. Libraries

could also take their service a step further and organize a program or competition between artists

to complete and share their experiments on the Google site.

Because artists seek community, providing a gathering place for them to meet and share

ideas with their peers is a key way libraries can serve this population. Most public libraries have

a designated meeting space available to local citizens in the community. Allowing artists to host

regular meetings to interact with fellow artists and exchange ideas, advice and other information

would provide a great benefit, especially in more rural areas where groups like this might be

lacking. A current meeting room policy would need to be in place to ensure that this meeting

area is being used in accordance with library guidelines.

Finally, showcasing artists’ work in the library is another great way to benefit both the

library and the artist. This would encourage non-library patrons to visit the library in order to

view artists’ works and would also allow less well known artists to gain exposure in the local art

world. If on display in a public library, a policy would need to be implemented to ensure the

artwork is appropriate to be viewed by all patrons, especially children.

Due to the considerable number of visual artists, both professional and hobbyist, the

possibilities information professionals and libraries have to serve them is quite vast. This is a

relationship that, if developed and nurtured, has the potential to evolve and grow into a great

partnership.
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References

Cobbledick, S. (1996). The information-seeking behavior of artists: exploratory

interviews. The Library Quarterly, 66(4), 343-372.

Cowan, S. (2004). Informing visual poetry: information needs and sources of

artists. Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America, 23(2),

14-20.

Gorichanaz, T. (2017). Understanding art-making as documentation. Art

Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America, 36(2), 191-203.

Hemmig, W. (2009). An empirical study of the information-seeking behavior of

practicing visual artists. Journal of Documentation, 65(4), 682-703.

Hemmig, W. (2008). The information-seeking behavior of visual artists: A literature

review. Journal of Documentation, 64(3), 343-362.

Sawyer, R. (2018). How artists create: an empirical study of MFA painting

Students. Journal of Creative Behavior, 52(2), 127-141.

Stam, D.C. (1995). Libraries as a bridge between artist and society. Inspel, 24. 275-282.

Sullivan, G. (2001). Artistic thinking as transcognitive practice: a reconciliation of the

process-product dichotomy. Visual Arts Research, 27(1), 2-12.

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Appendix A:

Information Seeking Behavior of Visual Artists – A Survey:

1. How long have you been an artist?

2. What would you consider your medium or specialty?

3. Where do you find your inspiration?

4. Do you research before starting a project? If so, what sources do you use?

5. What is your creative process? Do you have a method?

6. Is your creative process the same for each project? If not, please explain.

7. What are your preferred research and information sources?

8. Can you explain the steps of your information gathering process?

9. How do you organize and keep track of the information that you gather?
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10.Have you ever experienced barriers when seeking information? Please

explain.

11.How long does it usually take you to finish a piece?

12.Do you work on multiple pieces at once?

13. Do you let other comment on and critique your piece as you are working on
it? Why or why not?

14.Do you create art to tell a story? Why or why not?

15.Would you consider your work to be ambiguous or literal? Please explain.

16. Do you have a specific style in your artwork? If so, how would you describe
it?

17. Is there anything else you would like to share?

Would you be willing to be contacted for an informal interview? If so please

share you name, phone number and e-mail address.