Our Values

Mission Statement 

The Artists Documentation Program (ADP) is a platform for artists, or their close associates, to engage in a dialogue with conservators in the presence of their artwork with the intent of gaining a better understanding of the significance of the materials and processes, as well as their views on preservation.  By recording these discussions, the program seeks to document, at that particular point in time, the subject’s memories and thoughts about their artwork.  These interviews are preserved in the publicly accessible ADP archive as a resource to aid present and future audiences in understanding and caring for an artist’s work.   

Vision Statement 

The ADP creates long-form interviews between artists, or their associates, and conservators working at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Menil Collection.  The interviews are minimally edited to ensure the integrity of the interview, respect the artist’s voice, and provide a unique opportunity to see and hear the artist in the presence of their work.  The ADP seeks to build relationships between artists and conservators and, through the interview process, to give primacy to the artist’s voice regarding the presentation and preservation of their artwork.   Public dissemination of these recordings works to expand the audience beyond the field of conservation to reach art historians, artists, and other interested individuals or institutions. In keeping the ADP archive free and accessible and by following best practices we ensure that this information will be available for future generations and be a repository for a diverse set of artistic voices. 

Project Values 

  • Integrity - We are committed to a practice of transparency, accountability, and care to best support and present honest dialogue between all participants. 
  • Education - We provide a platform where audiences can learn about artistic practices, artists’ materials, and the ideas surrounding the making, care, and preservation of artworks. 
  • Accessibility - We are committed to providing a free and accessible resource.  
  • Diversity - We strive to include a wide variety of voices in both the artists we interview as well as the audiences we reach. 
  • Curiosity - We enter the interview process with open and inquiring minds so that a fruitful dialog can emerge. 
  • Originality - We are dedicated to producing unique and novel content that contributes to new ways of understanding an artist, their artwork, and the practice of conservation.   

The Artists Documentation Program (ADP) interviews artists and their close associates in order to gain a better understanding of their materials, working techniques, and intent for conservation of their works. All interviews are conducted by conservators in a museum or studio setting.

Generous support for the Artist Documentation Program and partnership is provided by Nadia Zilkha and the Vivian L. Smith Foundation. Initial funding for the program was provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (1990-2021).