Art21 Archive
Purpose
The Art21 Archive preserves, stewards, and shares the preeminent library of film footage documenting the works and words of the twenty-first century’s most influential artists. The Art21 Archive is critical to furthering the organization’s mission to educate and expand access to contemporary art through the production of documentary films, resources, and public programs.
Collection
The Art21 Archive consists of the Film Library of published documentary films and the raw footage gathered since filming began in 1999. Growing each year, the Art21 Archive currently holds 85 hours of documentary films alongside 4,250 hours of original field footage (as of September 2026).
This expansive resource spotlights the voices and creative processes of over 315 influential contemporary artists through in-depth interviews and documentation of artworks from their conception to exhibition, produced in the deep observational filmmaking style for which Art21 is celebrated. In addition to offering privileged access to artists’ studios, the Art21 Archive contains rare documentation of temporary installations and performances, key artworks as well as intimate interactions between artists and their families, friends, and communities. Art21’s approach allows artists to speak directly to the audience, revealing not only their personal creative concerns but also their own unique perspectives on significant political, social, and historical moments of the first quarter of the twenty-first century.
The collection tracks the long-term trajectories of celebrated artists like Kerry James Marshall, Julie Mehretu, Paul Pfeiffer, and Sarah Sze over decades and preserves the irreplaceable records of deceased masters such as Phyllida Barlow, Margaret Kilgallen, Elizabeth Murray, and Richard Serra.
Access
Archival content is shared with the public via Art21 films, articles, and other digital content. Requests for access to unpublished Art21 Archive media will be considered on a case-by-case basis to artists, scholars, curators, filmmakers, and others. Access will be contingent on the proposed use of the materials and only to those materials deemed appropriate by the organization and the artist(s) featured (or the artist’s estate).
For recent examples of never-before-published Art21 Archive media, visit:
In the Studio: Daniel Lind-Ramos
Artists & the Unknown: Interview with Artists
Funding
The Art21 Archive is made possible with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Digital Accelerator for Arts and Culture, The Hearthland Foundation, the Jon and Mary Shirley Foundation, the Evelyn Toll Family Foundation, and the Art21 Board of Trustees.
Team
Madeleine Mendell, Archivist
Ian Forster, Director of Production
Formed in 2022, Art21’s Archive Advisory Committee guides the long-term preservation of the organization’s unparalleled collection of originally produced media. Committee members currently consist of Art21 staff drawn from across the organization (including the production, curatorial, and development departments), Art21 Board members, artists, filmmakers, and experts from a range of fields including time-based media.
For more information about the Art21 Archive, contact archive@art21.org.