ABSTRACT
Ana Janevski: the founding idea of the museum was that Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) should encompass all arts, e.g. film, architecture, photography, painting, sculpture, including theater and dance in New York. This chapter aggregates the materials, because no one is taking care of that yet, and they are at risk of just disappearing if a staff member leaves the museum or they get misplaced. It starts accessioning certain materials, such as audio, video, and photographic documentation of museum events and performances, from the digital asset management system, or DAM. The DAM is an internal access vehicle, but it is not a preservation tool. The electronic archive system that we are using helps us automate the preservation. Incidentally, it is the same system employed by the UK National Archives. MoMA is integral to creation of the historiography of twentieth-century art. The archive is key for that understanding, as well as for tracing the future evolution of art and society.
