How Artists Are Using These Top Artwork Archive Features To Enhance Their Art Careers

Paige Simianer | September 1, 2023

Nicky Myny using Artwork Archive in her studio. Photo courtesy of the artist

Artists, whether you're deep in your career or just getting started, you know that managing your art career goes way beyond creating art.

There's a reason why you're called "artrepreneurs"—from keeping track of inventory, to managing sales and expenses, your career demands a systematic approach and deserves far better than spreadsheets.

That's where Artwork Archive comes in.

Artwork Archive is a versatile platform that offers an array of features to streamline your art management tasks. But, don't just take our word for it—keep reading to learn from real working artists about their favorite things Artwork Archive has to offer.

We've outlined the top features that we keep hearing artists rave about; features we've carefully designed with artists in mind, and we're excited to show you how they can supercharge your art career.

Artwork Archive artist Ashely Peifer in her backyard studio. Photo by Crystal Liepa

Inventory Management: Your Digital Art Catalog 

We know there's the scatter-brained artist trope. But not every creative soul is lost in chaos. Actually, most artists crave organization—plus, if you want to thrive in your art career, it's kind of a must.

The Inventory Management capability Artwork Archive offers is a game-changer, and it's no wonder it's earned a spot on the list of favorite features. 

What do artists say are the benefits of this art inventory management feature?

You can keep photographs of your artwork, document dimensions, and record essential info about your artwork in one place. 

"It's our central database for managing my entire artwork inventory."Fernanda Lavera

It helps to keep track of all the little details about your artwork.

"I refer to it pretty often, because my brain can't seem to hold all of the information for each piece as well as a computerized program does. It also gives me a history, documenting what I've done so far, to what I'm going to do moving forward." —Judi Tavill

It empowers you to build your own artistic legacy and history.

"I've been creating art since 1996, so as you would imagine, there have been many, many canvas pieces created and sold over the years.

Artwork Archive helps provide structure to the business side of my operation.

With proper record keeping, I am able to keep an accurate account of the history of my art practice. I'm able to source information on every painting ever created—from what galleries and exhibitions paintings have appeared in, to what collectors purchased which pieces."

—Miles Regis 

 

Schedule: Your Personal Assistant

Ever feel like you need a personal assistant for your art-related deadlines and exhibitions? If your answer is yes, Artwork Archive's Schedule feature has got you covered.

Here are a few reasons artists love this feature.

You can stay on top of submission deadlines, exhibition dates, and more.

"As part of my daily routine, I’m checking to see what’s on the schedule in Artwork Archive and if I have any artwork showing somewhere or changing locations soon." —Dirk Guidry

Stay on top of important dates with weekly reminder emails.

Whenever your schedule includes important dates, Artwork Archive ensures you're in the loop by sending weekly reminder emails detailing everything on your agenda for the upcoming week.

It's easy to add call deadlines directly to your schedule from our opportunity guides!

Currently, my favorite feature is “Add to Schedule” for calls-to-entry because it’s easy to use and simplifies the application process. I’m always excited to discover more amazing features to integrate into my workflow. 

—Bao-Khang Luu

Artwork Archive artist Cameron Schmitz painting in the studio. Photo Credit: Kate Hunter

Private Rooms: Your Way to Securely Share Artwork

Coordinating with clients, appraisers, or art insurers online can sometimes feel a tad clunky. That’s why we created Private Rooms, a tailored solution for curating online viewing rooms to share your artwork exclusively with your network.

Private Rooms is one of our most popular features—and we can understand why.

Securely share selected pieces with clients.

"I recently used Private Rooms to show a curator my work. I sent her a link via text. She was able to see all my work at a glance, and a few minutes later, she told me the names of the work she wanted to use." —Carolyn Wonders

Invite your collaborators to a private online gallery of your works. 

With Private Rooms, you can allow your clients to 'favorite' pieces and even leave their thoughts on particular pieces in the comments! As the sender of the private room, you will receive hourly updates on who has favorited what artwork. These updates will be sent to your Artwork Archive inbox, which can be auto-forwarded to your main email account.

"This can be a time-consuming and challenging task, but with the platform, it becomes simple and streamlined." —Nino Yuniardi

 

Exhibitions and Location Tracking: Your Art's Whereabouts at Your Fingertips

Assigning your pieces to Locations in your Artwork Archive account allows you to see where your work is across the globe.

Whether they're nestled in a storage facility or proudly displayed in that shiny new art gallery, our artists love having a clear, real-time understanding of their pieces' exact locations.

Effortlessly monitor your art's whereabouts.

"The Locations Feature helps me track all of my work across different galleries, hotels, restaurants, fairs, etc. For instance, when I have an online sale or a proposal is accepted for a specific piece, I know exactly where it is and when it's due back." 

—Tina Psoinos

Track comprehensive data corresponding to exhibitions or competitions you've entered.

With Artwork Archive's Exhibition feature, you gain the ability to document crucial details: pieces submitted, pieces accepted, exhibition dates, pickup and drop-off timelines, and even awards received. 

"I use the information I've entered into Artwork Archive to record things such as where my art has been exhibited, who has purchased what, and where they purchased it from." —Marce King

 

Ongoing show called 'Painting Through a Pandemic' at The Midtown Arts Center, Eugene, OR. Artwork and photo courtesy of Artwork Archive artist David Diethelm

Sales, Income, and Expense Tracking: Your Art Business Finances

Finances and art don't have to be a headache—especially with the right tools. Our Sales Tracking feature simplifies tracking your income and expenses.

Spreadsheets are clunky, confusing, and simply no match for the streamlined efficiency our artists find when managing their art business finances through Artwork Archive.

Manage your art finances.

Artwork Archive can help you register, track, and report on the sales of your art. Input any vital information associated with the sale—from who purchased it, where it was purchased, if any discounts were given, and more. Plus, generate a comprehensive sales report that paints a clear picture of your art business revenue!

"The sales tracking tool has definitely made things a lot easier and more efficient." —Nicky Myny

Maintain your professionalism and get paid faster.

With Artwork Archive, you can easily invoice your clients, providing a professional experience for your collectors. (It also helps you get paid faster).

Make tax time stress-free

"The biggest advantage I find is that it also is able to track my sales and expenditure, which makes tax time much easier! I am now in the habit of uploading every work-related receipt to my Artwork Archive account. This is far better than keeping a shoebox full of faded receipts that take hours to trawl through at tax time! I'm also able to create Income and Expense reports."

—Geoff Cunningham

 

Web Embed Tool: Your Integrated Artist Website

The online gallery from your Public Profile can be embedded into any page on your website, allowing your collectors to view your available inventory without leaving your website.

Read on to learn why many of our artists choose to connect their artist website to their Artwork Archive account.

Sync your artist website with your current inventory.

By embedding your Public Profile on your artist website, you can sync all of the information about your current public pieces (i.e., if the work gets sold) with your website. 

"Artwork Archive is integrated with my website. So, if I need to update something, I don’t have to update it in two places. I just update Artwork Archive, and it updates my site." —Carolyn Wonders

Eliminate the need for double entry and spend more time making art.

"Being able to embed Artwork Archive on my WordPress site streamlined my inventory process.

Now when I finish a piece, I no longer have to post to multiple sites—I just upload my finished piece to Artwork Archive, and it automatically posts to my website. Less time duplicating work means more time creating in the studio."

—Eliaichi Kimaro

Embed your whole portfolio, or specific collections on virtually any page. 

"The Collections feature of Artwork Archive is awesome. I connect them to specific pages of my website. Any changes are updated immediately on all pages where that image appears. Being able to share multiple images and videos of sculptures is essential." —Chas Martin

Artwork Archive artist Victoria Johns revealing a pulled print from the 'Steadfast' Collagraph plate. Photography by Kirsteen Hogg Photography

Reports: Your Professional Documentation and Presentation

Artwork Archive is capable of generating a number of different reports that can be used to give you better insights into your art business.

We've heard countless stories from artists sharing the positive feedback they've received after presenting reports to galleries, collectors, and other clients.

Reports help you not only save time but also present yourself and your work more professionally to prospective clients. 

Whether it's an inventory report, a polished portfolio or catalog page, tear sheets, branded invoices, or certificates of authenticity, you can create professional reports all in one place. 

"The Reports feature proves invaluable, eliminating the need for extra design work and expediting our workflow." —Fernanda Lavera

Designing reports on your own could take hours. With Artwork Archive, it takes minutes.

I use Artwork Archive to create Certificates of Authenticity when a painting is sold and to keep track of sales of limited edition prints. I keep my bio and artist statements in the My Docs feature, so I don’t need to hunt them down.

When I deliver works to a gallery, I provide them with an Inventory Report—so there is no confusion about the details of each work.

—Fiona Smith

 

Artwork Archive: One of the Best Things You Can Do For Your Art Business

Artwork Archive is more than just an inventory management platform; it's your partner for your art career—proving invaluable for artists at any career stage.

Artwork Archive offers a set of features that can revolutionize your art practice. 

"Artwork Archive is an excellent tool for those who want to manage their artwork in a way that is efficient, streamlined, and easy to use.

Its features help me stay organized and focused on my paintings, rather than administrative tasks."

—Nino Yuniardi

From tracking exhibitions to managing finances, we can help streamline your operations, leaving you more time to focus on what truly matters—making art.

"I not only present myself to galleries as more organized, I actually am. It's obvious the brains behind Artwork Archive understand the needs and abilities of artists." —Chas Martin

Try it out for yourself for free (no credit card required). 

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