When it comes to communication between artists and their galleries, the devil is in details.

Christine Romanell is an American artist who makes complex work, both literally and figuratively. Her sculptural pieces are inspired by fractals, physics, mathematics and cosmology, and can weigh up to 200 lbs. Comprised of dozens and dozens of delicate, hand-painted layers, her work explores “Penrose tiling,” which was “discovered in the 1970s, fills a flat plane with no gaps using two rhombus shapes, and never repeats,” according to her artist statement.

An avid Artwork Archive user, Christine diligently organizes her work in her database. She also embeds her inventory directly from her Artwork Archive account into her own website. Recently, she was able to upload her art directly from her own Artwork Archive account into the Artwork Archive account of Vanessa Liberati—her art dealer and the owner of Gitana Rosa Gallery—using the newly enhanced “direct upload” feature. 

By uploading artwork directly into her art dealer’s account, Christine was able to save herself invaluable time. Her works—with their complicated dimensions, high resolution images, and accompanying documentation like COAs and packing instructions—were already uploaded into her own Artwork Archive account, so all she had to do was copy them over to Vanessa's account.

“I’m like a broken record when it comes to Artwork Archive, I just love it so much,” Christine says. “I kept telling my dealer it would make her life easier, so she signed up for it. She sent me a link and asked if I could upload my work directly to her account and the process was so simple. I honestly didn’t think Artwork Archive could get any better, but this feature is awesome!”

The “direct upload” feature is currently only available to Organization accounts, and allows them to grant artists permission to upload works straight into their Artwork Archive account via a URL and password. However, this feature is available to all artists, whether they have their own Artwork Archive account or not, as long as they are uploading to a venue—such as a museum, gallery, or exhibition space—with an Artwork Archive organization account.

The organization simply has to “enable piece submissions” in the artist’s contact record in their own Artwork Archive account, and then share the upload URL and password with the artist via email. 

An artist without their own Artwork Archive account can simply click on the link, enter the password given to them, and then upload their pieces from their computer. 

If the artist does have an Artwork Archive account, however, they only need to select their artworks, click “Move” and then click “Submit.” It’s literally that simple. To learn more about how to utilize this feature, check out these help docs for organizations and artists.

Artist Christine Romanell. Image courtesy the artist.

Benefits of uploading directly between Artwork Archive accounts for artists and gallerists

The direct upload feature dramatically reduces the amount of back-and-forth that usually accompanies administrative communications between artists and exhibition venues, galleries, dealers and the like. There’s no need to create separate PDFs for emailing—and then copy (or worse, re-type) all artwork details, such as titles, pricing information, medium details, insurance costs, artwork descriptions, etc. 

“I have been working with several artists who were already using Artwork Archive to share private rooms with me to add to my gallery’s inventory,” Vanessa says. “It was a visually clean and easy way to get work from them.” She continues:

“When I found out that there was a new integration where those same artists can upload the work, images, details along with location and contact information I highly considered it. Then, in a meeting with one of the Customer Service team members, I found out that I could also include important documents, invoicing and contracts—and be up-to-date at all times—I was seriously thinking about switching over my system. The moment they added the feature for artists, whom do not have a private account to upload on their own through a private link I can send, I was fully on board."

Now an Artwork Archive organization account subscriber, Vanessa (and her staff) couldn't be happier they made the switch. 

"This feature saves me hours of admin time and staffing," she exclaims. "It will allow me to expand my inventory and manage artists and exhibits in an efficient manner. It’s a no brainer!”

Artists with an Artwork Archive account who can take advantage of the “direct upload” feature will also never need to zip up or compress their images again before sending to their exhibition partners, if those partners have an Organization account with Artwork Archive. Instead, they can simply upload their works directly, and the organization account holder will be able to download original image files—up to 30mb.


Christine Romanell, Raspberry Pi, Acrylic on Lasercut wood, 30 x 36.5 x 4 inches.

At the moment, Christine is busy preparing for her upcoming solo museum exhibition at the Monmouth Museum. She’s also on the board of Manufacturers Village Artists space in East Orange, NJ, where her studio is located. This initiative transformed a defunct industrial space into a thriving artist community with over 40 working artists. 

As an artist and community leader, Christine needs to work as efficiently as possible in order to meet all her deadlines, while still producing her art. With Artwork Archive, she's able to concentrate on what matters most.

To learn more about Christine's work, visit her Artwork Archive public profile. 
 

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