Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1951–2021 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
7.5 m of textual records and other material*
ca. 22,970 photographs
8 videocassettes
1 audio cassette
8 optical discs
1 USB drive
1 floppy disc
*Note: This fonds contains a variety of materials and formats due to the nature of the artist’s experimental and pioneering practice. Other material predominantly consists of graphic material and objects relating to Astman’s artistic projects. Further detail about the physical extent of this fonds can be found in the Series- and File-level.
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Barbara Astman (1950- ) is a Toronto-based artist who has worked in a wide range of photographic and mixed-media formats. Born in Rochester (NY), Astman was educated at the Rochester Institute of Technology School for American Craftsmen and, after moving to Toronto in 1970, the Ontario College of Art. She was a pioneer in the field of colour xerography, and her practice has included a mix of camera art, new media, sculpture and light projection installations. Thematically, her work has explored issues of identity, history, memory, systems of representation and gender perspectives, often involving her own body as a subject. She has executed a number of public art commissions for clients including the Calgary Winter Olympics, the City of Ottawa (St. Laurent Complex Recreation Project), Hayter Street Developments (Bay/Hayter Condominiums, Toronto) and Cadillac Fairview Corporation (Simcoe Place, Toronto). Astman is now a professor at the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto, where she has been teaching since the mid-1970s. She is represented by the Corkin Gallery. Her work is found in prominent public collections including the National Gallery of Canada, The Art Gallery of Ontario, The Bibliotheque Nationale (Paris, France), and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Archival history
The materials now constituting the Barbara Astman fonds were transferred by the artist to the AGO in 2009.
A second accrual of material was transferred by the artist to the AGO in 2018. This material comprised accruals to Series 1 to 6, 8 to 10, and established Series 11 to 16.
A third accrual of material was transferred by the artist in 2023. This material comprised an accrual to Series 5: Teaching related records
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
AGO credit line: Gift of Barbara Astman, 2012-2023
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Fonds consists of records of the artistic and academic career of Barbara Astman, chiefly in Toronto from the 1960s to the second decade of the 21st century, including photographs of her projects and exhibitions, correspondence and textual documentation of projects, personal and other photos and journals, and some audiovisual materials.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
Further accruals are expected.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Specific files in the accruals to Series 2 (Project and Exhibition Records), Series 13 (Personal Correspondence), and Series 16 (Financial Records) are restricted. See series-level descriptions for more information.
Access to Special Collections is by appointment only. Please contact the reference desk for more information.
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright is held by the creator or her heirs. Copyright belonging to other parties, such as that of photographs, may still rest with the creator of these items. It is the researcher’s responsibility to obtain permission to publish any part of the fonds/collection.
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Rules for Archival Description
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Originally prepared by Amy Marshall Furness, 2010-2011. Revised by Eva Lu, 2017; re-revised and completed by Hannah Johnston, 2018.
Uploaded and adapted by Nirvana Chainani, 2019.
Updated by Camille McDayter, 2024.