Memory and projection in the extensions of making: the Maria Ivone dos Santos Archive

Abstract

Artists leave traces of their research, creating collections that contain potential sources of research on the poetics of a creator and on art. However, many of these collections are not institutionalized, so the artists themselves sometimes seek ways to preserve their memory. Taking the Maria Ivone dos Santos Archive as a case study, this article analyzes how collection management procedures applied to a non-institutionalized artist archive, open and in use, contribute to the constitution of a memory of art. The analysis aims to contribute to the reflection on artists' collections and the strategies developed for their preservation. The research is qualitative and applied in nature, developed through a case study and bibliographic review with theoretical support from Bellotto (2006), Cândido (2006), Cirillo (2019), Foster (2004), Ladkin (2004) and Padilha (2014). The study concludes that, in addition to a strategy for constructing a personal memory, the archive under analysis promotes the preservation of the memory of art, configuring itself as an exercise in resistance in the face of the lack of public policies aimed at valuing artists' collections.