With his expertise in video art, Bryan Stusse was a natural fit to digitize selections from the Artists’ Television Network, a subset of Special Collections’ Alternative Traditions in the Contemporary Arts materials. But although equipped for the curatorial tasks of selecting from hundreds of original works by visual and performing artists broadcast on New York public access stations in the late 1970s and early 1980s, he wasn’t prepared for the many and varied technical problems involved in digitizing a variety of obsolete media formats. Thanks to his persistence and creative thinking, as well as assistance from the Libraries’ Preservation Department, these issues have mostly been resolved. We’re pleased that Bryan will be able to extend his time in DLS next semester to build on his progress towards making these artworks available online.
Name: Bryan Stusse
Hometown: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Pre-SLIS education: University of Iowa – B.F.A. in Intermedia; School of the Art Institute of Chicago – M.F.A. in Visual Art
DLS Project: Artists’ Television Network
Why did you choose this project? I wanted to work on the ATN project because it allowed me to pursue my interests in preservation and digital libraries, while making use of my knowledge of the content subject.
Most enjoyable project experience? Watching back-to-back episodes of the Golden Girls on Lifetime at midnight every weeknight. Also, knowing that the work towards the ATN Digital Collection focused enough attention on the collection to generate funding for preservation of the content.
Most difficult/challenging experience? The most challenging part of the project was overcoming the technical and preservation needs for digitization of the ATN collection.
What did you learn about digital library work that surprised you? I had no idea how complex and difficult the development of a digital collection project could be. Orchestrating resources and efforts across departments requires much greater and more focused efforts than I had anticipated.
Favorite item in the collection? My favorite object currently online is an excerpt from a performance at the Nayatt School. We know very little about the performance. This small excerpt is incredible, with subtle gestures it offers a poetic encounter with human frailty and the emltional and psychological barriers we build.