Research Guides: Resources for MFA Students in Art: Reference Material

Finding Reference Works

The Fine Arts Library includes a collection of reference books and other sources that can provide background information for projects. Similarly, the main library (Mullins) has a substantial collection of reference sources. Most of these materials can be used within their respective library but not checked out.

Please contact the librarian if you have trouble locating specific reference material.

Quick Links

Grove Dictionary of Art Online This link opens in a new window
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A part of Oxford Art Online, Grove Dictionary of Art offers a scholarly art encyclopedia, covering both Western and non-Western art. First published as the landmark 34-volume Dictionary of Art, edited by Jane Turner, the content of Grove Art encompasses all aspects of visual culture.
Oxford Bibliographies Online: Art History This link opens in a new window
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Combining the best features of an annotated bibliography and a scholarly encyclopedia, Oxford Bibliographies Online (OBO) are designed to guide researchers to the best available scholarship across a wide variety of subjects.
Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
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Covers: 1980-.Offers the full text of reference sources in all disciplines. Users can search for specific words or concepts or browse by subject area. Special tools include a concept map that charts the occurrences of search and related terms across the collection and an image search. Topic pages covering people, places, events, or ideas pull together information from across several different reference sources.

Archives of American Art (Smithsonian)
This is a treasure trove of primary sources—including artists’ records, papers, correspondence, interviews, etc.—from the eighteenth century to the present. Most, but not all, of this material will have to be ordered via Interlibrary Loan.

A Short Guide to Writing about Art by Sylvan Barnet
ISBN: 9780205886999
Publication Date: 2014-01-15
The best-selling guide to writing about art, Sylvan Barnet's A Short Guide to Writing About Art guides students through every aspect of writing about art. Students are shown how to analyze pictures (drawings, paintings, photographs), sculptures and architecture, and are prepared with the tools they need to present their ideas through effective writing. Coverage of essential writing assignments includes formal analysis, comparison, research paper, review of an exhibition, and essay examination. New to the 11th edition is a chapter on "Virtual Exhibitions: Writing Text Panels and Other Materials."
How to Write about Contemporary Art by Gilda Williams
ISBN: 9780500291573
Publication Date: 2014-10-14
How to Write About Contemporary Art is the definitive guide to writing, engagingly about the art of our time. Invaluable for students, art professionals and other aspiring writers, the book first navigates readers through the key elements of style and content, from the aims and structure of a piece to its tone and language. Brimming with practical tips that range across the complete spectrum of art-writing, the second part of the book is organized around its specific forms, including academic essays; press releases and news articles; texts for auction and exhibition catalogues, gallery guides and wall labels; op-ed journalism and exhibition reviews; and writing for websites and blogs. In counselling the reader against common pitfalls - such as jargon and poor structure - Gilda Williams points instead to the power of close looking and research, showing how to deploy language effectively; how to develop new ideas; and how to construct compelling texts. More than 30 illustrations throughout support closely analysed case studies of the best writing in Source Texts by 64 authors, including Claire Bishop, Thomas Crow, T.J. Demos, Okwui Enwezor, Dave Hickey, John Kelsey, Chris Kraus, Rosalind Krauss, Stuart Morgan, Hito Steyerl and Adam Szymczyk. Supplemented by a general bibliography, advice on the use and misuse of grammar and tips on how to construct your own contemporary art library, How to Write About Contemporary Art is the essential handbook for all those interested in communicating about the art of today.