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Mixed Media on Paper: Exploring the Library

Mara Metcalf's Mixed Media on Paper

This guide will help you find inspiration and information about:

  • Map making and maps in art
  • Contemporary artists working in mixed media

Searching and Browsing in Books

Search the FLO Library Catalog to find print and electronic books. For titles owned by the SMFA Library, select our location in the right-hand "Filter Your Search" box on the results page.



 

 

Browse these subject headings to see all consortium holdings related to figurative art

Atlases Maps
Cartography Maps in art
Collage Mixed media (art)
Geography Mixed media (Art)--21st century--Exhibitions​
Information visualization Visual communication

 

Browse these general call number ranges and headings on the SMFA Library shelves

G -GA  Atlases, geography, maps
N6494 .C6  Collage

 

To see monographs about individual artists who work in mixed media, search their names in the FLO catalog. To see books on our shelves, limit your results to the SMFA Library.

Searching and Browsing Online

Artsy

The website Artsy is a fantastic source of images of and information about contemporary art. Try searching and exploring these topics:

  • Maps/Networks
  • Mixed-Media
  • Collage

 

Artstor

The SMFA Library provides access to Artstor (linked below), a great resource for art images. Try searching for:

  • Individual artists' names
  • General terms like "mixed media" and collage

Using the advanced search feature, you can: 

  • Specify a contemporary date range (e.g., 1990-2015)
  • Limit by classification (e.g., "Drawings and Watercolors" or "Maps, Charts and Graphs")

Please note that to use this resource outside the Library, you must set up an account on a Library computer.

 

Publicly Available Image Collections

In addition to Artsy, there are a growing number of freely available digitized collections from museums, universities, historical archives, and other cultural heritage institutions. Use our Publicly Available Image Collections guide to start exploring.

 

Google Advanced Image Search

Google Advanced Image Search is a great way to harness the power of the regular Google Image Search toward delivering quality, trustworthy results. Some tips:

  • In the "image size" menu, select a larger option to help ensure image quality.
  • In the "site or domain" field, enter .edu and/or .org. This will limit your search to sites (from museums, universities, etc.) that are more likely to include complete and accurate information with image files.
  • Try filtering your search by "usage rights." In most cases, using images for scholarly work (papers, presentations) is protected by Fair Use, but incorporating images into the output of your artistic practice is a thornier issue. Knowing the licensing information for images you use is a smart way to work.

Other SMFA Library Subject Guides

You can further explore resources, in the SMFA LIbrary and beyond, on the following subjects:

And there are more! Go here for a complete list of our Research Guides.

Contact us!

Please feel free to get in touch with a librarian at any stage of your research process. Stop by the library (located on the third floor of the B side of the Fenway building), or get in touch directly with:

Ashley Peterson

  • apeterson@smfa.edu
  • 617-369-3653

Darin Murphy

  • dmurphy@smfa.edu
  • 617-369-3651

Circulation Desk (evening and weekend contact)

  • library@smfa.edu
  • 617-369-3650
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