The New York State Council on the Arts Electronic Media and Film Program

NYSCA MEMORY ARCHIVE

The NYSCA Memory Archive is a collection of film and media arts materials from New York State arts organizations and individual artists, representing over fifty years of funding by the New York State Council on the Arts.

Dedicated to furthering artistic growth and public engagement in the media arts, the NYSCA Electronic Media and Film Program (EMF) oversaw the development of this archive. Originally under Film & Television, the department grew from the early sixties to become a leading state arts agency program in the development of film, analog, and digital technology as an art form.

NYSCA EMF has a long-standing commitment to creative exploration and exhibition in all aspects of the media arts, including film and media appreciation, professional development, technology and new modes of exhibition, distribution and interdisciplinary work. To ensure diversity within the media arts, NYSCA has welcomed a range of non-profit organizations including technology centers, independent cinemas, museums, galleries, broadcasters and internet-based dissemination.

As part of the Rose Goldsen Archive at Cornell University, this collection consists of records maintained by the Electronic Media and Film Program (EMF) and the Individual Artists Program (IND).

Specific materials include reports and surveys, files on organizations and individual artists, support for production, distribution, and organization, special projects files, film festival catalogs, books, and other publications. It also includes media materials such as video, film, tape recordings, photographs, as well as digital files.

The EMF collection is organized by the following series:

• Series 1. Administrative Files
• Series 2. Organizations
• Series 3. Individuals
• Series 4. Reports and Catalogs
• Series 5. Film Festivals and Series
• Series 6. Media Materials

Please check the Finding Aid for a list of the NYSCA Memory Archive holdings which are available for research onsite in the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections reading room.

Reservations for a research slot can be made online.

Note on the Collection

Known as the NYSCA Memory Archive, the collection is housed in three separate locations, the New York State Archives in Albany, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, and the Rose Goldsen Archive of New Media Art, Cornell University.

The New York State Archives has been accessioning NYSCA applicant financial records and correspondence since the Council was first established in 1960. As a result, the State Archives also hold a variety of rare television and film correspondence and photos from the early 60's through 70's and 80's, accessible on request.

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts holds a record of the history of NYSCA's Electronic Media and Film Program and its place in the support and ongoing development of electronic media as an art form throughout New York State. The New York Public Library's portion of this invaluable resource includes historical paper, video, and film materials, all of it readily accessible to the general public largely from the 70's and 80's forward to early 2000's.

The Rose Goldsen Archive of New Media Art received additional materials in 2012, largely consisting of correspondence and application support materials, including media and print, from independent filmmakers. These materials compliment the Rose Goldsen Archive which houses the history of many NYSCA grantee media arts organizations and individual artists.

Known as the NYSCA Memory Archive, the collection is housed in three separate locations, the New York State Archives in Albany, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, and the Rose Goldsen Archive of New Media Art, Cornell University. Additional materials are available at the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester.

Repository Sites

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center, NY, New York
Tapes / Film / Publications / Photos
Search - NYSCA Memory Archive

Cornell Rose Goldsen Archive of New Media Art
Individual Artists / Application Support Materials / Correspondence

New York State Archives
Early Records / Correspondence / Contracts / Narratives / Photos

For a living document on recent and current NYSCA EMF media arts organizations from 2009 forward see The NY Media Arts MAP.