Standardized Slide Labeling

I used to think the greatest act of faith was to plant bulbs in the fall in hopes they would bloom in the spring. I now realize that this act is dwarfed by my autumn ritual of applying for the variety of shows and opportunities listed in the Art Calendar. After all, the planting of a bulb only requires digging a hole, lining it with fertilizer, and dropping the bulb in. The only pitfall I can see is the possibility of putting it in upside-down, but even that isn't necessarily a problem-Mother Nature often seems to be able to figure out which end is up.

On the other hand, the faith ritual of show applications is thwarted by the myriad rites of entry. Each show has its own sequence of required information, all of which culminates in the sacrosanct icon of The Slide.

The Slide, that artifact, the ultimate representation of your work, must pay obeisance to the varying demands of each show. The most mysterious of all the markings, however is the Red Dot. Placed in the wrong location, your slide will appear any way except right-side-up. Unaided by Mother Nature, it will stay that way.

I used my computer to print out slide labels. If the slide has been used for a previous show entry, it must be relabeled. This results in either a damaged slide from removing the old label, or label build-up.

Either way, it's a time-consuming process. I have come to the conclusion that it's time to rebel: it's time to demand a universal show application and slide labeling format.

Actually, there is a format for slide cataloging-this I learned during my discussion with Carol Pulin, Director of the American Print Alliance. The information should appear in this order on a slide: the artist's last name, first name, title of work, date, dimensions, and technique. This format is used by the Library of Congress as well as by college and university libraries. It is an appropriate format of slide registries. The logic of putting the artist's name first allows the viewer to locate the artist, not the obscure reference of "Daffodil" filed under "D." Most important, the Red Dot goes in the lower left corner. Here's why. Slides are put in the carousel upside-down. Thus, once in the carousel, the slide's Red Dot will appear on the slide's upper right corner, the most visible edge. The projectionist can see if all the slides are correctly oriented with just a glance.

Additionally, the artist's name, while the slide is in the carousel, is upside down, on the bottom, and out of sight-thus it would be harder for a jurist to be influenced by seeing the artist's name on a slide.

The purpose of all these requirements, I know, is not to frustrate and discourage the artist from applying. However, I suggest that by creating a universal format the show organizers would not only encourage more show applications, they might also get responses more quickly-it would allow the artist to label multiple copies of slides at one time, thus having them ready for opportunities as they are presented.

With all that added time on my hands I could even find time to plant more bulbs or create more great art.

Slide Labeling Revisited

By Kay McCrohan

There has been some very positive feedback from the article on slide labeling. One concern not addressed in the article was how to handle a vertical format.

The proper format for the vertical art work is basically the same. The labels, by necessity should go on the wide edge of the slide. It is unreasonable for anyone to expect slides to be labeled on the narrow edges. The red dot would be located to indicate the lower left corner of the artwork.

When the slide is filed in a drawer, the label would be upright and the artwork would be on its side. This facilitates the location of the slide in the catalogue. The actual slide cannot be viewed in the drawer anyway. When the slide is filed in a transparent slide sheet, the procedure changes. The purpose of the slide sheet is to be able to view the entire sleeve without removing the slides. Therefore, the artwork should be filed upright and the label will be on its side. Generally speaking, slide collections filed in slide sheets also have slide list to accompany them. If this causes undue stress to the viewer, perhaps one solution would be to have a label with the artist's name attached to the slide sheet so it can be read upright.

Related Links:
Copy Slides For The Artist (MP Reference Article)
Transfix Laser Slide Labels (manufacturer)