If a picture paints a thousand words, then ARTstor has your next 10 years of lectures and research papers covered. ARTstor is a database of digital images: photographs, paintings, architecture, murals, textiles, jewelry, maps, sculpture . . . you know, art and artifacts. Since art reflects the breadth and depth of the human experience, ARTstor’s content spans the globe, from ancient times to contemporary life, incorporating cultural objects that reveal “art” in its broadest definition.
You can take advantage of ARTstor’s many high-resolution images and zoom in so close that, if you were in a museum, your nose would be pressed against the object and a guard would escort you from the premises. Thanks to the zoom tool, you can see not only the placement of individual beads, but also the netting onto which they are sewn in this image of a Christian Dior gown (please note, links in this article to images in ARTstor will only work for K-Staters). Some of the images of paintings allow you to get close enough to see individual brush strokes.
ARTstor images include QTVR (Quick Time Virtual Reality). QTVR images offer 360º views of structures such as mosques, piazzas, basilicas, opera houses, convents, chateaus, grottos, and innumerable other spaces where visitors gawk and pivot in an effort to absorb it all. QTVR uses Quick Time to “play” images, so if you don’t have Quick Time, you may be prompted to download it. Once you’re in a QTVR, use your mouse to move left and right; be sure to look up!
The ARTstor database is continually updated with new image collections from around the world. Through K-State Libraries’ subscription, anyone with a K-State eID can register with ARTstor and take advantage of options to create folders and save searches.
Don’t take our word for it, give ARTstor a try yourself!
To register with ARTstor:
1. Go to the K-State Libraries Home Page.
2. Click “Databases” (at the very top).
3. Click “A”.
4. Scroll down the page, find and click “ARTstor”.
5. Click “Go” in the top right corner, near “Enter the ARTstor digital library”.
6. Click “Not registered?” on the next page, again in the top right corner, by “Log in to ARTstor”.
7. Enter your ksu.edu e-mail address and assign yourself a password (make sure it’s easy to remember).
8. Click “SUBMIT”.
9. Once your password is set, click “LOG IN” … and log in.
If you’re still not convinced that ARTstor has something for you, we offer a sampling of images (click the “I” icon to view the descriptive information for each image; click the arrow to proceed through the slideshow).
Itching to learn more about ARTstor? Watch ARTstor’s YouTube channel, read more about using the Image Viewer or check out ARTstor’s incredibly helpful training documents. Also, explore ARTstor’s image collections on the ARTstor blog — below the calendar on the right, there’s the option to browse by category. It’s a great way to discover and read a bit about some of the image collections that might inspire you. If you need any help or have questions or feedback about using ARTstor, contact Visual Arts Librarian Ellen Urton.
By: Ellen Urton and Sara K. Kearns
