Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI)

Conservation and Restoration of the EAI Collection

(New York, New York, United-States)

Electronic Arts Intermix is a non-profit media arts centre and a major resource for artists' video and new media. It was founded in 1971 by New York gallery owner Howard Wise in order to support video as a means of communication and artistic expression. Since then, EAI has played a pioneering role in the history of the media arts field. Today, EAI's programs include an artists' videotape distribution service offering over 2,500 titles, the EAI collection, an on-line catalogue with comprehensive data sheets, a preservation program and an equipment loan service.

Support from the Foundation's conservation and preservation program assisted Electronic Arts Intermix in its initiative for preserving and documenting its substantial collection of video and media art. Among the videotapes in the EAI collection are significant works by artists such as Gary Hill, Bill Viola, Nam June Paik, Vito Acconci, Joan Jonas and Steina and Woody Vasulka. In the occasion of its 30th anniversary, EAI restored rare and historical works in its collection, developed a digital conservation model, created archives of digitized excerpts from works in the collection, and preserved various documents and other historical material from its archives in digital form for the Web.