The Women's Art Library (WAL)
The Women's Art Library began as the Women Artists Slide Library in 1982, later becoming an educational resource and publishing a magazine from 1983 to 2002.
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WAL collected slides, ephemera and other art documentation from artists and actively recorded exhibitions and historical collections to offer a public space to research and experience women's art.
Thousands of artists from around the world are represented in some form in this collection.
As part of Goldsmiths Library Special Collections and Archives, the Women's Art Library continues to collect slides, artist publications, exhibition ephemera, catalogues, laminated exhibitions and press material in addition to audio and videotapes, photographs and digital media.
We welcome donations from women artists documenting practice and/or producing multiples as part of their practice (see below for more information).
The collection also includes materials from artist groups and is being developed to support a varied programme that facilitates teaching, new research and art projects, notably through the Women’s Art Library/Feminist Review Art in the Archive Bursary. For more information about exhibitions and past projects please go to Women's Art Library.
The Women's Art Library is located in the Library's Special Collections and Archives on the ground floor of the Rutherford Building.
Independent researchers and groups, as well as students and staff, are welcome to consult the collection.
The Women's Art Library collection is catalogued in the Library catalogue and the Archive and Textile catalogue.
The WAL and The Jo Spence Memorial Library Archive form the foundation of the Animating Archives research project, which features experimental research on radical archival collections.
Please phone Special Collections 020 7717 2295 or email special.collections (@gold.ac.uk) to make an appointment or visit the Special Collections web page for further information about access and related collections.