October is American Archives Month!
October 1, 2025
Archives are places where materials of significant historical and/or future value are stored. At an art museum, the types of materials kept can include artist papers, photographs, information about art objects and exhibitions, correspondence, and schematics, among many other things. Most materials in an art museum archive can be used as primary sources for research, offering firsthand information that can help scholars, curators, and the public gain understanding into artistic processes, the histories of works of art, or even practical things like the instructions on how a work of art is supposed to be assembled.
The Cafesjian Art Trust Museum (the CAT), though still new, has a range of materials related to its collections in its archives. Celebrate American Archives Month with us as we feature some of the highlights from the CAT’s archives!
In 2023, the CAT acquired a multimedia work by artist Jibade-Khalil Huffman. Since then, it has been featured in both the CAT’s inaugural Recent Acquisitions exhibition and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s exhibition Digital Witness: Revolutions in Design, Photography, and Film.
Part of this work’s archival records include the transcript from an interview the CAT conducted with Huffman in 2023 to learn more about his philosophies and methodologies.
The CAT’s art collections hold a cache of works by Armenian American artist Zadik Zadikian, who is based in Los Angeles, California. In a project from 2001 called Caravan, Zadikian planned to attach monumental-scale paintings to the sides of semi-trucks, which would then drive through all the major cities in California, bringing art to the public in an unexpected way.
Before the project took place, Zadkian sent his proposal and maquette semi-truck to the Cafesjian family, which has now become a part of the museum’s archives.
The CAT’s archives also hold materials from local glass artists, such as Andrew Shea and Douglas Becker, among others. In 2024, Andrew Shea donated his papers to the CAT as he closed his studio and entered retirement. Shea’s papers contain a wealth of information about his career, glimpses into the history of the Minnesota glass art scene, and fascinating information about workshops Shea hosted with major glass artists such as Bertil Vallien and Richard Marquis.
Treasures from this archival collection include vintage glass color sample chips from Zimmerman Art Glass in Indiana and a rare extended interview with Shea, conducted by a former University of Minnesota student in 1979.
Before founding the CAT, the Cafesjian family established the Cafesjian Center for the Arts (CCA) in Yerevan, Armenia. Their goal was to make contemporary art accessible in a region where people had few opportunities to experience it.
Although the CCA operates independently, the CAT proudly preserves materials from their exhibitions, including a vibrant and engaging collection of catalogs.
One highlight is materials from the exhibition Echo, featuring artist Nina Khemchyan. This exhibition was selected to represent Armenia at the 2024 Venice Biennale. Related materials held by the CAT include two versions of the exhibition catalog, a vinyl record of Armenian chants (sharakans) that accompanied the show, and sample prints showing Khemchyan’s interpretation of the seven deadly sins, which were ultimately presented in the exhibition on a monumental scroll.
Access to the CAT’s archival collections is limited. If approved to view materials, an appointment and supervision during the visit are required. Reference services are available on a limited basis. Interested in viewing materials in the archive? Email or call to begin the process: info@cafesjianarttrust.org or 612-359-8991