grunt gallery Library

Date

after 2016

Scope and Content

The grunt gallery Library is a collection of books, serials, and other publications held at grunt gallery to support research and enjoyment of global contemporary art and other subjects. Acquisition is ongoing but limited due to available space, and collecting decisions are made by grunt's Archives Manager in discussion with grunt staff. At present the library includes 5 meters of textual materials. 

Of particular note are holdings on contemporary First Nations art, contemporary South West Asian/ North African (SWANA) art, contemporary performance art, and comtemporary art in Vancouver on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ/selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Many volumes in the collection are associated with artists who have worked with grunt over the years. The Library also contains a copy of each of grunt's major publications, many of which speak to the above themes. 

Library Materials are accessible to the public by appointment and, while they do not circulate generally, may be loaned on an individual basis.

Administrative/Biographical History

In 2016, grunt gallery founder and Program Director Glenn Alteen donated a large number of books and serials to found the grunt gallery Library. Consisting of books Alteen had collected over his four decades of curation and production in the arts, the donated works reflected his own interest in contemporary First Nations, South West Asian/ North African (SWANA), and performance art, along with his interest in subcultures and various esoteric topics. The library has expanded via book acquisitions and donations in the above mentioned subject areas, as well as other topics and monographs of interest to an art audience. The library collection has been stewarded by Archives Manager Dan Pon since its origin and was originally catalogued online using the Omeka platform before being migrated and integrated here with the grunt gallery archives in 2022. The collection's development has been supported by Archives Assistant Jessica Fletcher and volunteer Syr Riefsteck.