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Ok, let's upload the images
An overview
If you are not familiar with databases, it may seem like there is a lot of work involved in uploading these images. You may have questions like "Why do I have to create a record of the artist first?", and so on. The short answer is "It will all work better". Believe me. We are working a page that more fully explains the architecture of the site. But in the meantime, just know that a lot of experience goes into the overall design. For many people to be able to contribute (without knowledge of programming) and still keep the site clean, accurate, and organized, this is the best way. We promise.
The steps involved
These are the preferred steps for adding an artwork to the site. You may find other ways to get it done, but this procedure should be fairly simple, and will lead to the fewest problems down the road.
  • 1. Download/scan the image into your computer hard drive.
     
  • 2. Do any "cleanup" of the image (cropping, color correction, etc.) and save it as a JPEG file. Our site cannot currently upload other types of files, including GIFs and PNGs.
     
  • 3. Collect/write down "other data" about the image - the title, the artist, the date it was created, who owns it, etc.
     
  • 4. See if the artist is already in the site. You can look at all of the people in our database by going to Display People page and choosing to view all people. (here's a link to that page). If the artist is in our database, proceed to step 5. Otherwise, go to step 4a.
     
  • 4a. - If the artist has NOT already been entered, you will need to add a person record for that artist. This is very simple, and mostly involves entering the correct name for the artist. On the display people page is a link to "Add a person" (or follow this link).

    Make sure when you add a new person to choose an artistic profession from the list, or you will not be able to do step 6.

  • 5. Go to the detail page for the artist. In the person listing page, you can simply click on the "Detail" link next to the artist's name.
     
  • 6. IF the person is an artist (see step 4a.), there will be a section on the person detail page called "Actions," and it will have a link called "Add an Artwork". Click that link to go to the artwork upload page.
     
  • 7. The artwork upload page is pretty self-explanatory. It has places to enter the title, the dimensions of the work, and so on. Since the artist is entered in the database, she/he will show up in the artist dropbox (see how convenient this is?). There is also a button to upload a file, which allows you to look through your hard drive for the correct image.

    NOTE: - If a museum owns the artwork, and it is not in the museum list, you will need to add a museum record and come back to the artwork entry page when you are done. To add a new museum, follow this link.

  • 8. Press the Submit button, and wait for the upload to finish. This may take a little while, especially for people with dialup modems. Remember, we are transferring a file, creating a thumbnail automatically (if needed), and making changes to the database. Don't click the submit button repeatedly, or you will add multiple records for the artwork, which creates a mess.

  And that's it - you're done! Congratulations!
Step 2 - What do I do when I'm DONE?
You have several options for when you are finished with uploading a piece of art. They include:
  • Basking in the warm glow of contributing to a worthwhile cause.
  • Bragging to your friends.
  • Checking your profile page to see how many you've done so far.
Of course, our favorite answer to this questions is - upload another one! :-)

We do eventually plan on having more ways to track your own contribution, over time and as compared to other members. For now, just know that your work is appreciated.