The collections include seminal works that, seen as a whole, describe the development of video as an art form originating in the late 1960's and continuing to the present. All of the video in our collections employs innovative use of form and technology mixed with original visual style to address contemporary art and cultural themes. Founded in 1976, at the inception of the media arts movement in the United States, the Video Data Bank is one of the nation's largest providers of alternative and art-based video. Through a very successful national and international distribution service, the Video Data Bank distributes video art, documentaries made by artists and taped interviews with visual artists, photographers and critics. Tapes are available for rental or purchase to institutions such as media arts centers, galleries, festivals, universities, museums, community-based workshops, public television and cable access centers worldwide.
Some tapes are also available for purchase by individuals.
The Video Data Bank also maintains a research collection of print materials such as books, reviews, magazine articles, program notes, biographies, videographies, photographs and press kits. These materials create a context for video as it developed as an art form and a tool for analyzing politics and culture, as well as providing information on the individual artists and titles in the collection. The Video Data Bank maintains three collections of video, consisting of more than 1500 titles produced between 1968 and 1999. Approximately 1000 titles are available for distribution and the others can be viewed at the Video Data Bank screening room in Chicago. Early Video Art is a collection of almost 100 titles that are central to an understanding of the historical development of video art.