The purpose of the Electronic Media Group is to preserve electronic art, electronic-based cultural materials, and tools of their creation, and to provide a means for conservators and related professionals to develop and maintain knowledge of relevant new media and emerging technologies.

Annual Meeting Program

Meetings of the Electronic Media Group occur at the annual meetings of the American Institute for Conservation. Past topics included the preservation of time-based media art (including video, film, audio, slide, and software-based artworks), the creation and maintenance of digital archives, digital imaging for preservation and access (including applicable hardware and software), the preservation of digital media, hardware and software obsolescence, and the documentation and conservation of electronic playback hardware.

TechFocus Workshop Series

TechFocus IV: Caring for 3D Printed Art has been postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 health crisis. New dates coming soon.

The TechFocus workshop series is organized by the American Institute for Conservation's Electronic Media Group to provide detailed technical education in the preservation of media art. Launched on the 10th anniversary of the groundbreaking TechArchaeology symposium that was held at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2000, TechFocus offers in-depth instruction in a broad range of media. Each workshop, hosted by a different institution, is dedicated to one specific media-art technology. A systematic lecture program, delivered by international experts, introduces workshop participants to the technology behind these artworks, and offers real-world guidelines for their preservation.

To visit standalone sites for the individual TechFocus conferences, please use the links below:

TechFocus I: Caring for Video Art took place September 1-2, 2010 at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

TechFocus II: Caring for Film and Slide Art took place April 27-28, 2012 at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC.

TechFocus III: Caring for Software-based Art took place September 25-26, 2015 at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Publications and Resources

EMG maintains a variety of online resources about the conservation of electronic media and time-based media.

The Electronic Media Review is a biennial publication that includes talks presented at the Electronic Media Group (EMG) sessions of the AIC Annual Meeting.

The EMG section of the AIC Wiki is updated and maintained by EMG members, but welcomes edits and new content from anyone regardless of specialty group membership. The Wiki provides information regarding the preservation and conservation of all types of electronic media: audio, moving images, born-digital media, and time-based media.