Material/Medium
Material/Medium = What the artwork is made of (its physical substances or components).
Curated Material/Medium Term List:
🔍 How to Select Terms for materials
Choose the appropriate hierarchy level: Sometimes a broad term like "Sculpture" is sufficient; other times you need specificity like "Bronze sculpture."
Be specific and concise. Our archive rules mean that you have to limit words to what is listed below. Choose the best option.
Limit to 1-3 terms per work: Adding only 1-3 material terms reduces visual load on users while maintaining search effectiveness .
Painting
Oil paint - Pigment mixed with drying oils
Acrylic paint - Pigment mixed with acrylic polymer emulsion
Watercolor - Pigment suspended in water-soluble medium
Gouache - Opaque watercolor
Encaustic - Pigment mixed with hot wax
Spray paint - Aerosolized paint applications
Fresco - Painting on wet plaster
Works on Paper
Drawing - General term for hand-rendered images
Charcoal - Burned wood drawing sticks
Graphite - Carbon-based drawing material
Pastel - Powdered pigment sticks
Ink - Fluid drawing medium
Chalk - Soft limestone drawing material
Printmaking - Multiple impression techniques
Lithography - Printing from a stone or plate
Screen print - Stencil-based printing
Etching - Intaglio printing from metal plates
Woodcut - Relief printing from wood blocks
Digital print - Inkjet or laser printing
Sculpture & 3D Work
Sculpture - General term for 3D artworks
Stone - Carved rock materials
Wood - Carved timber
Metal - Cast or fabricated metal
Clay - Molded and fired earth
Plaster - Gypsum-based material
Resin - Synthetic polymer casting
Assemblage - 3D compositions of found objects
Installation - Site-specific 3D works
Ceramics - Clay-based works (specify firing temperature if relevant)
Textiles & Fiber Arts
Fiber art - General term for textile-based work
Embroidery - Decorative needlework on fabric
Weaving - Interlaced thread construction
Quilting - Stitched layered textiles
Felt - Compressed animal fibers
Tapestry - Pictorial weaving
Photography & Lens-Based Media
Photography - General term
Gelatin silver print - Black and white photograph
Chromogenic print - Color photograph (C-print)
Inkjet print - Digital photograph
Pigment print - Archival digital print
Digital photography - Born-digital photographs
Analog photography - Film-based photographs
Time-Based & Digital Media
Video art - Moving image works
Digital art - Computer-generated art
Sound art - Audio-based works
Performance art - Live actions documented
Interactive media - User-responsive works
Animation - Moving image from sequenced images
New media - Emerging technology-based art
Mixed Media & Hybrid Forms
Mixed media - Multiple materials combined
Collage - Paper/fabric pieces adhered to surface
Found objects - Pre-existing items incorporated
Artist book - Book-form as artistic medium