We establish American Cyborg as an artist collective, and immediately start having art archiving needs.

American Cyborg begins by hosting seasonal art salons, which provide a vehicle for rapid, low-cost experimentation (salon catalogs, spreadsheets, installation photos, loan and sale records).

Bluebird has already been developing custom software for managing her family's art collection, and applies what she's learned so far.

Albatross is the primary salon host, and writes the catalogs.

- Found American Cyborg as an artist collective

- Select birds as codenames

Value-add: create a sense of community, and cement a philosophic aesthetic

- Start archival practice with systematic capture of artwork data (images + metadata)

- First pass at repeatable intake using folders and simple fields

Value-add: initial sense of what hosting a temporary set of artworks entails

- Host first salon (Peridot Green I: Symbolic Symbiotic)

- Convene peers for feedback on archival pain points and expectations

Value-add: surface user language and mental models (how non-experts expect to find/describe works)

We formalize the administrative backbone. Loan agreements and a standard sales record bring chain-of-custody and ownership tracking into the practice.

The second Peridot Green salon lets us test these forms in the wild and validate a paired approach: human-readable binders/infosheets alongside digital storage.

Bluebird refines intake workflows while Albatross continues to host and write the catalogs.

- Draft simple templates governing movement of works (to scanning, framing, exhibitions)

- Introduce document control and chain-of-custody

Value-add: early signal that the archive must handle documents, not just images

- Define a canonical record for transactions

- Sell a couple artworks

Value-add: clarify financial/ownership attributes (price, dates, parties, conditions) that later inform object schemas

- Host second salon (Peridot Green II: Pocket Monsters)

- Test early intake ideas with the community

Value-add: validate need for human-readable outputs (binders, one-page infosheets) alongside digital storage

We stress-test our tools: spreadsheet schemas crack under real-world variability, and image capture reveals a full lighting->color->naming pipeline rather than a single step.

Finch joins the flock with incisive analysis as we review results at the third Peridot Green salon. The importance of spatial context and storytelling ("Rooms") begins to crystallize.

Value-add: we need flexible schemas and a robust capture->process->store workflow.

- Model objects in spreadsheets (columns for artist, title, dimensions, medium, provenance, etc.)

- Spreadsheets work at a small scale, but break on variability (different works require different fields)

Value-add: flagged future need for flexible schemas and conditional fields

- Explore consistent lighting, glare control (framed art), color referencing, and file naming

Value-add: identify the capturing-processing-storing pipeline as a major technical dependency and recurring cost

- Host second salon (Peridot Green III: A Gathering of Clouds)

- Finch joins the team with astute art analysis

- Review imaging and spreadsheet outcomes with peers

- Reinforce the value of room-context and storytelling, not just list views

Value-add: an early nudge toward the later "Rooms" paradigm

Q4 2015

We consolidate and commit: the first Art Index establishes a single source of truth and spotlights the need for stable IDs and naming conventions.

We translate pain points into a working software brief (fast capture, flexible fields, privacy & longevity) and present the concept at the fourth salon.

Early buy-in emerges for a joyful, at-home collector tool (what we'll develop as Rookery).

- Compile a consolidated list of works with minimal metadata and file pointers

- Create first single source of truth

Value-add: reveals the need for strong, human-meaningful IDs and consistent naming

- Formalize pain points into software requirements

- Images and spreadsheets don't interact well

- Capture and documentation must be fast and forgiving

Value-add: discovery that collections need privacy and longevity, not ad-hoc cloud folders

- Host fourth salon (Peridot Green II: Countenance)

- Present the software concept; solicit reactions

Value-add: early buy-in for a tool aimed at at-home collectors, with emphasis on joyful use and low friction