HISTORY OF THE ARTIST ARCHIVE and Evolution into The Radius Project

The Artist Archive was founded in 2002 when filmmaker Robert DiMaio was commissioned by the “School Construction Authority” (NYCSCA) to document a public art installation in a local school.

Subsequently, Robert DiMaio submitted a proposal to document (in short-film form) all the art installed in public schools. The thinking was that on the first day of every school year, students would be taken on a tour of the hallways where art was on public display.

The visit to a work of art in a school would be followed by a short film about the meaning of the art and the artist's history. The hyperlocal aspects of this thinking expanded into how imagination and creative inspirations enrich the neighborhoods around the school.

The impact on students would extend to activities by local environmentalists and volunteers; students would be reminded of aspects of a visionary's life, including how creativity, imagination, and inspiration overcame challenges and possibly led to a successful outcome.

Local libraries and libraries in schools would contain a permanent archive of information about students’ own collections — Historians would be engaged to discuss non-living visionaries.

Since 2002, TAA has produced 163 short films on a diverse assortment of visual artists, environmentalists, and volunteers. We have also formed partnerships with the prestigious Juilliard School to produce original music for each film. Vimeo reported as of June 2025 that 10217 people have reviewed TAA films online: Vimeo verification of TAA film viewers