Of Affinity
Care for collections and creative practices.
We support artists, collectors, and estates in the long-term stewardship of their collections and creative practices through organization, documentation, and strategic guidance.
Collections accumulate meaning across time. We build the structures that let them endure.
Our Services
Collections are as individual as the artists and ideas that shape them. Our work spans three areas of practice, distinct but often intertwined, and always guided by the collection and the people behind it.
We approach every engagement through careful observation and archival methodology, taking time to understand the history, context, and particular needs of a collection before we begin.
The result is work that clarifies relationships among collections, materials, and people, making them more accessible and better positioned for the future.
Work with us →
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Archives and collections are living things that grow, shift, and accumulate complexity over time. We bring clarity to that complexity, developing systems for organizing, documenting, and preserving artworks, archives, and related materials across both physical and digital environments. Our work in this area supports accessibility, research, and the long-term continuity of collections and creative practices.
Services include:Collection assessments and inventories
Intellectual and physical arrangement of archival materials
Metadata development and cataloguing frameworks
Documentation standards and workflow design
Documentation:Thorough documentation is the foundation of any well-managed collection. We handle the full scope of visual and written record-keeping, ensuring materials are accurately captured and prepared for long-term use.
Photographic documentation of artworks and archival materials
Image production for digital archives, publications, press, and insurance
Condition documentation and record preparation
Digital Asset Management:
The digital life of a collection requires as much care as its physical counterpart. We design and implement systems that bring order to digital assets, ensuring files are structured, named, and stored in ways that support long-term access and stewardship.Digital asset management systems and file structuring
File naming conventions and metadata standards
Digital workflow design for artworks, photographs, and documents
Software selection and cloud-based archive setup
Training for ongoing archive stewardship
Private and Vernacular Archives:Personal and family archives hold a different kind of significance - one rooted in memory, narrative, and the lives behind the objects. We bring the same archival rigor to these collections, organizing, describing, and digitizing materials in ways that honor their particular meaning and ensure their preservation.
Organization and description of personal and family archives
Narrative-based archival organization
Digitization of photographs, documents, and ephemera
Memory preservation and documentation support
Artist Studios & Estates:An artist's studio is an archive in itself, one that accumulates works, records, and materials that together tell the story of a practice. We work with artists, studios, and estates to bring structure and continuity to that story, supporting both the ongoing life of an active practice and the longer arc of legacy planning.
Services include:
Studio assessments and archive integration
Inventory management of artworks and materials
Organization of studio records and documentation
Cataloguing and metadata development for bodies of work
Preparation and care of legacy materials
Estate planning support for creative assets
Transition planning for studios and collections
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Caring for a collection over time requires more than good systems; it requires thoughtful decision-making at every stage. This includes guiding clients through the acquisition of new works, ensuring each addition is considered, well-researched, and right for the collection. We work with collectors, estates, and institutions to provide the strategic guidance that keeps collections coherent, purposeful, and well-positioned for the future.
Services include:
Art advisory and acquisition support
Strategic collection assessment
Organizational and archival systems design
Inventory and cataloguing systems
Exhibition and loan planning
Succession and estate planning collaboration
This work is often sensitive in nature. We approach it with discretion, care, and a deep respect for the trust our clients place in us.
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Exhibitions and publications are temporary by nature, but the work that supports them is not. Documentation, coordination, and record-keeping outlast any single project. We provide the behind-the-scenes structure that allows projects to unfold with clarity, ensuring the work is properly recorded and cared for throughout.
Services include:
Artwork documentation and photographic coordination
Timeline and checklist development
Inventory tracking and documentation workflows
Liaising with curators, registrars, and art handlers
Exhibition and loan coordination
Condition reporting and record preparation
We develop clear processes that support the presentation, movement, and documentation of works across time.
About Us
Of Affinity is a Los Angeles–based studio founded by Caitlin Lennon and Julia Holladay — sisters-in-law, and partners in the truest sense. The name reflects that bond: married by affinity, and united by a lifelong commitment to art and a shared belief in the importance of how creative legacies are preserved and understood.
Our practice draws on experience across museums, galleries, and academic institutions, grounded in a deep commitment to the careful, considered stewardship that collections and creative practices deserve.
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Our approach is grounded in archival methodology, research, and careful observation. We develop systems that clarify relationships among works, materials, and documentation while respecting the unique context of each collection or creative practice.
We work collaboratively and discreetly, tailoring each engagement to the needs of the client and the long-term continuity of the collection or practice. Our goal is not only preservation, but the creation of structures that support visibility, understanding, and long-term care.
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Creative work accumulates meaning over time through its relationships to objects, records, and context. Our engagements have spanned artists' estates, private collections, and institutional archives. Each one distinct, each one requiring its own approach. What unites them is a commitment to leaving every collection more coherent, more accessible, and better cared for than we found it.
We work closely alongside our clients throughout every engagement, treating each project as a genuine collaboration. The systems we build are designed to last well beyond our involvement, with structures that clients can maintain, build upon, and rely on for years to come. That longevity is, for us, the true measure of the work.
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• Artists and artist studios
• Private collectors and family collections
• Estates and foundations
• Galleries and cultural institutions
• Research and exhibition-based projects
Engagements range in scope and duration. We welcome early conversations, even if the shape of a project is not yet clear.
We welcome conversations about collections, practices, and long-term care.
Contact Us
Every project begins with a conversation.
Please share a brief description of your needs and we will be in touch within 2–3 business days.