Categories and Subcategories give every Piece record a consistent classification you can filter, report on, and share, so finding a specific group of work takes seconds instead of scrolling. They also power how people search and filter on Public Profiles and the Discovery platform, so the way you classify a work affects how easily someone can find it.
The Category field (formerly called "Type of art") lets you classify each artwork by the kind of work it is, such as Painting, Sculpture, or Printmaking. Each category also includes an optional Subcategory so you can get more specific: a painting can be an oil painting, a print can be a linocut, and a photograph can be a silver gelatin print.
If you previously used the Type field, everything carried over automatically. Nothing was lost and nothing needs to be redone.
Did you know?
Categories and Subcategories are completely optional. There is no requirement to use them, and a Subcategory can always be left blank. They are here to help you organize your work and to make it easier for people to find it.
How Category and Subcategory Differ from Medium
Category and Subcategory do not replace the Medium field, and you should continue to fill it out.
Medium records the specific materials and techniques of the work, like oil on linen or bronze with patina. Medium is what appears on your artwork labels, in your reports, and in your public descriptions. Category and Subcategory are organizational tools that power filtering and search.
An easy way to think about it: Category is what the work is. Medium is what it is made of and made on. They work together, and some overlap between them is completely normal.
How Categories Help People Find Your Artwork on Discovery
Inside your account, Categories give you a consistent way to organize, filter, and report on your work.
On your Public Profile and Discovery, they power search and filtering for people browsing your Public Profile and the Discovery platform.
Did you know?
Anyone can browse Discovery, with or without an Artwork Archive account. Your profile is listed on Discovery once you are subscribed at any level and you have made your Public Profile public with at least four Pieces marked "public."
Your Category selections organize your private inventory either way, whether or not your profile is public.
How to Add a Category and Subcategory to a Piece
Navigate to Artwork in the left-side menu
Click the Piece you want to update, or click +New Piece to create a new record
Find the Category dropdown and select the option that best describes the work
Once you select a Category, the Subcategory drop-down becomes available with the options you can select from
Select a Subcategory, or leave it blank if none of the options fit
Click Save
How to Choose the Right Category for Your Artwork
Each artwork can have one Category and, if you like, one Subcategory. Choose the category that best describes the work as a whole. If no subcategory feels right, leave it blank. That is exactly what the blank option is for.
Every Artwork Category and Subcategory in Artwork Archive
These descriptions are high-level starting points, not strict definitions. Many works could reasonably live in more than one place, and the same technique is often described in different ways. Choose whatever best reflects how you think about the work.
Painting
Painting
Oil: Works painted primarily with oil-based paints
Acrylic: Works painted primarily with acrylic paints
Watercolor: Transparent water-based paint, often on paper
Gouache: Opaque water-based paint, typically matte in finish
Encaustic: Painting with heated wax and pigment
Tempera: Fast-drying paint traditionally bound with egg or similar binders
Fresco: Painting applied to or into plaster
Aerosol: Spray paint and other aerosol-applied painting
Mixed Media Painting: Painting that combines multiple paints or incorporates other materials
Drawing
Drawing
Illustration: Work created to illustrate, narrate, or accompany ideas, stories, or text, such as book, editorial, or commercial work
Graphite: Pencil and graphite works
Charcoal: Charcoal in stick, pencil, or powdered form
Ink: Pen, brush, and ink wash works
Colored Pencil: Works in colored pencil
Pastel: Soft, hard, or oil pastel works
Conté: Conté crayon and similar compressed drawing media
Marker: Marker-based works of any kind
Calligraphy: Calligraphic and lettering-based works
Mixed Drawing Media: Works combining several drawing media
Printmaking
Printmaking
Etching / Engraving: Prints made from plates that are incised by hand or etched with acid
Aquatint: A tonal etching process, often resembling ink or watercolor washes
Drypoint: Prints scratched directly into the plate, known for soft, velvety lines
Mezzotint: A tonal process worked from dark to light, known for rich, deep blacks
Lithograph: Prints drawn on stone or plate and printed from the flat surface
Screenprint: Ink applied through a stencil and mesh screen, also called silkscreen or serigraphy
Linocut: Relief prints carved from linoleum
Woodcut: Relief prints carved from wood
Monotype / Monoprint: Unique or largely unique prints made from a plate
Collagraph: Prints made from a plate built up with collaged materials and textures
Digital Print: Prints produced through digital processes
Giclée: High-resolution archival inkjet prints
Risograph: Prints made with a Risograph duplicator, often with layered, vivid colors
Photography
Photography
Digital: Photographs captured digitally
Film: Photographs captured on film
Instant: Instant film photography, such as Polaroid-style processes
Silver Gelatin Print: Traditional darkroom prints, most often black and white
C-Type Print: Chromogenic color prints, exposed in the darkroom or digitally
Archival Pigment Print: Museum-grade pigment-based inkjet prints
Alternative Process: Cyanotypes, photograms, and other historic or experimental processes
Mixed Media Photography: Photography combined with other media
Sculpture
Sculpture
Stone: Granite, limestone, alabaster, and other carved or shaped stone
Marble: Works in marble
Resin: Cast or shaped resin and similar materials
Plaster: Works in plaster
Concrete: Concrete and cement-based works
Soft Sculpture: Dimensional works in fabric, foam, and other pliable materials
Relief: Sculptural works that project from a flat background
Mask: Mask works in any material
Mixed Media Sculpture: Sculpture combining multiple materials
Note:
Works made primarily of metal, wood, ceramic, or glass have their own dedicated categories further down this list.
Ceramics
Ceramics
Porcelain: Fine, high-fired white clay bodies
Stoneware: Durable clay bodies fired at mid to high temperatures
Earthenware: Lower-fired clay bodies, including terracotta
Raku: Works fired using raku and related techniques
Ceramic Sculpture: Sculptural ceramic work
Tile: Ceramic tile works
Mixed Media Ceramics: Ceramics combined with other materials
Textiles & Fiber
Textiles & Fiber
Weaving: Woven works, on or off the loom
Embroidery: Stitched surface work, by hand or machine
Quilting: Layered and stitched quilt works
Felting: Wet-felted or needle-felted fiber works
Basketry: Woven, coiled, or plaited basket forms
Tapestry: Pictorial woven works
Macramé: Knotted cord and fiber works
Knitting: Knitted works
Crochet: Crocheted works
Dyeing: Works centered on dye techniques such as tie-dye, shibori, or indigo
Batik: Wax-resist dyed works
Fiber Sculpture: Dimensional fiber works
Fiber: A general option for fiber works when a more specific technique does not apply
Mixed Fiber Media: Works combining several fiber techniques or materials
Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Collage: Works assembled from paper, imagery, or other materials on a surface
Assemblage / Found Object: Dimensional works built from found or repurposed objects
Mosaic: Works composed of small pieces of glass, stone, tile, or similar materials
Mixed Media 2D: Flat works combining multiple materials
Mixed Media 3D: Dimensional works combining multiple materials
Digital Art
Digital Art
Digital Painting: Works painted digitally with brush-based tools
Digital Illustration: Work created digitally to accompany or explain a story, idea, or text, such as book, editorial, or commercial work
Vector Art: Works created with vector-based tools
3D / CGI: Modeled or rendered three-dimensional digital work
Pixel Art: Works created at the pixel level
Metalwork
Metalwork
Subcategories in Metalwork reflect the primary metal in the work. Choose the metal that makes up most of the piece. If several metals play an equal role, use Mixed Metal. Sculptural and functional metalwork both belong here.
Bronze
Aluminum
Copper
Steel
Stainless Steel
Iron
Brass
Silver
Gold
Mixed Metal
Wood
Wood
Subcategories in Wood reflect the primary wood in the work. Choose the wood that makes up most of the piece. If several woods play an equal role, or the species is not known, Mixed Wood is a fine choice. Sculptural, turned, and functional woodwork all belong here.
Oak
Walnut
Mahogany
Maple
Cherry
Teak
Birch
Cedar
Plywood / Engineered Wood
Mixed Wood
Glass
Glass
Blown: Glass shaped from molten glass by blowing
Cast: Glass formed in molds
Fused: Kiln-formed glass, including fused and slumped work
Stained: Assembled colored glass, often joined with leading or foil
Flameworked: Glass shaped at a torch, often used interchangeably with lampworked
Lampworked: Glass shaped at a torch or lamp, often used interchangeably with flameworked
Cold-worked: Glass shaped without heat through cutting, grinding, engraving, or polishing
Glass Sculpture: Sculptural glass in any technique
Film, Video & New Media
Film, Video & New Media
Film: Works created on or presented as film
Video: Video-based works
Animation: Animated works in any technique
Motion Graphics: Animated graphic and design-driven works
Projection: Projection-based works
Sound Art: Works with sound as the primary medium
Interactive Art: Works that respond to viewer input
Virtual / Augmented Reality: Virtual or augmented reality experiences
Installation & Public Art
Installation & Public Art
Mural: Large-scale works created on walls or architectural surfaces
Site-specific Installation: Works created for a particular location
Immersive Installation: Works that surround or envelop the viewer
Land Art: Works created in or from the landscape and natural materials
Multimedia Installation: Installations combining several media
Book
Book
Artist's Book: Books conceived and created as artworks
Handmade Book: Hand-bound or hand-constructed books
Altered Book: Existing books transformed into new works
Zine: Small, self-published booklets
Photobook: Books built around photographic work
Design & Functional Objects
Design & Functional Objects
For designed and functional works:
Furniture
Jewelry
Garment / Wearable
Lighting
Tableware
Decorative Object
Performance
Performance
These subcategories are broad, overlapping starting points rather than strict definitions. Choose whichever best reflects the work.
Performance Art: Performance-based works generally
Live Art: Works realized live before an audience
Durational: Works that unfold over an extended period of time
Participatory: Works that involve audience participation
Social Practice: Works centered on social engagement and collaboration
Works on Paper
Works on Paper
Works on Paper has no fixed subcategories. It is a helpful home for paper-based works when the specific process is not known or recorded, or for collections that are deliberately cataloged this way. If you know the process behind a work, such as drawing, printmaking, or watercolor, it will usually be easier to find under that category instead.
Other / Unclassified
Other / Unclassified
A general option for works that do not fit the categories above.
Common Questions About Categories and Subcategories
What if my work fits more than one category?
Choose the one that best describes the work as a whole, or the one you would most want it discovered under. There is no wrong answer, and you can change it at any time.
What if none of the subcategories fit?
Leave the Subcategory blank. A blank subcategory is always a valid choice.
Do I still need to fill out Medium?
Yes! Medium is what appears on your artwork labels and public descriptions, and it is where the full detail of your materials and techniques belongs.
Category and Subcategory are for organization and Discovery. Medium describes the work itself.
Can I create my own category?
Not currently. The list is standardized so that filtering and search work consistently across every account and on Discovery. If something is missing, share your suggestion with us!
How to Suggest a New Category or Subcategory
This list will keep evolving with our community. If there is a category or subcategory you would like to see added or changed, we would love to hear it. Reach out any time at info@artworkarchive.com or through the in-system chat, and tell us a bit about the work you are trying to classify.