Regarding whether Revelation advancement is automatic or you have to use the artifact, it's automatic. Just keeping the artifact in your home or in a vault you own will still advance its Revelations.
Optionally the GM might rule that picking an artifact up and then immediately throwing it away is safe, or that storing an artifact in some kind of spiritual containment / salt circle nullifies its current benefit and keeps it from advancing in Revelations---although the feeling with artifacts is that they're supposed to be dangerous, so I think I would probably make the players work to keep one contained.