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Dear Colleagues:
On February 26 I wrote to Decorative Arts Round Table Members and
other interested parties asking for suggestions for the 1997 San Antonio
Conference. At the same time I raised several issues that had been
discussed with New York colleagues, specifically, whether it was
valuable to emphasize the regional aspects of the conference setting. I
received a number of suggestions regarding next year's conference and a
great deal of valuable feedback on the regionalism issue. Here are some
of your comments:
"...a regional session and/or keynote speech is a wonderful chance
for context-setting." Another respondent noted that the art that is
promoted well generally gets the most attention, regardless of quality.
She wrote, "I would hope that ARLIS/NA would see itself as having a
mandate beyond that scene, and would put us in touch with art,
architecture and the decorative arts which may not be familiar to most
of us, rather than just with the art that everybody knows (sometimes too
well?)" Another member concurred saying, "These programs and the
conducted tours that complement them have been for me the most valuable
and memorable aspect of the last six conferences." This comment was
echoed by several others.
On the matter of conference planning for San Antonio, enthusiasm
was expressed for sessions dealing with trade catalogs, and an offer
came to speak on the topic from a user's point of view. I think this
would be a very useful approach to the topic. The possibility of DART
co-sponsoring a joint session with the Visual Resources Division was
also raised. I think this an excellent and timely suggestion. The
subject of decorative arts terminology has been raised before and
obviously generates interest in a number of spheres. Another respondent
suggested a session on "researching the decorative arts." This session
might consist of four speakers to address auction records, trade
catalogs, electronic resources and periodicals, with a bibiography to be
producted as a web page. Finally, a program on Spanish Colonial collections
and architecture was suggested.
Please know how delighted I was to receive your thoughtful and
thought provoking comments and suggestions. If I had any doubts about
the importance of regionalism, they have certainly been put to rest. It
cannot be emphasized enough how important it is to be aware of the
ideas and concerns of one's colleagues. I look forward to hearing any other
thoughts you may have on these or any other subject. Thank you, one and
all.
Regards,
Jean
Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum
New York, NY 10128
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