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Call for Panelists:

The ARLIS/NA Affiliate Session at the College Art Association Conference in New York City seeks four panelists to participate on the following panel to be held at CAA 2015 (February 11-14, 2015, in New York City):

Documenting artists: creating, collecting, and preserving ephemeral materials.

Librarians, archivists and scholars have long recognized that unique valuable artist information often only exists in ephemeral objects: early career postcards, flyers, press releases. Institutions have a legacy of collecting this information. The names of these collections are varied, often called artist archives or artist files, but the goal the same: to document artists’ legacy through collections of ephemera, publications, and press. As the use of these materials in scholarship rises and influence on curatorial practice is evident with the increased inclusion of archival material in exhibitions, how are institutions innovating to maximize access?

This panel showcases the different ways four libraries, institutions, organizations, or foundations collect, document, and provide access to ephemeral materials on artists. Each panelist will address the connections among scholars, curators, artists, librarians and others, including discussions about innovative ideas or solutions for use, access, acquisition, and management of these collections.  The significance of these unique materials in support of teaching and learning, scholarship, and studio practice may also be examined in the presentations.  

Participants on this panel will discuss and address the following questions, among others.  Where do collections exist (museums, libraries, archives, foundations, and/or private organizations)? How and why are institutions collecting? What are the challenges to finding and using artist files and/or artist archives? How and what is the use these collections?  What challenges and opportunities exist for scholars?  What strategies do institutions use to collaborate and share information to engage with scholars and curators? Are born-digital materials being addressed and how are they captured and made available? What innovations are being used to promote access? How has online access and digitization influenced discoverability? What are possible future innovations? Are current models adequate and sustainable?

This session will include presentations from each speaker, a guided Q&A, followed by a discussion with the audience about the current state of ephemeral collections.

Session co-chairs: Tony White, Maryland Institute College of Art ([log in to unmask])

, Francine Snyder, Guggenheim Museum

Panelists are encouraged to present varying and innovative perspectives about the access to, development and use of, and any special considerations related to artist files or ephemeral collections in art libraries, organizations, or artist foundations of all types.  Of special interest are papers that balance institutional (library or archives), art history, artist foundation, and studio art voices, as well as persons early in their careers to those that are more established, whether independent scholars, artists, teaching faculty, curators, or librarians.  Each panelist will speak for about 15-18 minutes and will then participate in a guided Q&A, followed by a moderated dialog with the audience about issues and topics raised, or new questions not addressed in the presentations. 
  

Interested speakers should send the following information via e-mail to Tony White ([log in to unmask]) the session co-chair (deadline August 15th, 1pm, Eastern Standard Time, 2014):

1.     Proposed title for your paper/presentation


2.    A brief abstract (ca. 100-150 words) of your proposed paper


3.    Your full name and institutional affiliation and title, or similar

4.    Your C.V.



All submissions will be acknowledged, and a final decision will be made by August 22, 2014.

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Tony White
Director of the Decker Library
Maryland Institute College of Art
location: 1401 W. Mount Royal Avenue
mail: 1300 West Mount Royal Avenue
Baltimore, MD  21217

tel: 410-225-2311
[log in to unmask]
www.mica.edu/library