Art on Paper Discussion Group

Please join us at the AIC annual meeting in Indianapolis for the
inaugural session of BPG's new Art on Paper Discussion Group (APDG):
Making Terminology Meaningful: Guiding the Description of Media for
Works of Art on Paper, which will take place on Friday, May 31, 2013
from 10:30 am to noon.

We have planned an engaging session that will examine the challenges
faced by conservators and allied museum professionals when
describing works of art on paper looking at both the meaning and
accuracy of the terms we use to describe artist's materials and
techniques and at what the media descriptions we generate
communicate to the viewer. We are eager for your participation and
feedback.

Anyone who studies exhibition wall labels has observed how varied
the descriptions can be, differing dramatically even within a single
institution both in presentation and accuracy. Beyond this, now that
such information is broadly accessed through collections databases
and websites, the use of meaningful and consistent descriptions has
become increasingly important and highlights the need for a more
coordinated, cross-institutional approach. This subject is the focus
of an ongoing project initiated by the Philadelphia Museum of Art in
fall 2011. The goal is to create guidelines for describing the
materials and techniques in works on paper and a system for entering
that information into collections information systems. Comprehensive
glossaries, timelines and materials hierarchies (also being created)
will support the guidelines and help us achieve greater consistency
in the descriptions we develop.

How will the APDG discussion session be structured? Interactive
break-out sessions will follow brief presentations about the
project.  The break-out sessions will consist of guided exercises in
which participants can implement and test out draft guidelines using
works of art selected to highlight some of the more complex issues.
Lastly, a moderated discussion will invite questions, contributions
and critical feedback that will help in the continued development of
the guidelines and assessment of their effectiveness

To prepare for the session, please visit the Art on Paper Discussion
Group webpage

    <URL:http://cool.conservation-us.org/coolaic/sg/bpg/exec/committees/art_paper/art_paper.html>

To download an overview from the Guidelines for Descriptive
Terminology for Works of Art on Paper, currently in draft form, see

    <URL:http://cool.conservation-us.org/coolaic/sg/bpg/exec/committees/art_paper/Media%20Terminology%20Guidelines%20Overview__APDG.pdf>

See you in Indianapolis,

    Nancy Ash
    Senior Conservator of Works of Art on Paper
    Philadelphia Museum of Art

    Scott Homolka
    Associate Conservator of Works of Art on Paper
    Philadelphia Museum of Art

    Stephanie Lussier
    Consultant and Project Conservator
    Philadelphia Museum of Art

    Eliza Spaulding
    Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Paper Conservation
    Philadelphia Museum of Art


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 26:47
                  Distributed: Tuesday, April 30, 2013
                       Message Id: cdl-26-47-005
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