Getty Trust and Rijksmuseum sign agreement to pursue digital innovation

Getty Trust and Rijksmuseum Sign Agreement to Pursue Digital
Innovation in Art Historical Research and Conservation

The J. Paul Getty Trust and Netherlands Institute for Conservation,
Arts and Science (NICAS) under auspices of the Rijksmuseum announced
they have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding that outlines a
future of digital innovation in the visual arts and pledges the
shared strengths and commitments of both organizations to help
develop the tools, techniques and training to achieve it.  Dutch
Minister of Culture, Education and Science Dr. Jet Bussemaker was on
hand for a brief ceremony at the Getty Center that also included Dr.
Robert van Langh, Head of Conservation and Research of the
Rijksmuseum, and Prof. dr. Robert G. Erdmann, Senior Scientist at
the Rijksmuseum and Professor of Conservation Science at the
University of Amsterdam.

"We are delighted to join the Getty in pursuing this vision for the
technological future of art history and conservation," said Dr.
Bussemaker.  "We share a commitment and a history of leadership in
advancing technology.  It'll be exciting to watch how these efforts
develop."

The Netherlands Institute for Conservation, Art and Science (NICAS)
is an interdisciplinary research center for art history,
conservation and restoration.  It is a collaboration between NWO
CEW, the national science funding organization of the Netherlands;
the Rijksmuseum; RCE, the national cultural heritage agency of the
Netherlands; University of Amsterdam and Delft University of
Technology.

The partners will focus their efforts on:

    Joint research and development of computing tools and techniques

    Development of innovative analytical imaging techniques and new
    data models

    Aggregation and fusion of this new data with existing metadata
    and repositories to give deeper understanding of physical and
    contextual details of works of art

    Wide dissemination of this data and results along with new
    visualization and analytical tools for highly specialized
    research and for broad access to cultural heritage resources

    Training and education for art historians and conservators as
    well as education modules for university coursework and
    continuing education programs

"We are pursuing an ambitious vision," said J. Paul Getty Trust
President and CEO James Cuno.  "But it's an appropriately
aspirational one.  Together we can lead the way in developing new
technologies for gathering, processing and visualizing the vast
amounts of data that is transforming our fields, and make sure that
scholars, conservation scientists, and other professionals have the
tools and training they need to break new ground in research and
conservation."

Both organizations have been in the forefront of digital innovation,
and have previously worked together to move the field forward.

The collaboration between NICAS and the Getty will build on the
innovative tools utilized in the Bosch Research and Conservation
Project website, the latest example of digital innovation supported
by the Getty Foundation.  By combining the latest technologies from
imaging, machine learning, and interactive visualization with the
expertise of scientists, conservators, and art historians, the
collaboration will develop a wide array of powerful tools to help
the world to access, understand, and preserve its cultural heritage.


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 29:42
                 Distributed: Saturday, March 19, 2016
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