NEW! ICMA ADVOCACY SEED GRANT - due 30 April 2021

NEW!

CALL FOR PROPOSALS
ICMA ADVOCACY SEED GRANT
due 30 April 2021

The ICMA seeks grant proposals for local initiatives in public scholarly engagement and outreach, student mentoring (from grade school to graduate), and projects that advance the ICMA's commitment to inclusion in the field. These grants could be used to support initiatives including, but not limited to: group visits to special collections/museum exhibitions, curricular development, workshops and student training, community/artist conversations, website design, equipment, and outreach to local classrooms. We especially encourage applications that will support the initiation or continuation of longer-term projects, but all projects will be considered. Proposals should describe the project’s aims and audience (including short and long-term goals), and the ways in which it will engage the intended audience in a meaningful understanding of medieval art, broadly conceived.

Grants are available for up to US$ 1,500. Depending on the number of proposals received, the committee may decide to divide the total available funds (US $1,500) into multiple smaller awards or to give the full grant to a single recipient. Only ICMA members are eligible.The deadline is 30 April 2021.

To submit, upload your CV, 1 page proposal (single-spaced), itemized budget, and list of potential collaborators and target engagement audience here.

For questions, please contact awards@medievalart.org.

CFP: Exalted Spirits: The Veneration of the Dead in Egypt through the Ages - Abstract Submission, due 19 April 2021

The American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), The American University in Cairo (AUC), and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA) are organizing a joint conference on the veneration of the dead, entitled Exalted Spirits: The Veneration of the Dead in Egypt through the Ages. This three-day conference will cover the veneration of deceased figures in Egypt from the Pharaonic period up to current times, using the diverse evidence available in terms of texts, images, and lived traditions. We invite people to submit papers relating to the following topics: the definition of ancestor veneration; the different types of individuals who were the focus of cults of the dead [ranging from kings, deceased family members, prominent individuals with saintly powers in society—such as Imhotep in ancient Egypt, Saint Anthony in Coptic Egypt and the Ahl al-Bayt (family of the Prophet) in Islamic Egypt—or more informally in local society, such as Heqaib or local saints whose cults are currently celebrated in villages and towns throughout Egypt]; and the rituals, ceremonies and festivals that are associated with venerated deceased figures.

Venue: Ewart Hall, American University in Cairo, Egypt (hybrid under consideration)

https://forms.gle/q8cvyq6dgw19FkQj9

MINING THE COLLECTION: IN THE STOREROOM AT DUMBARTON OAKS WITH ELIZABETH DOSPEL WILLIAMS - MONDAY, MARCH 29 AT 1:00 PM ET

MINING THE COLLECTION: IN THE STOREROOM AT DUMBARTON OAKS WITH ELIZABETH DOSPEL WILLIAMS

MONDAY, MARCH 29 AT 1:00 PM ET, RSVP HERE.

Please join us Monday, March 29th, at 1:00 pm ET for an investigation of these and other jewelry and textiles at Dumbarton Oaks presented by Elizabeth Dospel Williams, Associate Curator of the Byzantine Collection. The brief presentation will be followed by an informal discussion in the mode of an object study session; please bring your questions and ideas. 
 
Sign up here.
 
Additional events in this series to follow!
 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

You can watch a selection of previous Mining the Collection events here: https://www.medievalart.org/mining-the-collection

Ps-Ptolemy’s Ὁ Καρπός and Byzantine Astrological Practice, 1 April 2021

The Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture at Hellenic College Holy Cross in Brookline, MA, is pleased to announce its final lecture for 2020–2021: "Ps-Ptolemy’s Ὁ Καρπός and Byzantine Astrological Practice." Dr. Darin Hayton, Haverford College, will explore ps-Ptolemy’s Ὁ Καρπός to elucidate the culture of astrology in the later Byzantine empire.

April 1, 2021 | Zoom | 4:00–5:00 pm (Eastern time)

This lecture will take place live on Zoom, followed by a question and answer period. Please register to receive the Zoom link. An email with the relevant Zoom information will be sent 1–2 hours ahead of the lecture. Registration closes at 11:00 AM on April 1, 2021.

Mary Jaharis Center lectures are co-sponsored by Harvard University Standing Committee on Medieval Studies.

Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjcbac@hchc.edu), Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture, with any questions.

THE ARMENIAN GENERAL BENEVOLENT UNION (AGBU) HELEN C. EVANS SCHOLARSHIP, DUE 30 APRIL 2021

The AGBU Helen C. Evans Scholarship is intended to honor Helen C. Evans, the Mary and Michael Jaharis Curator of Byzantine Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was established to recognize exceptional students from around the world pursuing studies in the areas of Armenian art, art history, architecture, and/or early Christianity. Helen C. Evans Scholars are to demonstrate a strong interest in pursuing world-leading research, teaching, dissemination of future work that will help develop the areas of Armenian art, art history, architecture, and/or early Christianity, and related fields. Applicants must be enrolled in full-time graduate degree programs and this scholarship is available for a maximum of three (3) years toward college/university education expenses. This scholarship is open to students of both Armenian and non-Armenian descent.

The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) is the world’s largest non-profit organization devoted to upholding the Armenian heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian programs. Each year, AGBU is committed to making a difference in the lives of 500,000 people across Armenia, Artsakh and the Armenian diaspora. Since 1906, AGBU has remained true to one overarching goal: to create a foundation for the prosperity of all Armenians.

Applicants must complete and submit the following pre-screening form before being invited to apply.

Pre-Screening Form 2021-2022

For more information, go to: https://www.agbu-scholarship.org/dates

https://agbu.org/news-item/encouraging-a-new-generation-of-scholars-ani-and-mark-gabrellian-launch-the-agbu-helen-c-evans-scholarship/

MINING THE COLLECTION: THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART WITH GERHARD LUTZ AND ELINA GERTSMAN; Thursday, March 4 at 11:00 am Eastern

MINING THE COLLECTION: THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART WITH GERHARD LUTZ AND ELINA GERTSMAN

Thursday, March 4 at 11:00 am Eastern, RSVP here.

We are delighted to invite you to another installment of Mining the Collection. Gerhard Lutz, Robert P. Bergman Curator of Medieval Art at The Cleveland Museum of Art, and Elina Gertsman, Professor of Art History at Case Western Reserve University, will present two fascinating sculptures from the museum’s collection.

Please join us Thursday, March 4th at 11:00 am ET for a brief presentation of these works followed by an informal discussion. Sign up here!

Additional events in this series to follow.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...
You can watch Mining the Collection: The J. Paul Getty Museum with Elizabeth Morrison and Bryan C. Keene here.

ICMA at ICMS, Kalamazoo 2021: Online 10-15 May 2021

Join the ICMA’s events during the International Congress on Medieval Studies 2021. All events are online 10-15 May. Below is a listing of the ICMA sponsored sessions. More information at https://wmich.edu/medievalcongress.

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Session 13
Art Historical Approaches to Medieval Environments
Monday, May 10, 9:00 a.m. EDT (live recorded)

Sponsored by the International Center of Medieval Art Student Committee

Organized by
Dustin Aaron, Institute of Fine Arts, New York Univ.

Presider: Dustin Aaron

A Saint, the Sun, and a Cloud: Sacred Meteorology in Santa Maria Novella Giosuè Fabiano, Courtauld Institute of Art
Out of the Woods: The Ecologies and Natural Materials of the Historiated Doors of Auvergne Katherine Werwie, Yale Univ.
The Trees of the Cross Gregory C. Bryda, Barnard College

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Session 163
The Global North: Medieval Scandinavia on the Borders of Europe
Wednesday, May 12, 9:00 a.m. EDT

Organized by
Laura Tillery, Norwegian Univ. of Science and Technology
Ingrid Lunnan Nødseth, Norwegian Univ. of Science and Technology

Presider: Laura Tillery and Ingrid Lunnan Nødseth

Countering Misrepresentations by Showcasing the Multicultural Vikings Nancy L. Wicker, Univ. of Mississippi
Romanesque Crossroads: Ornamental Diversity in the Golden Altar from Lisbjerg, Denmark Kristin B. Aavitsland, MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society
The Moor and the Arab in the Merchant’s Chapel, Malmoe Lena Liepe, Linnaeus Univ.

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Session 184
Medieval Exhibitions in the Era of Global Art History I
Wednesday, May 12, 11:00 a.m. EDT

Organized by
Gerhard Lutz, Cleveland Museum of Art
Lloyd de Beer, British Museum

Presider: Gerhard Lutz

Is Exhibiting a Cross-Cultural Charlemagne Possible? Ex oriente (Aachen, 2003) William J. Diebold, Reed College
The exhibition “The Constance Council 1414–1418. World Event of the Middle Ages” in 2014: Presenting Medieval Culture as a Challenge in a Secular World Karin Ehlers, Staatliche Schlösser und Gärten Baden-Württemberg
Lessons from the Caravan: Representing “Medieval” Africa Sarah M. Guérin, Univ. of Pennsylvania
The Art of Africa in Medieval Exhibitions: Confronting Issues of Terms, Associations, and US-Based Discourses of Race Andrea Myers Achi, Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Session 233
Considering Race in the Classroom: Complicating the Narratives of Medieval Art History (A Workshop)
Wednesday, May 12, 7:00 p.m. EDT

Sponsored by International Center of Medieval Art and Material Collective

Organized by
Risham Majeed, Ithaca College

Presider: Bryan C. Keene, Riverside City College

A workshop led by Risham Majeed.

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Session 263
Medieval Exhibitions in the Era of Global Art History II
Thursday, May 13, 11:00 a.m. EDT

Organized by
Gerhard Lutz, Cleveland Museum of Art
Lloyd de Beer, British Museum

Presider: Lloyd de Beer

Interreligious Dialogue: The New Permanent Medieval Galleries: Principal Aspects of “Christianity” as One of the Major World Religions at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany Christine Kitzlinger, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg
The World beyond the Pages of Books: New Pathways for Exhibitions toward a Global Middle Ages in Los Angeles Bryan C. Keene, Riverside City College
Curating Monsters: Grappling with Medieval and Modern Otherness in the Gallery Asa Simon Mittman, California State Univ.–Chico; Sherry C. M. Lindquist, Western Illinois Univ.
Make It New: Student Curators Reframing the Medieval and Early Modern Alexa K. Sand, Utah State Univ

23RD INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE CONFERENCE OF THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY BYZANTINE SOCIETY

23rd International Graduate Conference of the Oxford University Byzantine Society

26-28 February 2021, Online Conference (Zoom)

Please follow this link for the full programme, which contains interactive links to the Eventbrite registration

To register, visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/self-representation-in-late-antiquity-and-byzantium-tickets-138975612799?aff=ebdssbeac

For an accessible format of the programme download the following Word document: https://oxfordbyzantinesociety.files.wordpress.com/2021/02/word-version-oubs-conference.docx

Or contact the OUBS committee at: byzantine.society@gmail.com

Self-Representation in Late Antiquity and Byzantium

Self-representation is a process by which historical actors – individuals, communities and institutions – fashioned and presented a complex image of themselves through various media.

Referring to Byzantine portraits, Spatharakis claimed that this “form of representation cannot be divorced from its purpose and the requirements of the society in which the given visual language gains currency”. Equally, self-representation provides an original way to interpret the past, because this artificial and reflected image cannot be divorced from the cultural, social, economic, religious and political context of its time. As a methodological tool, it has received increasing attention in the field of Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, following the interest it has created in neighbouring fields such as Western Medieval or Early Modern studies.

The present call for papers aims to explore the cultural outputs of the Late Antique and Byzantine world – e.g. architecture, material culture, literary works – which conventionally or unconventionally can be understood as acts of self-representation. The Late Antique and Byzantine world was filled with voices and images trying to present and represent an idea of self. Some of the most famous examples of this are the lavish mosaics sponsored by imperial and aristocratic patrons, whose splendour still dazzles their observers and gives an idea of the kind of self-fashioning that they embody. Urban elites, such as churchmen, bureaucrats and intellectuals, constructed idealised personae through their literary works and the careful compilation of letter collections, while those of the provinces displayed their power through images on seals and inscriptions. In monastic typika, the founders presented themselves as pious benefactors, while donor epigraphy in rural churches secured the local influence of wealthier peasants. However, self-representation is not only a matter of introspection but also of dialogue with the “other”: such is the case of spolia, used to reincorporate a supposed classical past in one’s self-portrayal, or to create an image of continuity by conquerors. It is the conscious use of Byzantine motifs in Islamicate architecture, the fiction of Digenes Akritas, or the religious polemics of late Byzantium, pitting Muslim, Jews and Christians against one other. Through depicting what they were not, historical actors were (consciously or unconsciously) shaping their own identity.

This conference seeks to join the ongoing dialogue on self-representation in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies by providing a forum for postgraduate and early-career scholars to reflect on this theme in a variety of cultural media. In doing so, we hope to facilitate the interaction and engagement of historians, philologists, archaeologists, art historians, theologians and specialists in material culture.

14th Annual Imago Conference: “In Sickness and in Health: Pestilence, Disease, and Healing in Medieval and Early Modern Art," 12-13 Jan 2021

We are thrilled to publish the program of the 14th Annual Imago conference: 

“In Sickness and in Health: Pestilence, Disease, and Healing in Medieval and Early Modern Art”. 

 Program, click here

The two-day international conference will be held online, January 12-13, 2021. 

We invite you to join us for a rich event that will explore a diverse variety of fascinating subjects, such as “Healing, Humor and Pleasure”, “The Sick and Disabled Body”, and “Gendering Disease”. 

Participation is free and there are no registration fees.  To attend, please fill out the online registration form: 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5-EIeBObP-Euybk2GRk-Mghs_NWKt4vjorPzZ2p6JObzdiQ/viewform 

Imago – The Israeli Association of Visual Culture in the Middle Ages, and the Department of Art History, University of Haifa 

Why Make an Image Database? Digital Tools and New Perspectives in Art History", 11 Dec 2020

Why Make an Image Database? Digital Tools and New Perspectives in Art History"

11 DECEMBER 2020
10am US Central / 11am US Eastern / 5pm Italy

CAROLINE BRUZELIUS (Duke University) and PAOLA VITOLO (University "Federico II" in Naples)


Wars, natural disasters, urban expansion, and changes in taste have transformed the medieval monuments of South Italy, their interior decoration, and their relationship to the landscape.  The Medieval Kingdom of Sicily Image Database was created to enhance our knowledge and understanding of the appearance and meaning of buildings and their decoration over time, prior to transformation or destruction. The database collects and makes accessible historic images in order to enable scholars and the public to engage with the multiple lives of a building or a city, and to generate deeper knowledge about the historic patrimony of South Italy.  The images in the database are culled from libraries, archives, museums, and publications and are made available on the Web and as an App with large and small-scale maps.  

Caroline Bruzelius (Ph.D., Yale University) is Professor Emerita of medieval architecture, urbanism and sculpture in France and Italy. She is a Fellow of the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Medieval Academy of America, and the Society of Antiquaries, London. From 1994 to 1998 she was Director of the American Academy in Rome. She has received numerous grants and awards, including the Bibliotheca Hertziana, Rome, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Humanities Center, and the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts. In 2014 she published Preaching, Building and Burying: Friars in the Medieval City (Yale University Press). Her book, The Stones of Naples: Church Building in the Angevin Kingdom, was published in 2004 (Italian ed., 2005).  She has founded several important Digital Humanities initiatives: The Medieval Kingdom of Sicily Image Database, The Wired! Group at Duke University, and Visualizing Venice.

Paola Vitolo is Historian of Medieval Art at the University of "Federico II" in Naples (Italy). She received her Ph.D. in 2007 with a dissertation on the Incoronata in Naples and the patronage of Queen Joanna I of Anjou. She has been awarded fellowships and travel grants from various international institutions, including the Bibliotheca Hertziana in Rome, The Warburg Institute in London, the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) at the Universität der Künste, Berlin. Her research, focused on medieval art and patronage in the Angevin and Aragonese Kingdom of Sicily, on the reuse and reinterpretation of medieval works of art, has been published in specialized journals, books and has been presented at conferences and seminars in Italy and abroad. She collaborates with The Medieval Kingdom of Sicily Image Database project since its beginning in 2011.

The lecture will be held on Zoom. After downloading Zoom from www.zoom.us, join us through the direct link (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88623624874?pwd=MzNyTk1jZkpKSEphRitaWU1yQ2dQQT09) or by entering the Meeting ID: 886 2362 4874 and the Passcode: bosco

This presentation will last around 30 minutes, and will be followed by questions and discussion.

Submissions invited for Charles Julian Bishko Prize, due 31 Dec 2020

The Association for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies solicits submissions for the annual Charles Julian Bishko Memorial Prize for the best article or book chapter published in 2020 in the field of medieval Iberian history by a North American scholar. This year’s prize, which carries an honorarium of $250, will be announced at the 2021 annual meeting of ASPHS, which will be held virtually April 23-25, 2021.

Initiated in 2003, the Bishko Prize honors Professor Charles Julian Bishko, the distinguished historian of medieval Iberia who taught for 39 years at the University of Virginia.

Articles or book chapters may be written in Castilian, English, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese or French. Authors must be current members of the ASPHS.

Authors should submit one copy of the article or book chapter and a short (two-page) CV in PDF form to committee chair Andrew Devereux, using the following email address: BishkoPrize@asphs.net The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2020.

The 2020 winner was Pamela Patton, for her article “Demons and Diversity in León,” Medieval Encounters 25, no. 1-2 (2019): 150-179.

https://asphs.net/prizes-subventions/#bishko-memorial-prize

Call for Applications: Mary Jaharis Center Grants 2021–2022 due 1 February 2021

Call for Applications: Mary Jaharis Center Grants 2021–2022
due 1 February 2021

The Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture is pleased to announce its 2021–2022 grant competition. Our grants reflect the Mary Jaharis Center’s commitment to fostering the field of Byzantine studies through the support of graduate students and early career researchers and faculty.

Mary Jaharis Center Dissertation Grants are awarded to advanced graduate students working on Ph.D. dissertations in the field of Byzantine studies broadly conceived. These grants are meant to help defray the costs of research-related expenses, e.g., travel, photography/digital images, microfilm.

Mary Jaharis Center Publication Grants support book-length publications or major articles in the field of Byzantine studies broadly conceived. Grants are aimed at early career academics. Preference will be given to postdocs and assistant professors, though applications from non-tenure track faculty and associate and full professors will be considered. We encourage the submission of first-book projects.

Mary Jaharis Center Project Grants support discrete and highly focused professional projects aimed at the conservation, preservation, and documentation of Byzantine archaeological sites and monuments dated from 300 CE to 1500 CE primarily in Greece and Turkey. Projects may be small stand-alone projects or discrete components of larger projects. Eligible projects might include archeological investigation, excavation, or survey; documentation, recovery, and analysis of at risk materials (e.g., architecture, mosaics, paintings in situ); and preservation (i.e., preventive measures, e.g., shelters, fences, walkways, water management) or conservation (i.e., physical hands-on treatments) of sites, buildings, or objects.

The application deadline for all grants is February 1, 2021. For further information, please see https://maryjahariscenter.org/grants.

Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjcbac@hchc.edu), Director, Mary Jaharis Center, with any questions.

Prescriptions and Proscriptions for Grieving in Trecento Representations of the Lamentation, 16 Dec 2020

Wednesday 16 December, 11:50am-1:30pm (4:50-6:30pm London UK time)

"Prescriptions and Proscriptions for Grieving in Trecento Representations of the Lamentation"
Murray Seminar talk by Judith Steinhoff

Two fourteenth-century Italian representations of the Lamentation over Christ, a large panel by Giottino and a component of a large altarpiece made by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, serve as case studies to argue for a more widespread gendering of grief in Trecento Tuscany. Examining the paintings in relation to several other cultural instruments, including the devotional text, Meditations on the Life of Christ, and the Sienese statutes governing funerals, the paper will argue that, although created primarily for purposes of prayer and spiritual edification, images of grieving over Christ also participated in an intertextual process that encoded and promoted acceptable grieving behaviors in the face of personal loss.

Free registration- link below

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/judith-steinhoff-grieving-in-trecento-representations-of-the-lamentation-tickets-126053281759

CFP: Power, Patronage and Production: Book Arts from Central Europe (ca. 800–1500) in American Collections, due 1 Feb 2021

Power, Patronage and Production: Book Arts from Central Europe (ca. 800–1500) in American Collections
Call for Papers, due 1 February 2021

In January 2022, the Index of Medieval Art (Princeton University), the Pierpont Morgan Library & Museum (New York), and the Department of Art and Archaeology at Princeton University will host a conference to accompany the exhibition, “Imperial Splendor: The Art of the Book in the Holy Roman Empire, 800–1500" (the Morgan Library, October 15, 2021–January 23, 2022). The conference will include two days of papers as well as a study day at the Morgan Library. In addition to a viewing of the exhibition, the study day will include an opportunity to view other, unexhibited materials in the Morgan’s collections.

Despite its scope, the exhibition cannot comprehend all the relevant material in American collections. Nor can the accompanying book treat all the exhibited items in depth. With this in mind, we solicit proposals for papers. Talks will be 30 minutes; pending the usual peer-review process, the contributions will be published.

Paper proposals, no more than one page in length, should fall into one of the following categories or address one of the following topics:

– in-depth monographic discussion of a single manuscript in an American collection, whether or not it is included in the exhibition. Please contact Joshua O'Driscoll (jodriscoll@themorgan.org) for a list of objects that will be discussed in the book accompanying the exhibition (many but not all of which will be exhibited) and a list of all relevant materials in the Morgan Library’s collections. More information on many of these manuscripts, also those in other American collections, can be found at Digital Scriptorium: https://digital-scriptorium.org/.

– thematic treatment of one of a number of broader issues relevant to the exhibition’s concerns; these include but are by no means limited to the following:

Art & the politics of empire
Art & reform/Reformation
Borders of empire
Cosmopolitan contacts and exchanges
Geographic foci (e.g., Helmarshausen, Prague, Salzburg, Weingarten)
Humanism in Central Europe
Imperial patronage
Monastic networks
Manuscript illumination and the other arts
Paper, parchment & pen-drawing/production techniques
Patrician patronage in imperial cities
Panel painting
Psalters
Reception/collecting of German medieval art in the United States
Urbanism & the art of the book
Visualization & the vernacular

Proposals should be submitted to Prof. Jeffrey F. Hamburger, Harvard University (jhamburg@fas.harvard.edu) by February 1, 2021. A response indicating whether or not any given proposal has been accepted will be forthcoming by April 1, 2021. Finalized abstracts, which will be circulated to all participants, would then be due by August 1, 2021. The organizers will do their best to accommodate all relevant proposals within the confines of the program, the scope and format of which will be determined by the funding available and the current public health situation. In the event that an in-person meeting is feasible, speakers' costs for travel and accommodation in Princeton and New York will be covered. Colleagues submitting proposals are asked to indicate their interest in presenting a paper by video call, should travel not be possible.

Gender & Sexuality in the Afterlives of Byzantium: An Online Roundtable with Roland Betancourt, Allison Leigh, and Roman Utkin

In his recent book, Byzantine Intersectionality (Princeton UP), Roland Betancourt looks at the history of sexual consent, reproductive rights, trans lives, same-gender desire, and race in the medieval world. Focusing on the Byzantine Empire, his research stands at the crossroads not only of many modern Christian traditions, including Greek and Russian Orthodoxy, but also of the cultural and artistic heritage of European and Slavic worlds.

In this online roundtable, Betancourt is joined by Allison Leigh and Roman Utkin to discuss the long, rich, and complex histories of gender and sexuality in the afterlives of Byzantium, focusing on the key role that the Empire has played in the Slavic worlds.

https://borderlinesopenschool.org/events1/byzantineafterlives

ONLINE CONFERENCE: ‘THE AFTERLIFE OF MEDIEVAL SCULPTURE’, 7TH ANNUAL ARDS CONFERENCE, 3, 4 & 10 DECEMBER 2020, 13:00 – 18:00 (CET)

ONLINE CONFERENCE: ‘THE AFTERLIFE OF MEDIEVAL SCULPTURE’, 7TH ANNUAL ARDS CONFERENCE, 3, 4 & 10 DECEMBER 2020, 13:00 – 18:00 (CET)

The 7th ARDS annual colloquium, which celebrates new research in the field of renaissance and medieval sculpture will focus on the theme of the Afterlife of medieval sculpture. At the Ards conference in 2017 in Paris we already touched upon the theme of the Collecting of Medieval sculpture and at Ards 2018 in Utrecht, Michael Rief provided us with a very interesting keynote on the repurposing of (amongst others) some Mechelen Christ child statues. This year we want to explore the theme of the ‘nachleben’ (afterlife) of medieval sculpture in more depth. The idea of ‘nachleben’ is to be understood in a broader sense than the pure Warburgian interpretation. Not only the ‘nachleben’ of the image, but also that of the object is of interest for the study of sculpture.

How were medieval and late-gothic sculptures used, understood, copied, altered, re-used, recycled, repurposed and treated (or mistreated) in the centuries after the moment of their production? From the medieval period until the present, Gothic art has undergone shifts in taste and appreciation. Nowadays prices for medieval art are soaring at auctions but in the 17th and 18th centuries many churches and cloisters were refurbished in the style of the period and medieval art and furniture had to make room. And e.g. in the 1790’s many churches were stripped of their medieval furniture (if extant) and they were sometimes sold by the pound if not thrown away or burnt. Even in the fifteenth century, some sculptures made in the earlier Middle Ages were restored, remade, cleaned and polished, whereas others were neglected.

The conference committee consists of Dr. Jessica Barker (The Courtauld Institute of Art), Dr. Peter Carpreau (M Leuven/Ards), Dra. Marjan Debaene (M Leuven/Ards), Drs. Lloyd De Beer (The British Museum) and Dra. Michaela Zöschg (Victoria and Albert Museum).

We had a record number of proposals and were able to select a fascinating and diverse program in 4 large thematic sessions, with 25 speakers, over 3 conference days via Teams, due to COVID-19 restrictions.

See the programme here.

Register for the conference here.

2021-2022 ARCE Research Fellowship Applications Available Now

For more than six decades the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) has supported American scholars to undertake research in Egypt through its Fellowship Program. Doctoral candidates (ABD), postdoctoral scholars, independent scholars and faculty in humanities and social science disciplines are invited to apply.

ARCE provides fellows with funding, administrative support and practical, sound advice to ease access to museums, monuments, archaeological sites, research libraries, archives and collections. The Cairo Center provides a welcoming environment where fellows are encouraged to engage in the academic life of the center.

Funding is available for: CAORC and NEH funded Fellowships; the Pre-dissertation Travel Grant; the Short-Term Research Grant for Postdoctoral, Adjunct Faculty and Independent Scholars; the Theodore N. Romanoff Prize; the William P. McHugh Memorial Fund.

Additional information is available on the ARCE website.

http://www.arce.org/fellowships

Mapping Eastern Europe, a new open-access digital project from North of Byzantium

North of Byzantium has launched a new open-access digital project - Mapping Eastern Europe - intended to promote study, research, and teaching about the history, art, and culture of Eastern Europe between the 13th and 17th centuries among students, teachers, scholars, and the wider public.

 https://mappingeasterneurope.princeton.edu/

Mapping Eastern Europe gathers a multitude of specialists - early career and senior scholars who have either already published or are currently researching new topics - to supply original online content in English in the form of historical overview, art historical case studies, short notices about ongoing projects, and reviews of recent books and exhibitions. 

This platform aims to stimulate new research and outreach focused on the networked regions of the Balkan Peninsula, the Carpathian Mountains, and further north into early modern Russia, which developed at the crossroads of the Latin, Greek, Slavic, and Islamic traditions during the late Middle Ages and early modern periods. 

Mapping Eastern Europe is made possible through generous support from the “Rapid Response Magic Project of the Princeton University Humanities Council”.

If you have suggestions for future contributions you or other colleagues might be interested in submitting, please be in touch with us: https://mappingeasterneurope.princeton.edu/help.html

Mining the Collection: The Morgan Library and Museum with Joshua O'Driscoll; Thursday, November 19th at 11:00 am ET, RSVP today!

MINING THE COLLECTION: THE MORGAN LIBRARY AND MUSEUM WITH JOSHUA O'DRISCOLL

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH AT 11:00 AM ET, RSVP HERE

Breviary. Italy, Bologna, ca. 1315-1325. MS M.0373 fol. 116r. The Morgan Library and Museum.

We are delighted to invite you to our third installment of Mining the Collection. Joshua O'Driscoll, Assistant Curator of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts at The Morgan Library and Museum, will present a fourteenth-century Italian Breviary with intriguing illuminations.

Please join us Thursday, November 19th at 11:00 am ET for a brief presentation of this fascinating manuscript followed by an informal discussion. Please sign up here. 

Additional events in this series to follow.

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In case you missed it...
You can watch our most recent Mining the Collection: The J. Paul Getty Museum event with Elizabeth Morrison and Bryan C. Keene here.

ICMA Town Hall on Diversity, Medieval Art History, and 2020 - Friday, November 20, 2.00-3:30pm ET - RSVP today!

ICMA TOWN HALL ON DIVERSITY, MEDIEVAL ART HISTORY, AND 2020
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2.00PM-3.30PM ET (ON ZOOM)

The ICMA, in response to the events of the past few months, but also cognizant of the longstanding need for the field of medieval art history to undertake a sustained campaign of reflection and self-critique, is convening a Town Hall, open to all interested members, on Friday, November 20 from 2.00pm-3.30pm ET.  The Town Hall will provide an opportunity for us, both as an organization and as individuals, to discuss issues of diversity, the state of our discipline, and the needed actions and changes we envision.  The Town Hall, which is organized by the newly formed IDEA (Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) Committee of the ICMA, will serve as a listening session and forum for sharing and collecting experiences, testimonials, calls to action, and proposed strategies for ICMA members.  The Town Hall is intended to serve as a starting point for self-study, brainstorming, and planning as the ICMA moves to address the biases and inequities, historically entrenched and yet recently magnified, of the structures and practices of our work.

The Town Hall, which will be moderated, will consist of structured discussions among attendees. Everyone is most welcome, most enthusiastically: feel free to come to listen and observe, or to ask questions, or to share an experience or an idea.  Please register for the Town Hall here.

In addition, we want to incorporate your own ideas into the planning of the Town Hall.  To that end, if you feel so inclined, we encourage you to submit a question, a topic of conversation, a personal anecdote, or anything else you would like us to consider in advance of the Town Hall.  Please use the Google Form linked here. The Co-Chairs of the IDEA Committee will review the submissions, which will be otherwise kept anonymous, and incorporate some of the submissions into the structure of the Town Hall.  If you would like to make a submission via the Google Form we ask that you do so before the end of the day on Monday, November 16th, 2020.  Please note that the Google Form is optional, and it is separate from registration - you are not obligated to complete it to attend.

If you have questions about the Town Hall, please feel free to reach out to the Co-Chairs of the IDEA Committee, Andrea Achi (andrea.achi@metmuseum.org) and Joe Ackley (jackley@wesleyan.edu).  It is our goal that this Town Hall be a safe space for the full breadth of the ICMA membership, from established scholars to beginning graduate students, to come together to talk, listen, and learn - and, it will be the start of a longer conversation.  We do hope to see you on November 20.

All best,
Andrea Achi and Joe Ackley, Co-Chairs, IDEA Committee