VRA 2020 Baltimore: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Events
Greetings All,The Equitable Action Committee invites you to attend the many events during VRA 2020 that are related to the VRA’s equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts.
- Incorporating Diversity in our Workplace: All are Welcome, but How Do We Get There? - Tuesday, March 24 • 10:30am - 11:45am
- How to GLAM in "Charm City:" Community Building between Baltimore and Its Cultural Institutions - Wednesday, March 25 • 10:15am - 11:45am
- VRA Convocation with Visual Resources Association Foundation Legacy Lecture speaker Ashley Minner presenting “Repatriating the Archives: An Urban Reservation Reunion” - Wednesday, March 25 • 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
- American Visionary Art Museum Tour ($) - Wednesday, March 25 • 12:00pm - 1:00pm
- Introduction to Critical Cataloging for Visual Resources Professionals Workshop ($) - Thursday, March 26 • 8:15am - 12:15pm
- Stories from the Start - Thursday, March 26 • 10:45am - 11:45am
- Equitable Action Committee Meeting - Thursday, March 26 • 12:30pm - 1:15pm
- Accessibility and Universal Design - Thursday, March 26 • 1:30pm - 2:30pm
- Anticipating Future Needs of Visual Literacy - Thursday, March 26 • 3:45pm - 4:45pm
- Oral Histories for the Uninitiated: Transcribing, Copyright, Metadata and Everything in Between - Friday, March 27 • 9:30am - 10:30am
- Community - Friday, March 27 • 11:00am - 12:00pm
- Navigating International Intellectual Property Rights for Teaching and Publishing in the Humanities - Friday, March 27 • 11:00am - 12:00pm
- Highlights of Hopkins Tour ($) - Friday, March 27 • 2:00pm - 4:30pm
Additionally, this newly formed committee will be at the Community Partnership Event collecting your concerns related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. If you are unable to attend VRA2020 and have suggestions, you may fill out the form here (http://bit.ly/EAC2020).Contributed by:Equitable Action Committee Co-chairs:
VRA 2020 Baltimore: Hotel Rates Ending, Add Workshops and Tours
550 Light Street, Baltimore, MD 21202(410) 234-0550 / 1-800-766-3782Block Name: Visual Resources Association 2020 Annual ConferenceGroup Code: 0329VSRSAS$149 per night, single/double occupancy, plus taxes and fees
Please contact the VP for Conference Arrangements with any questions about reservations.
VRA 2020 Baltimore: Save $100 off Conference Registration
550 Light Street, Baltimore, MD 21202(410) 234-0550 / 1-800-766-3782Block Name: Visual Resources Association 2020 Annual ConferenceGroup Code: 0329VSRSAS$149 per night, single/double occupancy, plus taxes and fees
VRA 2020 Baltimore: Museums and Attractions
The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum is the nation’s first and most comprehensive wax museum of African American history and culture.Located on the site of the University of Maryland’s first “Dental Infirmary and Laboratory Building,” which was then part of the Dental Department in the School of Medicine in 1882, the Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry boasts an extensive 40,000 object collection of dental instruments and equipment, pop culture and personal oral care items, artwork, and everything in between.The B&O Railroad Museum holds the most comprehensive collection of railroad artifacts in the Western hemisphere, and the Baltimore Museum of Industry celebrates Maryland’s industrial legacy and shows how innovation fuels ongoing progress.Opening day for Major League Baseball starts while the conference is in Baltimore. What could be more appropriate than a trip to the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum or Oriole Park at Camden Yards?If you have access to a car head out to Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine and the towns of Ellicott City, Annapolis, or Washington D.C.For more information as well as additional venues to visit, see our Baltimore museums and attractions list.*Denotes discount with your conference badge! Also available at the Jewish Museum of Maryland and the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House.
VRA 2020 Baltimore: Take a Tour and Marvel at Baltimore's Treasures!
Take advantage of your time in Baltimore with tours of some of the exciting cultural sites in the area. The local planning committee has thoughtfully curated a slate of activities to introduce you to what the city has to offer, from books to bejeweled walls!
The Walters Art Museum: Chamber of Wonders. Thursday, March 26 • 4:00pm - 5:00pmThis entertaining tour of a delightful “collection of collections” that educates and amazes visitors of all ages will be led by Curator Joaneath Spicer. Three galleries in the museum are installed to suggest the collection of a 17th century nobleman, including an entry hall of arms and armor, a study for intricate small objects, and a larger chamber of arts and wonders.
Stick around after the tour to experience extended hours at WAM and visit the renovated 1 West Mount Vernon Place galleries and exhibitions, and other special exhibitions: Excursions through the Collection (through October 11, 2020) and From Mucha to Morris: Books of the Art Nouveau (through April 19, 2020). After you get your museum cup filled, stroll around Mount Vernon to enjoy one of the many great restaurants in the area. Be sure to save room for a night-cap at The Brewers’ Art. Stayed tuned for more info about dine arounds on Thursday evening!
VRA LA 2019: See you in Los Angeles!
The Executive Board and the Local Planning Committee do so look forward to welcoming you to Los Angeles next week! The weather forecast looks fantastic with sun and temperatures around 70 degrees. Please keep reading for some important last minute info, tips, and reminders.
Getting to the Hotel:
For options and details on getting to the hotel from the airport, Union Station, the Little Tokyo Gold Line Station, etc. please visit the recently updated conference site travel page.
Dinearounds:
Looking for an opportunity to meet new colleagues in a relaxed social setting and enjoy local cuisine? Four dinearounds have been planned for conference attendees on Thursday evening, with two group reservations at 7:00 pm and two at 7:30 pm. For a listing of restaurants, see Sched. Sign up at the Registration Table in the Golden State Ballroom Foyer before spaces fill up. Attendees will meet up in the lobby to walk together to restaurants and are responsible for the cost of their own food and drinks.
Tours:
Want to learn about the historical and cultural landmarks of downtown LA from the 18th century to the present? Sign-up for the Los Angeles Conservancy Walking Tour of Historic Downtown on Tuesday at 10:00 am. Be sure to check at the Registration Table in the Golden State Ballroom Foyer for any last minute availability in the engaging tours organized by the Local Committee.
Donate & Win:
For every $5 you donate to the VRA by April 15, your name will be entered to win a year-long membership OR a 2020 conference registration (i.e. if you donate $15, your name will be entered three times). Two names will be drawn, and each winner will select which prize they prefer. The prize is fully transferable, so you can pass along your prize to a friend if you wish!
For every $800 raised, the Executive Board has pledged to offer an additional travel award for the 2020 conference! We have set an overall goal of $2400, with the hopes of adding three additional awards for travel to Baltimore. Please donate to support this initiative and win yourself a membership or 2020 conference registration!
Grocery Stores,Pharmacies, and Print & Copy Centers:
These locations have been added to the conference map.
Fedex Print & Ship Center, 181 S Central Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Office Depot (Print & Copy Center), 401 E W 2nd St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Little Tokyo Pharmacy, 402 E 2nd St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
CVS Pharmacy, 201 N Los Angeles St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Marukai Market, 123 S Onizuka St. #105, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Whole Foods, 788 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Ralphs, 645 W 9th St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
See you soon!
Contributors:
Krystal Boehlert
Local Planning Coordinator, VRA LA 2019
Lael Ensor-Bennett
Vice President for Conference Arrangements, VRA Executive Board
Amy McKenna
Public Relations and Communications Officer, VRA Executive Board
VRA LA 2019: Walking Tours of LA & Beyond
Hope you signed up for some of the wonderful tours that the local planners put together for the LA conference. It’s not too late to add tours to your conference registration. Please contact the VRA membership services coordinator (join@vraweb.org) for assistance. These specially organized tours are filling up fast and are first-come, first-served, but there may still be room if you want to decide upon arrival, so check at the registration desk.
In your conference registration tote bag, you’ll find many goodies and a lot of information about local attractions, which are also listed on the VRA conference map. After you’ve worked on the historic map of LA jigsaw puzzle during session breaks, you’ll surely be inspired to venture out! If you are itching to explore on your own, you might check out some of these self-guided walking tours. We have also included a few that are docent led. Most are free, but check the websites for more information. And, if you are looking for a nature break, there are many hiking trails just outside the city, too.
- A good way to get familiar with the area around our conference hotel is to take this public-art-focused self-guided Little Tokyo tour.
- Some travel bloggers have designed thoughtful and comprehensive self-guided walking tours of Downtown LA, such as this one from A Globe Well Travelled, and this photographer’s DIY walking tour of DTLAfrom Explore Your Worlds.
- Walt Disney Concert Hall (the iconic Frank Gehry building) has a well-organized and accessible self-guided tour, complete with audio.
- The LA Central Library offers this self-guided tour (which you may want to print out in advance), as well as free daily docent-guided toursof this renovated 1926 Bertram Goodhue landmark.
- Metro Art Moves has free docent-led art tours of Union Station, Hollywood, Downtown, and the Gold Line (tours include TAP cards for the transportation portions).
- Angels Walk LA lists several self-guided historic walking trails in DTLA and beyond. They have comprehensive guides to download, and stanchions throughout the city as landmarks.
- The LA Conservancy, in addition to offering terrific organized guide-led tours, has a great list of self-guided tours you can print out in advance (including the Charlie Chaplin City Lights tour!)
- GPS My City is a useful app that lets you download walking tours by neighborhood. Some of the dozens of interest-specific tours include:
- Art Galleries in LA
- Museums in LA
- LA Architecture
- Movie Studios in LA
- Beverly Hills Leisure Walk
- They also offer many more offbeat tours such as Venice Beach Gawk and Walk and Hollywood: Raymond Chandler, as well as self-guided driving tours, such as The Best Thing I Ever Ate, LA!
- You can even create your own DIY Sightseeing Map!
- Free Tours by Foot offers self-guided tours of DTLA and Hollywood. (And, if you just have to do it, a self-guided driving tour of celebrity homes!) They also have pay-what-you-can guided tours.
- Real Los Angeles Tours offers several organized fee-based tours (such as DTLA Murder Mystery Ghost Tour) in addition to free self-guided walking tours of DTLA, Hollywood, and Beverly Hills.
- Downtown LA Food Tours offers a way to taste your way through the hidden gems and history of Los Angeles. These tours are guided and tickets range from $60-75.
- Hiking needs a bit of planning but is well worth it. Venturing to trailheads requires a car or intrepid use of public transportation, but if you have the time, you won’t be disappointed! Here are some of the most beautiful hikes in the LA area. Hiking enthusiasts can browse the HikeSpeak website for detailed information and trail reports.
Contributors:
Krystal Boehlert
Local Planning Coordinator, VRA LA 2019
Visual Resources Specialist, University of California Riverside
Maureen Burns
Development and Tour Coordinator, VRA LA 2019
IMAGinED Consulting and Archivision
Jackie Spafford
Local Planning Committee Member, VRA LA 2019
Image Resources Curator, History of Art and Architecture, University of California/Santa Barbara
VRA LA 2019: Save $100 off Conference Registration
Register by Friday, February 15 to save. Take advantage of early bird rates to save $100 on your conference registration for members and non-members or $50 for student, retired, and unemployed rates.
"Just think it’s like getting 2 or 3 workshops or tours for free."
Workshops:
Perhaps you want to learn how to manage a large digital humanities project centered on mapping, streamline your embedded metadata workflows, or deliver active learning experiences that empower students to understand copyright and take advantage of fair use. We have workshops to teach you all of these skills and many more. See our full listing of workshops that range in price from $30-$80.
Act Fast:
Monday’s workshop The Only Thing to Fear is Fear Itself: Public Speaking for Introverts and Other Reluctant Presenters only has one slot left!
Tours:
How about taking a break from the hotel and learning out and about in this amazing city? The local committee has crafted some excellent tours to experience with your fellow conference attendees. Do you want to go behind-the-scenes at the Library and Archives at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and tour 3D: Double Vision, visit the Imaging Lab at the Huntington Library while enjoying their art galleries and botanical gardens, take a walking tour organized by the Los Angeles Conservancy of glamorous art deco architecture, or take a curator-led tour of Oscar-nominated costumes and designers at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM)? The list goes on and on! See our full listing of tours that range in price from $10-$25.
Act Fast:
Thursday’s Behind the Scenes Tour of the Japanese American National Museum only has one slot left! The same tour is also available on Wednesday.
P.S. Don’t forget to book your room. Special room rates are still available at the DoubleTree by Hilton Los Angeles Downtown.
Contributor:
Amy McKenna
Public Relations and Communications Officer, VRA Executive Board
VRA LA 2019: Tour LA Like a Local and Elevate Your Conference Experience
With so much to see and do in the LA area, the SoCal local planners have organized several tours so you can see the best highlights while attending the VRA conference. The tours are scheduled on every day of the conference (mint chip green in SCHED) and are a great value-- costs kept at a minimum, bang-for-your-buck at the maximum! By location, they range from just down the block to the city center and further afield--the local planners will help to coordinate any necessary ride sharing or walking groups. So, make sure to find the tours that fit your interests and schedule, including some great ones before and after the conference--there is something for everybody! For more information, see SCHED
ART TOURS
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Behind the Scenes Tour
Tuesday, March 26th, 9:00am-1:00pm - We’re headed to LACMA, for a Behind the Scenes Tour of the museum’s Balch Art Research Library & Archives. Then we’ll be treated to a curator led tour of the 3D: Double Vision exhibition and some free-range gallery time. LACMA is about a 30 minute drive from the hotel, a tour organizer will help coordinate ride shares to and from the museum.
Hauser & Wirth, Exhibitions Tour
Tuesday, March 26th, 12:30pm-1:45pm – Hauser & Wirth is a gallery specializing in contemporary and modern art. Residing in a former flour mill, the architecture is designed for communal gathering space and community arts programming throughout the year. We’ll get a guided tour of current exhibitions and be back in time for the afternoon sessions. A tour organizer will lead the 12 minute walk from the hotel, down Little Tokyo’s vibrant 2nd street, to the gallery.
Huntington Library, Art Collection, and Botanical Gardens Tour
Friday, March 29th, 10:00 am-12:00 pm – A guided tour of the Huntington Library, a world class art collection also known for rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and maps. A visit to the Imaging Lab will give a behind the scenes look at historic equipment and new technologies. Attendees can linger to see the botanical gardens and other exhibitions, or return to the hotel. The Huntington is about a 30 minute drive from the hotel, a tour organizer will help coordinate ride shares to and from the museum.
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising
Thursday, March 28th, 12:00 pm-2:30 pm & Friday, March 29th, 9:30 am-12:00 pm –
If your artistic interests lean toward the performing arts and fashion, don’t miss out on one of these FIDM tours, the first of which is a curatorial led tour of one of the nation’s finest costume collections and the annual exhibit of the “Art of Motion Picture Costume Design.” The second tour, led by the library director and her staff, provides a broader view of the campus, its innovative materials collection, and the library with one of the country’s largest specialized fashion collections. There will be time at the end to also view the exhibit of movie costumes. Local planners will provide guidance on walking (30 minutes) or transport options (Metro or ride share) for those who want to cross town together.
Broad Museum Facade with Oculus (Burns photo 2018)
PRE-BOOK SELF-GUIDED ART OPTIONS
If you plan to visit contemporary art museum The Broad, a 12 minute walk from the hotel, you’ll need to reserve your free tickets in advance. Tickets for the month of March are released on February 1st: https://ticketing.thebroad.org/events/84185978-8137-44a7-9774-356133b9997d
Advance tickets are also required for the Marciano Art Foundation. A 30 minute drive from the hotel, this private collection showcases contemporary art in a renovated Masonic temple. Tickets for the month of March are released on February 1st: https://tickets.marcianoartfoundation.org/events/88fc459a-0839-ff18-ac02-2eb72aed5788
Stay tuned for more information on self-guided museum information & gallery hopping!
HISTORY & CULTURAL TOURS
Japanese American National Museum
When in Little Tokyo, visiting JANM is a must! That is why we scheduled tours midday for every day of the conference. A 7 minute walk from the conference hotel, you have a choice of a behind-the-scenes tour with the curator or a tour of the permanent & special photography exhibitions that tell the story of Japanese immigration to the U.S., incarceration during WWII, and the Redress Movement. No shepherd required, you can’t miss the contemporary JANM building just down the block.
Spiritual Journey by Nancy Uyemura, 1996 (Burns photo 2018)
Los Angeles Conservancy
The best architectural tours in town are provided by the LAC, the organization that works to preserve the architectural heritage of Los Angeles. Avoid being jet-lagged at the conference and come a day early to experience the docent-led “Art Deco” or “Historic Downtown” tours on Monday afternoon. This is a great way to get your bearings and see some of LA’s oldest buildings, like the famous Bradbury. Or, stay through Friday to experience the 1939 Spanish Colonial Union Station (Amtrak & Metro) and learn how the “Past Meets Present” by exploring the ways that historic buildings are being revitalized to meet the changing downtown demographic, like in the Last Bookstore. Tuesday morning provides the only other opportunity to enjoy guided architectural tours, when there is a repeat of “Historic Downtown” (it’s that good!) and add the “Modern Skyline.” These tours are in-depth and comprehensive, each taking 2 ½ hours. A minimum of 12 people is needed for each tour to take place, if tours don’t fill, cancellations may be necessary. Tours have different starting locations, so the local planners will provide options for traveling as a group to the starting point. The tours also involve walking a few miles, with varying degrees of difficulty, lots of standing, and no breaks, but they are so worth it (they are wheelchair accessible, if needed, please notify a conference planner).
Stay tuned for more information about self-guided walking tours.
Downtown LA Skyline (Burns photo 2015)
COMPLETE LIST OF TOURS
Registration for tours is made in the order they are received. Early registration is strongly recommended as tours fill quickly. Detailed descriptions of tours can be found in the conference program:https://vra2019.sched.com/overview/type/Tour. Tickets for paid tours will be included in registration packets.
Contributors:
Krystal Boehlert
Local Planning Coordinator, VRA LA 2019
Visual Resources Specialist, University of California Riverside
Maureen Burns
Development and Tour Coordinator, VRA LA 2019
IMAGinED Consulting and Archivision