Press Release: 2022 VRA Award Recipients

PRESS RELEASEFor Immediate ReleaseContact: Visual Resources Association Online Address: http://vraweb.org/about/committees/awards-committee/

VISUAL RESOURCES ASSOCIATION PRESENTS 2022 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD TO JOLENE DE VERGES; NANCY DELAURIER AWARDS TO AFSANEH NAJMABADI FOR FOUNDING THE WOMEN’S WORLDS IN QAJAR IRAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE AND LAEL ENSOR-BENNETT AND KENDRA WERST FOR THEIR FOUNDATIONAL WORK WITH THE EQUITABLE ACTION COMMITTEE; AND AN HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS AWARD TO ALLAN T. KOHL.

BALTIMORE—The Visual Resources Association (VRA), a multidisciplinary organization dedicated to furthering research and education in the field of image management, proudly presented the 2022 Distinguished Service Award (DSA) to Jolene de Verges, Southern Methodist University’s (SMU) Director of the Jake and Nancy Hamon Arts Library, at the 40th annual Baltimore conference on March 31st. The VRA annually honors an individual who has made an outstanding career contribution to the field of visual resources and image management. DSA recipients have achieved a level of distinction through leadership, research, service to the profession, outstanding innovation, participation, or project management.

De Verges served twice on the Executive Board, as Secretary (2007-2009) and as President (2012-2014), and as Co-Chair of the Strategic Plan Task Force (2016-2017). On the Board, de Verges’ noteworthy combination of innovative vision and gentle pragmatism helped guide the Association toward new partnerships, areas of programming, administrative procedures and investment policies to promote the Association’s financial health. She helped raise VRA’s visibility by strengthening relationships with like-minded organizations and shepherding the creation of the International Chapter. A model collaborator in resource-sharing projects, de Verges oversaw VRA’s formal affiliation with the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) and supported their SAHARA project. She helped expand VRA’s programming to support emerging areas of practice and scholarship, such as digital humanities, visual literacy, and video. Her Board created the External Speakers Fund, which provided additional incentives to attract new, non-member conference presenters in order to diversify the perspectives shared at VRA’s Annual Conferences.This tireless work for VRA is only surpassed by her stellar professional career and educational experience–she holds advanced degrees in library and information science as well as art history. De Verges currently is the well-respected director of the SMU’s Arts Library overseeing a staff of subject librarians, special collections, and access and operations staff. She previously held library and visual resources positions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Smith College, the Worcester Art Museum and Quinsigamond Community College. De Verges’ generous spirit of mentorship has extended to many emerging professionals and students.De Verges richly deserves the DSA for her vision, leadership, mentorship, service and dedication to the field of visual resources. John Trendler, current VRA President, stated: “I had the distinct pleasure of serving on the executive board during Jolene’s presidency. She presided with compassion for the association; calmly moving initiatives and discussions with grace and agility. Congratulations to Jolene on this well-deserved award.”The Nancy DeLaurier Awards (NDL), named for one of the pioneers of the Visual Resources profession, honors distinguished achievement in the field of image management. “Achievement" is measured by immediate impact and may take the form of published work, oral presentation, project management, software development, technology application, website creation, or other outstanding effort. Two NDL awards were bestowed on March 31st in Baltimore.The 1st NDL award went to Afsaneh Najmabadi, Harvard University’s Francis Lee Higginson Professor of History and Women, Gender, and Sexuality, for founding, guiding, developing and sustaining the Women’s Worlds in Qajar Iran (WWQI) Digital Archive.WWQI focuses on collecting and making available digital images of Qajar era (1796 – 1925) primary source materials that were created by or are relevant to the lives of women, or that address issues of gender during this period. In 2009, after several years of developing the idea for WWQI, Najmabadi, along with four other Qajar scholars (Nahid Mozaffari, Dominic Brookshaw, Naghmeh Sohrabi, and Manoutchehr Eskandari--Qajar), received WWQI’s first major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.Since then, Najmabadi has been the Principal Investigator for this project and has provided overall leadership for all aspects of WWQI. In addition to setting the work’s intellectual direction and supervising the activities of the project, she has led the efforts in developing and maintaining relationships with external collaborators (particularly museums and archives) and has carried out a portion of the work with individual families, who have donated to the archive. She also manages the Harvard-based portion of the work.The WWQI Digital Archive uses digital technology to overcome the challenges of geography, politics and ownership to piece together a richer, more nuanced and complete picture of the transformative Qajar era. For these extended efforts, which have significantly enhanced research and teaching in Iranian history and many other disciplines resulting in the inclusion of 214 collections, 10,266 texts and 51,331 images in WWQI, VRA is honored to bestow this award on Professor Najmabadi.The 2nd NDL award was bestowed on Lael Ensor-Bennett, Johns Hopkins University’s Curator, Visual Resources Collection, and Kendra Werst, formerly Williams College’s Assistant Visual Resources Curator, now a Flower and Vegetable Farmer at Bluebird Meadows in Hurdle Mills, North Carolina, for their foundational work with the VRA Equitable Action Committee (EAC) and the innovative Community Hour programming.In response to growing calls for a “diversity committee” in recent years, Ensor-Bennett and Werst stepped up to form VRA’s Equitable Action Committee. As co-chairs, Ensor-Bennett and Werst gathered a diverse group of VRA members to accomplish the following: identify actionable initiatives; support equity and inclusion as well as underrepresented and minoritized members; educate and empower VRA members on topics related to accessibility and disability inclusion; and advise the Executive Board on matters related to equity. They have demonstrated dynamic leadership abilities, shown a welcoming spirit of collaboration, and developed important equity guidance for VRA as well as pertinent, accessible programming.One of the most important programs implemented under Ensor-Bennett and Werst’s leadership is the ongoing Community Hour discussion series. These gatherings are low-pressure virtual meetings that have allowed VRA members across the country to address pressing matters and check in on one another throughout the pandemic and beyond. It has created a space for members to talk about local challenges and to support one another. EAC programming has covered everything from critical cataloging to accessibility and equity in online instruction; from unionizing to mutual aid; from salary transparency to institutional responses to Black Lives Matter. Many sessions have invited both VRA member experts and external authorities to discuss a wide range of timely, pressing topics. The EAC has also worked with VREPS to provide programming specifically addressing concerns for those who are just starting their VR careers. They take extensive anonymized notes for their programs, ensuring privacy for attendees while inviting those unable to join Community Hour gatherings to still participate.​​For founding the EAC and establishing a spectacular model for how to support colleagues in an efficient and inclusive manner, Ensor-Bennett and Werst richly deserve the NDL, one of VRA’s highest honors. As their nominator, Andrew Wang stated, “They’ve truly breathed new life into VRA by providing leadership opportunities, representing some of the most marginalized members of our community both within and beyond VRA, and modeling ethical practices within our profession.”Special Honorary Life memberships (SHLM) are awarded to Individuals, designated representatives of an Institution, Contributing or Patron members by the Executive Board in recognition of eminent distinction in any of the fields of the Association’s purpose. Honorary Life members are not required to pay dues and they have all the privileges of Individual members.The 2022 Honorary Life Members Award was presented to Allan T. Kohl, Minneapolis College of Art & Design’s Librarian, Visual Resources and Library Instruction, in recognition of generous philanthropy, outstanding service and career-long dedication to the field of visual resources.Kohl is a familiar face in VRA with an extensive VRA service record and a big conference presence, as witnessed at the Baltimore 2022 conference and many before it. But, what makes him extraordinary is his heartfelt devotion to VRA and that he has no intention of slowing down. He continues to keep his hand in many VRA activities by choice. Among his numerous accomplishments are: extensive service on the VRA Board, committees, task forces, etc.; support of conference activities, especially fundraising activities and entertainment; major philanthropy funding the New Horizons travel awards for many years; progressive research, scholarship, presentations and publications; and valuable open resource development with Art Images for College Teaching.This Honorary Life Members Award comes at a perfect time in Kohl’s career to acknowledge his extraordinary dedication, terrific service, many kindnesses and abundant generosity to VRA. It provides a way to demonstrate the gratitude of the Association and its members for his Herculean efforts over many years. Kohl has now received the full VRA awards trifecta–Distinguished Service, DeLaurier, and Honorary Life Member Awards–and is so very deserving of them all.Congratulations to all of the 2022 VRA award recipients and thank you to the nominators.Award Ceremony Recording