VRA at CAA 2020 Chicago

The 2020 CAA annual conference has 300+ sessions exploring over 200 diverse fields of study with 50% focused on women-centered content to celebrate the Centennial of Women's Suffrage. VRA has planned two events that we hope many of you will be able to attend on Wednesday, February 12th. The ever-capable Bridget Madden, from the University of Chicago, will be chairing these sessions.Midday, a VRA Business Meeting is scheduled (free and open to the public) which we have turned into forum opening with a presentation entitled "From Archive to Classroom: The Use of Omeka and Companion Tools in the Curation of Digital Stories and Exhibits" involving Matt Taylor, Director of the Media and Design Studio, and Rebecca Zorach, Mary Jane Crowe Professor of Art and Art History, and their students from Northwestern University. This will be followed by what will surely be an engaging discussion among VRA members and those others who attend.In the afternoon, a formal session has been organized entitled, "Hands-On to Eyes-On: From Material Collections to Digital Exhibitions" (abstract below). It will take place at 4pm at the Hilton Chicago in the Wilford C room. You will have to be registered for the CAA conference to attend this event (session-only or one-day registrations are usually available). Here are the topics and speakers:1) "Materials in Context: Experiential Learning in Art History" at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design with Allan T. Kohl, Librarian in charge of Visual Resources and Library Instruction, presenting a collection curator's perspective, partnered with Jessica M. Dandona, Associate Professor of Art History, providing a faculty perspective.2) "Materiality Made Visible" will be presented by Melanie E. Emerson, Dean of the Library + Special Collections, from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.3) "Exhibition in Practice" at the Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, will be presented with Leslie Wilson, Curatorial Fellow for Diversity in the Arts, providing "A Perspective from the Classroom" and Berit Ness, Assistant Curator of Academic Initiatives, talking about "Execution in the Museum."We hope that you will be able to consider joining us and attending CAA 2020. Periodic updates, will be sent, but if you have any questions about this winter conference ahead, please don't hesitate to contact me or Bridget.All the best wishes,Maureen BurnsVRA CAA Affiliate Society Representativemoaburns@gmail.com310-489-3792Hands-On to Eyes-On: From Material Collections to Digital ExhibitionsMany visual resources collections are expanding their purview of managing image collections to added responsibilities for a variety of materials or partnerships with other like-minded resource collections. The hands-on use of materials and museum collections allows students to experience authentic learning by applying knowledge in real-life contexts. This session focuses on specific examples of these types of partnerships and learning situations in two art and design colleges and a university museum. The presenters will discuss: the use of a materials collection in teaching art history survey courses to studio art and design students; fashion and textile resources transitioning from physical to digital collections for enhanced access; and a two-term curatorial practice course sequenced to design and install a museum exhibition. In all cases, the collections used in teaching are prioritized and sustained, not treated as occasional visits or demonstrations, and staff are embedded into the experience to support faculty instruction. The presenters will discuss pedagogical strategies, such as open-ended inquiry, discourse, and social learning, along with the issues of collection development, maintenance, description, access, and usage, while exploring how access to such physical and digital collections as primary sources for pedagogy and student assignments allows for the integration of practical experience into coursework. The role of professional staff supporting these collections and facilitating their use by faculty and students is integral. It will be shown how effective these collaborations can be, including how they can lead to more engaging, active learning experiences in the classroom.