VRA 2023: Black History River Boat Tour
Does our conference logo have you dreaming of a boat cruise down the San Antonio River? We are excited to bring that dream to life in a very special way!
Join the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum (SAAACAM) for a private river cruise as a part of your VRA 2023 experience. SAAACAM’s Black History River Boat Tour is 90 minutes long and provides an untold perspective of African American influence on events and locations alongside the picturesque banks of the historic River Walk.
Our tour will take place Thursday, September 28th, at 6 p.m and is limited to 30 people. Registration is $25. The tour will last approximately 90 minutes, allowing us to see the sun set on the banks of the San Antonio River. Please note that this tour is not included in your conference registration and must be registered for separately.
Don't miss your chance to be part of this voyage through history – secure your registration now before the limited spots fill up!
Tour details:
Passengers will meet up at 218 S. Presa at the back patio of SAAACAM’s downtown exhibit space located in the La Villita historic arts village in building #20. Plaza Nacional is the name of the small plaza just off their back patio. Passengers must arrive at the meet-up location no later than 6, and the boat departs the dock at 6:30 p.m.
Questions about the registration form? Please contact Membership Services Coordinator Lise Hawkos at join@vraweb.org if you need help to complete your registration.
VRA 2023: These Boots Were Made for Walking 👢✨
As you prepare for a week of learning and networking at this year’s VRA conference, don't miss out on the chance to experience some of the best that San Antonio has to offer. No car? No problem. Here's a rundown of ten local attractions just a short jaunt from our homebase at Hotel Valencia Riverwalk.
River Walk: This one's a no-brainer. Take a leisurely walk along the picturesque San Antonio River, lined with cobblestone pathways, lush greenery, restaurants, and cafes.
The Alamo: [7-minute walk] You’ve definitely heard of it, but no trip to San Antonio is complete without a visit to the Alamo.
Briscoe Western Art Museum: [8-minute walk] Dive into the history and artistry of the American West at the Briscoe Museum.
La Villita Historic Arts Village: [10-minute walk] This tranquil city park is a National Historic District, featuring over 25 galleries, boutiques, and restaurants.
San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum (SAAACAM, pronounced “say-cam”): [10-minute walk] Delve into the rich and often untold history of San Antonio's African American community, which is deeply intertwined with the city’s development.
River Walk Public Art Garden: [12-minute walk] As you wander along the River Walk, make sure to pause at the Public Art Garden. This outdoor gallery showcases a curated collection of sculptures and installations by local and international artists.
Historic Market Square (El Mercado): [13-minute walk] When you're ready for a change of pace, venture over to Market Square, a lively marketplace just minutes from our conference venue.
Yanaguana Garden at Hemisfair [14-minute walk] Enjoy a stroll through this dynamic urban park with interactive art, lush greenery, games, and several spots to eat and drink.
San Antonio Museum of Art: [24-minute walk} Explore Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Latin American, and contemporary collections in the former Lone Star Brewery.
Historic Pearl District: [35-minute walk] Extend your exploration a little further to the historic Pearl District, a former brewery turned vibrant mixed-use development. Enjoy strolls along the River Walk extension, explore unique boutiques, and discover a plethora of dining options.
Are you ready, boots? Stay tuned for more recommendations from the Local Planning Committee!
Contributor:
Maria Nuccilli
Junior Director for Events & Initiatives
Digital Collections Librarian, Wayne State University Library System
EAC August 2023 Community Hour Notes
Thanks to those who were able to join us for yesterday's discussion of “Tackling Taboo Topics: A Review of the Three M's in Working Women's Lives”, by Alicia A. Grandey, Allison S. Gabriel, and Eden B. King (Journal of Management, Volume 46, Issue 1, https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206319857144).
If you weren't able to join us, the Community Hour notes can be found here.
Our next Community Hour will be announced in early September.
Best,
Lesley and Cindy
Announcing the Recipients of the vrcHost Membership Awards
The vrcHost Membership Awards provide a year of individual VRA membership, and chapter memberships of the recipient’s choice, with the full benefits of being a VRA member, including but not limited to: access to the VRA Listserv; opportunities to publish in the open access VRA Bulletin; discounted registration for the annual national VRA conference; continuing education opportunities; and other mentoring and networking opportunities. They are intended to provide VRA memberships to engage new members in the organization and to help existing members, who might need financial assistance to retain their VRA membership.
These new awards are sponsored by vrcHost, a company that offers comprehensive solutions for the Madison Digital Image Database (MDID) project--installation, integration, hosting, customization, and software development--while also serving as the exclusive agent for the Archivision Research Library, which provides professional architecture and art photography with rich metadata for educational purposes. VRA is grateful for this generous subvention.
The VRA Awards Committee is delighted to announce that twelve information professionals have been selected as recipients of the 2023 vrcHost Membership Awards. Congratulations to:
Ezekiel Amari McGee, University of California, Davis
Gina Caprari, San Francisco State University
Charlie P. Coffey, Wesleyan University
Jennifer Galipo, MLIS, SJSU
Joan Jocson-Singh, Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
Peter Kaiser, Student, Pratt Institute
Gina Palumbo, Independent
Mimosa Shah, Harvard Radcliffe Institute
Molly Schoen, Fashion Institute of Technology
Michelle Schweickart, University of Dayton
Warner West, University of Richmond
and those still processing membership or wishing to remain anonymous.
Please join us in welcoming these new members to the Visual Resources Association and in thanking vrcHost for funding these inaugural awards.
With much appreciation,
VRA Awards Committee
Sarah Beck (Lafayette University)
Maureen Burns (IMAGinED Consulting & Archivision Associate)
Linda Callahan (Mount Holyoke College, retired)
Dawn Feavyour (Independent)
Marcia Focht (Binghamton University, retired)
Ann McShane (Emory University)
Summer Shetenhelm (Yale University)
Margaret Webster (Cornell University, retired)
and with special thanks to Alexandra Scholten (University of Chicago) from VREPS for providing valuable assistance on the planning subcommittee
Announcing the VRA 2023 Travel Award Winners! ✈
The VRA Travel Awards Committee is pleased to announce the recipients of Travel Awards for the 2023 VRA Conference in San Antonio, TX. The application pool this year was strong, and we are pleased to be able to fund nine excellent applications:
John Adebayo, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee – New Horizons Student Award and Luraine Tansey/VRA top-up Award
Sarah Byrd, Fashion Institute of Technology – New Horizons Award and Luraine Tansey/VRA Top-up Award
Johana Canales, University of Alabama – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Award
Charlie Coffey, Wesleyan University - Luraine Tansey/VRA Travel Award
Allie Craver, Pérez Art Museum Miami – Luraine Tansey/VRA Travel Award
Rachel DeNagy, University of Colorado, Boulder – Garneta E. Taormina Memorial Student Award and Luraine Tansey/VRA Top-up Award
Matt Ely, North Dakota State Archives – New Horizons Award
Elisabeth Narkin, National Gallery of Art - Kathe Hicks Albrecht Award
Wen Nie Ng, Virgina Tech - Luraine Tansey/VRA Travel Award
The Travel Awards Committee thanks all of this year’s applicants. Additional thanks go to our generous travel award sponsors and the VRA Executive Board for their support of the Travel Awards Committee.
Congratulations again to this year’s recipients,
Dr. Jeannine Keefer,
Chair, Travel Awards Committee
VRA Awards Deadline Extended to Aug 14th!
Due to popular demand, the VRA Awards Committee is extending the deadline for the 2023 DSA and NDL award nominations to Monday, August 14th (extended from August 10th). With the conference approaching, we can't push it back more, but hope this is helpful to those who are working so hard to gather letters of support and bring nominations together.
Nominations should be sent to vra.awards@gmail.com and the extended information about the awards is below. The Awards Committee is here to support your efforts or answer any questions.
Your efforts are much appreciated,
Maureen Burns, Chair
VRA Awards Committee
The VRA Awards Committee is seeking nominations for the 2023 Distinguished Service Award and the Nancy DeLaurier Award.
The VRA Distinguished Service Award honors an individual who has made an outstanding career contribution to the field of visual resources and image management. Nominees must have achieved a level of distinction in the field either through leadership, research, or service to the profession. Nominees can also be considered for outstanding innovation, participation, or project management in visual resources.
The Nancy DeLaurier Award honors a single professional or a group of professionals for distinguished achievement in the field of visual resources. “Achievement” is measured by immediate impact, and may take the form of published works, oral presentations, digital humanities projects, open source solutions, software development, technology applications, website creations, or other outstanding efforts.
We encourage the VRA membership to consider the people and the tools that have made an impact on your work in visual resources: research, presentations, projects, publications, tools, technologies, and any other outstanding efforts.
For inspiration, the recent, past recipients for the Distinguished Service Award are:
Jolene de Verges in 2022
Marcia Focht in 2021
Robb Detlefs in 2019
Recent Nancy Delaurier Award winners and projects are as follows:
2022
Lael Ensor-Bennett and Kendra Werst for exceptional leadership on the Equitable Action Committee and for founding the innovative and inclusive Community Hour Discussion Series
Asfaneh Najmabadi for founding, guiding, developing, and sustaining the Women’s Worlds in Qajar Iran (WWQI) Digital Archive.
2021
Anna Bernhard and Heather Lowe for establishing and sustaining the Visual Resources Association’s Emerging Professionals and Students Group (VREPS).
Whom would you like to recognize for a specific contribution to our field? Please consider nominating a worthy colleague or specific achievement for these prestigious awards. Detailed information is available at: https://www.vraweb.org/awards. The Awards Committee is here to support your efforts or answer any questions.
Nominations should be submitted to the Awards Committee at vra.awards@gmail.com in the form of a dossier (all combined into one PDF). This dossier must include:
The nominee’s curriculum vitae
A cover letter of nomination describing how the nominee meets the criteria, written by the nominator(s)
Letters written in support of the nomination
Documentation in support of the nomination, if applicable
Electronic nominations via e-mail or a file hosting service such as Google Drive are preferred. Members of the VRA Awards Committee, upon reviewing submitted dossiers, make recommendations that are subject to approval by the VRA Executive Board.
The nomination letters and letters of support for the 2023 Distinguished Service Award and the 2023 Nancy DeLaurier Award are now due by Monday, August 14, 2023 (extended from Aug 10) and should be sent to: vra.awards@gmail.com.
Please contact Maureen Burns (moaburns@gmail.com) or any member of the Awards Committee if questions arise: Sarah Beck, Linda Callahan, Dawn Feavyour, Marcia Focht, Ann McShane, Summer Shetenhelm or Margaret Webster. We would be very happy to help with your ideas and the processes.
Notes:
Recommendations from the Awards Committee are subject to approval by the VRA Executive Board.
Current members of the VRA Awards Committee or the Executive Board should not write in support of nominations, nor should they be included in nominations.
Self-nominations are not accepted at this time.
VRA 2023: Keynote Speaker Melissa Gohlke
The VRA Executive Board is pleased to announce the VRA 2023 Conference keynote speaker, Melissa Gohlke.
The VRA Executive Board is pleased to announce the VRA 2023 Conference keynote speaker, Melissa Gohlke. Gohlke is an urban historian who specializes in San Antonio LGBTQ+ history. For over a decade, Gohlke has been researching queer history in San Antonio and South Texas and sharing her passion for this history through extensive outreach activities such as presentations, media interactions, exhibits, and written work. Gohlke is the Assistant Archivist for UTSA Libraries Special Collections.
In her presentation, titled “Cradle of Texas Gay Liberty: An Alternate History of the Alamo City,” Gohlke will explore hidden threads of San Antonio’s history and stitch together an alternative interpretation of the city’s historical narrative by examining a wealth of primary sources found in archives and personal collections. You can read more about her topic below. The Convocation Keynote is scheduled for September 26th, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. CDT, and will be open to the public via a YouTube livestream at this link: LINK TO STREAM. Please share widely!
Gay Paree Program, LGBTQ Ephemera, UTSA Special Collections
***
Cradle of Texas Gay Liberty: An Alternate History of the Alamo City
A historical record that focuses only on white, heteronormative society and events obscures many facets of San Antonio history. Peel back the veneer of normalcy and one can find rich, diverse, and unexpected strands of the city’s past. From female impersonators of the early 1900s to queer life in derelict spaces during the 1960s and finally, gay and lesbian bar culture of the1970s and beyond, the hidden threads of San Antonio’s history reveal themselves.
Lesbian prom. Lollie Johnson Papers, UTSA Special Collections
In this presentation, LGBTQ Historian Melissa Gohlke guides us on a virtual tour of the hidden history of San Antonio. We explore a subculture of people who pursued a gender bending lifestyle at the turn of the 20th century often amidst the prostitutes who plied their trade in the city’s infamous Red Light District. Vaudeville theaters and downtown cabarets provided venues in which middle and upper class women dominated the audiences. Fascination with gender transgressive performances made its way into elite affairs and fundraisers as affluent women took lessons learned at entertainment halls and appropriated them for their own purposes.
While gender bending displays were popular on the stages of local nightspots, exhibiting such displays outside a theatrical setting met with a different response. Gender transgression in public places was strictly forbidden. Police quickly snapped up and incarcerated men traipsing around in female attire on the sidewalks of San Antonio.
Jimmy James as Marilyn Monroe, performing at the Broadway Cabaret, 1982. Lollie Johnson Papers, UTSA Special Collections
Policing of sexual deviance and difference came not only from the city’s local police, but also from military police. Mediating social and sexual norms was viewed as pivotal for maintaining the physical and moral health of military personnel. Concerns over the spread of venereal disease among the troops underpinned these policing efforts. In the decades between the First and Second World Wars, local officials and military brass formalized mechanisms for surveillance over military personnel on the city’s streets.
Policing by military and local agents was a recurring threat to San Antonio’s emerging queer population. In the decades after WWII, gay and lesbian bars and gathering spots were under constant threat of police incursions. To avoid scrutiny, queer San Antonians selected havens in derelict places and country spaces that were off the radar of policing agencies. Within these spaces, they found social and sexual partners and laid the foundation for an emerging queer community. Over the decades, the city’s LGBTQ community has grown within and beyond spaces claimed by earlier generations. The area in and around San Antonio College emerged as visible queer turf and today is marked by gay bars, businesses, and gayborhoods where a rainbow crosswalk and Pride banners mark the area as safe and welcoming space for gay and trans San Antonians.
Lollie Johnson Papers, UTSA Special Collections
Abstract
A historical record that focuses on white, heteronormative society and events obscures many facets of San Antonio history. Peel back the veneer of normalcy and one can find rich, diverse, and unexpected strands of the city’s past. From female impersonators of the early 1900s to queer life in derelict spaces during the 1960s and finally, gay and lesbian bar culture of the1970s and beyond, the hidden threads of San Antonio’s history reveal themselves. In this presentation, LGBTQ Historian Melissa Gohlke explores these hidden histories and stitches together an alternative interpretation of the city’s historical narrative by examining a wealth of primary sources found in archives and personal collections.
VRA Board Appointments: President-Elect and Junior Director for Events and Initiatives
The VRA Executive Board is pleased to announce the appointment of two new Board members. Please join us in welcoming these incoming Board members and applauding their contributions to our community!
The VRA Executive Board is pleased to announce the appointment of two new Board members. The appointments were approved by the Board last week following an interview process during which multiple candidates were considered for each role. The Board would like to thank everyone who participated in the new process. We found ourselves inspired by the candidates’ commitment to the organization and the visions for the VRA’s future that they shared with us.
Please join us in welcoming these incoming Board members and applauding their contributions to our community!
VRA President-Elect Xiaoli Ma
Xiaoli Ma has been appointed President-Elect. She will serve as President-Elect until March 2024, at which time she will become President and serve in that role until March 2026.
Xiaoli is the Metadata Librarian and Head of the Metadata Unit at the George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida. She develops metadata guidelines and implements workflows to enhance the usability and searchability of the content held by large-scale digital libraries. Currently, she explores the use of AI technology to automate the subject-indexing process. She studied Information Science, Art History, and American Literature at the University of Michigan, the University of South Florida, and Sichuan University, mainland China. Previously, she worked at ITHAKA as Metadata Specialist – Technical Lead, collaborating with developers and interface designers to create tools for Shared Shelf, now known as JSTOR Forum.
Xiaoli has been an active member of the VRA since around 2005, when she started as an Art History graduate assistant working in her department’s slide library. The VRA listserv became her go-to resource, providing guidance on essential aspects of her work, such as cataloging systems and scanner selections. Many of the mentors who helped shape her career path were once leaders in the VRA community. Xiaoli has served terms as Co-chair of the Core Oversight Committee and Co-chair of the Cataloging and Metadata Standards Committee. Most recently, she organized and led the VRA Core Element Description English to Chinese translation project, an experience she wrote about for the Spring/Summer 2023 issue of the VRA Bulletin.
Junior Director for Events and Initiatives Maria Nuccilli
Maria Nuccilli has been appointed Junior Director for Events and Initiatives. She will serve as Junior Director until March 2024, at which time she will become Senior Director for Events and Initiatives and serve in that role until March 2025.
Maria is Digital Collections Librarian II in the Wayne State University Library System, where she supports the access and discovery of digital collections across units by developing and maintaining user interfaces, identifying potential collection additions and collaborators, and managing projects such as a recent migration of 50,000 images to CONTENTdm from a Fedora-based legacy system. She studied Library and Information Science, Information Management, and English at Wayne State University. Outside of her work in Information Science, Maria is a professional musician and band manager, planning national and regional tours, collaborating with agencies on promotional campaigns, and negotiating booking and licensing contracts.
Maria joined the VRA in 2017, during her MLIS studies. That year she won the Internship Award, proposing an internship project to assess and create a digitization plan and interactive virtual exhibition for a collection of images and other materials relating to Detroit’s cultural heritage owned by the Scarab Club, a non-profit dedicated to the cultivation and celebration of the visual, literary, and performing arts in Detroit. She is currently serving as Secretary/Treasurer for the VRA’s Great Lakes chapter.
EAC July 2023 Community Hour Notes
Thank you to all who joined us for a great Community Hour. We had a solid discussion of the article: "'Nice White Meetings:' Unpacking Absurd Library Bureaucracy through a Critical Race Theory Lens".
Couldn't make it? Check out the Community Hour Doc for a summary of our discussion.
Mark your calendars for the next Equitable Action Committee offering, our Community Hour on Wednesday August 16th at 3 PM EDT.
It's VRA Awards Season! Call for Nominations 🥇
The VRA Awards Committee is seeking nominations for the 2023 Distinguished Service Award and the Nancy DeLaurier Award.
1) The VRA Distinguished Service Award honors an individual who has made an outstanding career contribution to the field of visual resources and image management. Nominees must have achieved a level of distinction in the field either through leadership, research, or service to the profession. Nominees can also be considered for outstanding innovation, participation, or project management in visual resources.
2) The Nancy DeLaurier Award honors a single professional or a group of professionals for distinguished achievement in the field of visual resources. “Achievement” is measured by immediate impact, and may take the form of published works, oral presentations, digital humanities projects, open-source solutions, software development, technology applications, website creations, or other outstanding efforts.
We encourage the VRA membership to consider the people and the tools that have made an impact on your work in visual resources: research, presentations, projects, publications, tools, technologies, and any other outstanding efforts.
For inspiration, the recent, past recipients for the Distinguished Service Award are:
Jolene de Verges in 2022
Marcia Focht in 2021
Robb Detlefs in 2019
Recent Nancy Delaurier Award winners and projects are as follows:
2022
Lael Ensor-Bennett and Kendra Werst for exceptional leadership on the Equitable Action Committee and for founding the innovative and inclusive Community Hour Discussion Series
Asfaneh Najmabadi for founding, guiding, developing, and sustaining the Women’s Worlds in Qajar Iran (WWQI) Digital Archive
2021
Anna Bernhard and Heather Lowe for establishing and sustaining the Visual Resources Association’s Emerging Professionals and Students Group (VREPS)
Whom would you like to recognize for a specific contribution to our field? Please consider nominating a worthy colleague or specific achievement for these prestigious awards.
How to apply:
Detailed information is available at: https://www.vraweb.org/awards. The Awards Committee is here to support your efforts or answer any questions. Nominations should be submitted to the Awards Committee at vra.awards@gmail.com in the form of a dossier (all combined into one PDF). This dossier must include:
The nominee’s curriculum vitae
A cover letter of nomination describing how the nominee meets the criteria, written by the nominator(s)
Letters written in support of the nomination
Documentation in support of the nomination, if applicable
Electronic nominations via e-mail or a file hosting service such as Google Drive are preferred. Members of the VRA Awards Committee, upon reviewing submitted dossiers, make recommendations that are subject to approval by the VRA Executive Board.
The nomination letters and letters of support for the 2023 Distinguished Service Award and the 2023 Nancy DeLaurier Award are due by Thursday, August 10, 2023 and should be sent to: vra.awards@gmail.com.
Please contact Maureen Burns (moaburns@gmail.com) or any member of the Awards Committee if questions arise: Sarah Beck, Linda Callahan, Dawn Feavyour, Marcia Focht, Ann McShane, Summer Shetenhelm or Margaret Webster. We would be very happy to help with your ideas and the processes.
Notes:
Recommendations from the Awards Committee are subject to approval by the VRA Executive Board.
Current members of the VRA Awards Committee or the Executive Board should not write in support of nominations, nor should they be included in nominations.
Self-nominations are not accepted at this time.
VRA Quarterly Newsletter | Summer 2023
The VRA’s Summer 2023 Quarterly Newsletter is here!
Summer 2023 Association News
VRA 2023 Conference
There's just over a month left to take advantage of the Early Bird discount on registration for the VRA 2023 Conference in San Antonio! Check out the preliminary schedule on Sched and register now to join us September 26-28. Remember to use the code EARLY BIRD to get your discount!
Book your stay at Hotel Valencia Riverwalk at the special VRA Conference rate of $169 (+taxes) per night by using the VRA 2023 Annual Conference Booking Link, or call the reservations line at (855) 596-3387 and ask for the Visual Resources Association 2023 Annual Conference group.
Travel Awards Deadline Extended
Good news! The deadline to apply for a VRA Travel Award has been extended to July 30th! Travel Awards provide financial support for your attendance at the 2023 VRA Conference. Recipients will be announced the week of August 11th. You do not need to be a member of the VRA to apply for a Travel Award. Apply today!
VRA Awards Scouting
The VRA Awards Committee is scouting for potential nominators and nominees for the Distinguished Service (career achievement) and Nancy DeLaurier (project, publication, or other accomplishments) 2023 Awards to be conferred at the Annual Conference in San Antonio. If you would like to share your ideas about any deserving people or impactful projects, please complete this Google form. More information about the awards is available on the Awards page.
Internship Award Applications Close July 31st
Applications are open until July 31st for the 11th VRA Internship Award. Generously funded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, the award grants $3,000 to support a period of internship in archives, libraries, museums, visual resources collections in academic institutions, or other appropriate contexts. It also provides $1,000 for professional development along with a one-year complimentary student membership in the Visual Resources Association. Contact Grants Officer Liz Gadelha at grants@vraweb.org with any questions about the award and application process.
VRA Bulletin Spring/Summer 2023 Issue Published
The Spring/Summer 2023 issue of the VRA Bulletin (VRAB) is now available. Explore the new issue of the VRA's fully open access journal.
VRA Bulletin Fall/Winter 2024 Special Issue Call for Papers
The VRAB issued a call for papers for a special issue, "The Root of Things: Grounding the Digital Humanities in an Increasingly Groundless World," to be guest-edited by Apartheid Heritages. Proposals are due by August 15th. The issue will be published in late fall 2024.
Summer Educational Institute (SEI)
The Summer Educational Institute (SEI) for Digital Stewardship of Visual Information, a joint program of the Art Libraries Society of North America and the VRA, was held June 12-16 online using the Zoom platform. Highlights included the keynote "Our collective survival: Radicalizing care work in digital scholarship" by Elvia Arroyo-Ramírez, which was livestreamed on the VRA's YouTube channel.
EAC Community Hours
The Equitable Action Committee (EAC) continued their Community Hour series. Topics of focus included a discussion of the text "Fostering Transformation: Ethnic Studies as Critical Intervention for Primary Source Pedagogy" and working towards an equitable workplace when hiring, supervising, and mentoring student employees and interns. Community Hour notes are available on the committee’s webpage.
VRA-L
The VRA Listserv, VRA-L, moved to a new platform. From now on, all listserv posts should be sent to VRA-L@vra.memberclicks.net. The Board thanks Membership Services Coordinator Lisa Hawkos for her work coordinating this change that will give VRA-L the support it requires to remain vibrant! The new platform, MemberClicks E-lists, also allows for E-lists to be created for VRA member groups such as committees and task forces. If you are interested in learning more about this option, contact Lise at join@vraweb.org.
Upcoming Events
EAC Community Hour: “Nice White Meetings” Article Discussion
Monday, July 24, 1 p.m. EDT / 10 a.m. PDT
Join the EAC for a discussion of "'Nice White Meetings': Unpacking Absurd Library Bureaucracy through a Critical Race Theory Lens" by Lalitha Nataraj, Holly Hampton, Talitha R. Matlin, and Yvonne Nalani Meulemans.
Our Stories, Our Voices: A Hands-On Workshop on Digitizing Community Archives
August 25th, 9:30-5pm EDT
In-person workshop at George Eastman Museum, Rochester, NY
Limited to 20 participants | $125 registration fee
LINK TO REGISTER | Link to info sheet for participants
Digitization, by us, for us. This workshop led by Elizabeth Chiang is geared towards community archives, kinfolk historians, and small groups, particularly those who want to leverage digitization as a means of sharing and preserving community history.
VRA Annual Conference
Tuesday, September 26-Thursday, September 28, 2023, San Antonio
Deadline Extended: VRA 2023 Travel Awards ✈
The deadline to apply for a Travel Award to attend the VRA’s 2023 Conference in San Antonio has been extended!
Good news! The deadline to apply for a VRA Travel Award has been extended to July 30th!
Travel Awards are here to provide financial support for your attendance at the 2023 VRA Conference in San Antonio, September 26-28, 2023. You do not need to be a member of the VRA to apply for a Travel Award.
A preliminary conference schedule can be found here: https://vra2023.sched.com/. To assist with budgeting conference registration fees and the hotel rate are available on the conference webpage.
Before you apply, please read "Travel Award Rules and Guidelines” for VRA Travel Awards Applicants, and "Types of Travel Awards," both linked here as PDFs.
Please also note that award checks are scheduled to be mailed to recipients after the Awards ceremony at the conference and as such, recipients will not have access to those funds ahead of the conference to set against travel expenses.
Travel Awards are intended to provide partial support for an individual's conference attendance, and typically supplement support from one's employer and/or personal resources.
We always suggest budgeting for the conference hotel if you can manage it. Staying at the Hotel Valencia Riverwalk in San Antonio supports the organization and provides ample time to get to know your fellow attendees. It is also a great deal this year! VRA has secured rooms at the special conference rate of $169 (+taxes) per night.
The list of recipients will be announced the week of August 11. Contact the Travel Awards Committee at travelawards@vraweb.org with any questions.
VRA Bulletin | Spring/Summer 2023
VRA Bulletin Vol. 50 No. 1 (2023): Spring/Summer
The Spring/Summer 2023 issue of the VRA Bulletin (VRAB) is now available. Explore the new issue of the VRA's fully open access journal.
IN THIS ISSUE
ASSOCIATION NEWS
2023 Mid-Year State of the Visual Resources Association
John Trendler
Fiscal Year 2022 Visual Resources Association Treasurer's Report
Ann McShane
PERSPECTIVES
Centering Humans and Humanity in Visual Resources: An Interview with Rebecca Y. Bayeck, Ph.D.
Sara Schumacher
The "Life Cycle of Visual Assets": Advocating for the Profession
Carolyn Lucarelli, Betha Whitlow
Beyond Translation: Translating VRA Core 4.0 into Chinese
Xiaoli Ma
FEATURE ARTICLES
Comparative Study and Expansion of Metadata Standards for Historic Fashion Collections
Dina Smith-Glaviana, Wen Nie Ng, Caleb McIrvin, Chreston Miller, Julia Spencer
REVIEWS
Review of "Global Debates in the Digital Humanities"
John J. Taormina
Review of "Artefacts, Archives, and Documentation in the Relational Museum Review"
Jennifer Galipo
About the VRA Bulletin
The VRA Bulletin (VRAB) is the journal of the Visual Resources Association (VRA), a multidisciplinary, international organization dedicated to furthering image management education and research by providing leadership in the field, developing and advocating standards, and offering educational tools and opportunities for the benefit of the community at large. The VRAB is a fully open access journal and issues are available to anyone immediately upon publication. All costs of publishing are borne by the Visual Resources Association; there is no cost to the authors in order to publish.
Interested in publishing in the VRAB? Information about the submission and publication process is available on the VRAB website.
VRAB Call for Papers: Digital Humanities Special Issue
Call for Papers for the VRA Bulletin Fall/Winter 2024 Special Issue
The Root of Things: Grounding the Digital Humanities in an Increasingly Groundless World
Guest Editors: Apartheid Heritages
This issue seeks to tackle how we, as digital humanists, archivists, librarians, and otherwise find solid ground to work from as we face an onslaught of precarity exacerbated by systemic injustice. “The Root of Things” will feature contributions by invited scholars, including leading scholars in the field. This is a peer-reviewed issue, and we invite all genres and projects of academic writing, including standard journal articles, state-of-the-field essays, and metareflections on previous experiences. Scholars and practitioners at all career stages, including students, and those from different disciplines are encouraged to submit an abstract. Abstracts for articles co-authored with community collaborators/co-creators or abstracts from community engagement offices are not just welcomed but encouraged.
Timeline:
August 15, 2023: submit short abstracts of about 250-300 words
September 15, 2023: editors will notify contributors
February 15, 2024: articles are due for submission
June 2024: peer-review edits will be returned
The publication of the special issue is planned for late Fall 2024.
Link to the complete Call for Papers: https://vra.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/VRAB_CFP_FallWinter2024.pdf
About the VRA Bulletin
The VRA Bulletin (VRAB) is the journal of the Visual Resources Association (VRA), a multidisciplinary, international organization dedicated to furthering image management education and research by providing leadership in the field, developing and advocating standards, and offering educational tools and opportunities for the benefit of the community at large. The VRAB is a fully open access journal and issues are available to anyone immediately upon publication. All costs of publishing are borne by the Visual Resources Association; there is no cost to the authors in order to publish.
Explore the VRAB Archives: https://online.vraweb.org/index.php/vrab/issue/archive
Announcing the VRA 2023 Travel Awards! ✈
We are delighted to announce that VRA Travel Awards are available for attendance at the 2023 VRA conference in San Antonio, September 26-28, 2023! The application submission deadline is July 7 at 11:59 pm EDT. The list of recipients will be announced the week of July 31. Contact the Travel Awards Committee at travelawards@vraweb.org with any questions.
A preliminary conference schedule can be found here: https://vra2023.sched.com/. To assist with budgeting, the conference registration fees and hotel rate are available on the conference webpage.
Before you apply, PLEASE READ "Travel Award Rules and Guidelines” for VRA Travel Awards Applicants, and "Types of Travel Awards," both linked here as PDFs.
You do not need to be a member of the VRA to apply for a Travel Award.
Please also note that award checks are scheduled to be mailed to recipients after the Awards ceremony at the conference and as such, recipients will not have access to those funds ahead of the conference to set against travel expenses.
Travel Awards are intended to provide partial support for an individual's conference attendance, and typically supplement support from one's employer and/or personal resources.
For 2023, we are fortunate to have generous financial support from sponsors and funds provided by the membership including:
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Award. Up to $1,000
Earmarked for applicants from underrepresented and underserved communities, which may include but is not limited to: neurodiversity, persons with (in)visible disabilities, gender identity, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, socioeconomic status, religion, sex, age.
Two New Horizons awards. $850 to $700 each
Earmarked for applicants in one or more of the following categories: first-time conferee, solo, part-time, or geographically isolated practitioner.
Tansey awards. $1000-$400 each
These awards are intended for applicants with insufficient (or no) institutional support from their employer or academic program.
Tansey Top-Up awards. $300-$250 each
These awards are intended for applicants who have demonstrated need for only partial support on top of other funding (typically from employers or graduate programs).
New Horizons Student award. $300
Earmarked for a currently enrolled student.
Garneta E. Taormina Memorial Student Travel award. $300
For full-time graduate students enrolled in an accredited degree program and considering a career in visual resources and/or digital humanities.
More awards may become available and will be announced via email, as well as further details about the conference. Please email travelawards@vraweb.org if you have any questions not answered by the documents noted above.
So don't delay - apply today!
VRA Awards Scouting 2023
The VRA Awards Committee is scouting for potential nominators and nominees for the Distinguished Service (career achievement) and Nancy DeLaurier (project, publication, or other accomplishments) 2023 Awards to be conferred at the Annual Conference in San Antonio. To learn more about these awards, please see the Awards webpage.
If you would like to share your ideas about any deserving people or impactful projects, please complete this Google form.
Completing the online form is not a formal nomination, but a simple start that can be completed quickly to offer your ideas. The Awards Committee will follow-up with you about your suggestions and provide assistance with any potential full nominations later.
Although nominations need to be initiated by Visual Resources Association members, the nominees themselves do not need to be members of the organization.
Please consider contacting us about any colleagues deserving of recognition. We so welcome your ideas and suggestions sent on through the Google form or to our shared e-mail at vra.awards@gmail.com.
Apply now! VRA 2023-2024 Internship Award
The Visual Resources Association (VRA) is pleased to invite applications for the 11th VRA Internship Award in visual resources and image management. This internship is generously funded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. Applications are accepted May 15 - July 31, 2023.
The VRA Internship Award provides financial support for graduate students and recent graduates preparing for a career in visual resources and image management. The award grants $3,000 to support a period of internship in archives, libraries, museums, visual resources collections in academic institutions, or other appropriate contexts. It also provides $1,000 for professional development along with a one-year complimentary student membership in the Visual Resources Association.
Candidates should apply after developing a project with a specific collection and prospective supervisor. Priority is given to applicants who submit projects that support art historical or related visual cultural heritage research and scholarship. The VRA Internship Award Committee favors opportunities in which the intern may integrate skills acquired during the course of the intern’s academic training to manage a project from beginning to end, with the host institution receiving needed help in making valuable cultural collections visible. Projects that would not occur without funding for an intern may be given special consideration.
A complete description of the internship and application instructions are available at the bottom of our Internship Award page.