Santa Fe University of Art and Design Students Collaborate With the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum On Innovative Archive Project
Santa Fe, NM (PRWEB) April 03, 2014 -- Santa Fe University of Art and Design (SFUAD) Art student Erin Haldane (’14) is producing graphite drawings of some of renowned artist Georgia O’Keeffe’s personal effects, many of which have never before been documented for public access. As the first student intern to take part in a new initiative called the “Georgia O’Keeffe Museum/SFUAD Archive Project,” Haldane will draw five to 10 objects from the museum’s collection in the O’Keeffe Research Center, including a box of O’Keeffe’s oil paints, her camping lantern and a pair of her shoes.
Through a partnership with Santa Fe University of Art and Design, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and student interns studying art and photography will participate in creating a systematic, professional archive of these objects to make them visible to the public. Each drawing will become a part of the museum’s archive and online collection. The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum/SFUAD Archive Project originated from the museum’s desire to document the thousands of objects in its collection, which includes the artist’s clothing, furnishings and personal property, as well as extensive holdings of her artwork.
“We welcome the opportunity to work with Santa Fe University of Art and Design students on the Georgia O’Keeffe/SFUAD Archive Project,” said Dr. Carolyn Kastner, curator of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. “We look forward to a project that can grow over time as we explore our mutual interests. In addition to Erin’s great contributions thus far, we will begin a photography project in the fall with training in object conservation, collections management, registration and curation, offering students the necessary skills for handling objects safely and to help them understand how archives are created and used within a museum.”
Haldane said she has toured various museum storerooms and vaults to select the items she would like to document for public view.
“Everyone in the O’Keeffe Research Center is very excited about the project, in that someone is actively creating art in that atmosphere,” said Haldane. “A person drawing an object will often see more detail than what a photograph alone can depict, as the artist is spending more time with it. As a result, it can be more rewarding for the viewer.”
Beyond the drawn documentation phase of the Georgia O’Keeffe/SFUAD Archive Project, the collaboration will extend to other SFUAD student interfaces, including photographic documentation, installation photography for the archive, video interviews and documentation of exhibitions, time-lapse documentation of exhibition installations, and public presentations by SFUAD students of their work for the Archive Project at events such as lunchtime lectures and the Breakfast with O’Keeffe series.
“The Archive Project is a platform for responsive and dynamic interfaces of value to the students and to the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum,” said Linda Swanson, chair of SFUAD’s Art Department. “The Drawn Archive is especially significant in that it inserts the creative act of drawing into the Research Center context. The lingering eye required for these documentary drawings shares a slowed-down rhythm with many museum processes, such as conservation and curation.”
About the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum:
Located in Santa Fe, NM, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum is dedicated to the artistic legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe, her life, American Modernism and public engagement. The Museum’s collections, exhibits, research center, publications and educational programs contribute to scholarly discourse and serve diverse audiences. The largest single repository of the artist’s work, it is the only museum in the world dedicated to an internationally known American woman artist and is the most visited art museum in New Mexico.
About Santa Fe University of Art and Design:
Santa Fe University of Art and Design is an accredited institution located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, one of the world’s leading centers for art and design. The university offers degrees in arts management, contemporary music, creative writing, digital arts, graphic design, film, performing arts, photography and studio art. Faculty members are practicing artists who teach students in small groups, following a unique interdisciplinary curriculum that combines hands-on experience with core theory and prepares graduates to become well-rounded, creative, problem-solving professionals. As a Laureate International Universities Center of Excellence in Art, Architecture and Design, the university boasts an international student body and opportunities to study abroad, encouraging students to develop a global perspective on the arts. Santa Fe University of Art and Design is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, http://www.ncahlc.org.
Lauren Eichmann, Santa Fe University of Art and Design, http://www.santafeuniversity.edu, +1 505-473-6440, [email protected]
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