Wading in DAH (Digital Art History) Water:
A Workshop Week for Those Beginning and Curious
May 25-26, 2023
Michelle Smith Collaboratory for Visual Culture
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What It Is: 2 day Beginner-Level Workshops in Popular Digital Art History Methods (free!)
Where It Is: Michelle Smith Collaboratory, 4213A Parren J. Mitchell Art-Sociology Building
When Is It: Thursday-Friday, May 25th-26th (9:30-3:30 – with a break for lunch, of course!)
What It Includes: An Overview of DAH and the specific tools/platforms of focus, followed by concurrent workshops introducing two (2) primary tools/methods (Omeka + Neatline, tidy data + database development with visualization)
Register at this link:
This workshop builds on the successful events of previous years. Plan to come out and do some wading!
The past several years have seen within the field of Art History a groundswell of interest in the Digital Humanities (DH for short), with a crop of well-funded institutes in recent summers signaling the arrival in earnest of Digital Art History, the term many are giving DH-centered Art History. These institutes are wonderful, but not all will have the opportunity to attend as a result of what can be a competitive application process. As well, many feel intimidated by the perceived cloistered expertise of DH-themed gatherings and are unsure just how they and their work can fit, and where they can start to gain some of the needed expertise.
That is where “Wading in DAH Water” comes in. Conceived as a gentle and easy introduction to some facets of Digital Art History, akin to slowly entering a swimming pool via the shallow section, this event covers some of the more popular areas of DAH (photogrammetry, online exhibitions, database-building and visualization) and is divided into two parts: Morning the first day features showcases of different methods in DAH (to allow you to sample a bit of everything) and the remainder of that day and the day following offers free, drop-in-as-you-will workshops so that you can dive in a bit more and get hands on experience with a method or tool. Organized by the Michelle Smith Collaboratory for Visual Culture in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at the University of Maryland, these workshops will be run by Collaboratory staff.
Workshops (note: these workshops will run in parallel the two days, although one is free to drop in from one to the other)
Omeka + Neatline: If one is interested in constructing online exhibitions, Omeka is the standard, particularly when one factors in its very powerful plugin, Neatline, which, like Omeka, is open-source and free, but is a University of Virginia product (as opposed to Omeka, which originates from George Mason University). This workshop will introduce participants to Omeka and its basic features, its conceptual organization, and best practices. As well Neatline will be covered extensively.
Goals – To become conversant with Omeka and Neatline and to build a working collection database and associated narratives.
Databases: Underlying much of what expanded computational power has made possible is the database. Databases structure information in ways that make efficient a computer’s ability to utilize that data in the production of among others, virtual models, maps, Omeka projects, and certain augmented reality projects. However, a database is only as good as the data it contains (standards for the metadata) and how that data is structured (tidy data). The concept of Tidy Data will be explored when structuring the data, as a well-structured database allows for robust future use (visualizations). If time permits, workshop participants will explore visualizations of their database(s), a move into the deeper end of the pool!
Goals – To become familiar with the database as both concept and practice; best practices for constructing and using databases; using basic visualization tools with the data to produce one or two visualizations.
Logistics worth noting: The workshop is free, but you should bring a laptop, which will be an important and essential tool for the workshops. If you need parking, an abundant amount of free parking will be available in Lot 1 (which is the large parking lot behind the Parren J. Mitchell Art-Sociology building) the entire week (be sure not to park in Lot JJ!).