Over the past two years, the library of Middelheim Museum created metadata of its publications about/with/by artists and invested in increasing access to the content, container (the paper object) and context, with the support of the Flemish Government. Project partner ArchiVolt, research group at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, selected 1800 artists’ publications from the library collection and drafted a users' guide. In a network of library and museum partners we shared practices on the collection management and use of artists' publications.
During this symposium, we will have several national and international professionals sharing their insights, cases and practices to further explore the potential of these publications.
Programme
23 November 2023, 10:00 – 17:00
Royal Academy of Arts, Antwerp (Winter garden), Mutsaardstraat 31, 2000 Antwerp
09:30 – Sign In & Coffee
10:00 – Welcome & Opening by Anna Stoppa, Moderator and Assistent Curator Middelheim Museum, Johan Pas, Director Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp - Presentation of A Kind of a “Huh?” Artists’ Publications (not) a Users’ Guide & Sara Weyns, Director Middelheim Museum, Antwerp
10:30 – Artists’ Publications Challenging Practices in Middelheim Museumby Sara Clissen, Project Coordinator project on Artists’ publications Middelheim Museum, Antwerp & Veerle Meul, Head of Collections Middelheim Museum, Antwerp
11:10 – Coffee Break
11:30 – Collecting Artists’ Publications in Two Institutions Across a Street by Gustavo Grandal Montero, Library Collections and Engagement Manager, Tate, London
12:15 – Lunch Break
13:30 – Introduction Afternoon by Anna Stoppa
13:30 – Parallel Sessions
14:45 – Coffee Break
15:00 – Panel Discussion – (the afterlife of) Artist’s publications in a Museum and/or a Library with Anna Stoppa,Gustavo Grandal Montero, Library Collections and Engagement Manager, Tate, London, Mica Gherghescu, Head of Research and Scientific Programming, Bibliothèque Kandinsky, Paris, Anne Thurmann-Jajes, head of the Centre of Artists’ Publications, Bremen & Nico Dockx, Visual Artist, Publisher of Artists’ Publications and Teacher at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp.
16:30 – Reception
This symposium was curated by Middelheim Museum and ArchiVolt and is part of the project Artists’ Publications. Digital Registration and Accessibility of Publications about/with/by Artists in the Library of Middelheim Museum. This project was realized with the support of the Flemish government
With thanks to the hospitality of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp.
Parallel sessions (13:30)
Session 1
To be or Not to Be? Finding and Defining Artists’ Publications
An interactive session given by Johan Pas and Nico Dockx, Visual Artist, Publisher of Artists’ Publications and Teacher at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. The manual to recognizing artists’ publications will be tested on examples of the publications that the participants bring with them.
Places for this session are limited
Session 2
Uncategorized? How to Catalog Artists’ Publications (session in Dutch)
An interactive session given by Sara Clissen and Jasper De Ridder, Registrar Middelheim Museum. They will elaborate on the newly created dataprofile of artists’ publications and will give a cataloging demonstration. Participants are encouraged to bring along their own cases for cataloging.
Places for this session are limited
Session 3
Handling Artist’s books at Moderna Museet – Conservation Considerations: Preservation, Exhibition, Intimacy and Possibilities
In this interactive session, Alison Norton, Conservator, Moderna Museet, Stockholm, will kick off with a lecture on different cases of Moderna Museet’s Collection of Artists’ Books, elaborating on the use and the involvement of audiences. Afterwards Veerle Meul and Alison will spark a debate on different strategies to be explored, from facsimiles to digital copies to and how to involve the artist and other perspectives in these practices.
Places for this session are limited
Practical
Symposium: A Kind of a 'Huh?' - On Artists' Publications and How to Manage Them
- Date: 23 November 2023, 10:00 – 17:00
- Venue: Royal Academy of Arts, Antwerp (Winter garden), Mutsaardstraat 31, 2000 Antwerp
- Language: English (except session 2)
- Documentation of the symposium will be made available online soon after the event
- Free with registration
