Villa I Tatti, The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies, Florence, Italy, October 19 – 22
Instructors: Michael Rocke, Nicky Mariano Librarian, Director of the Biblioteca Berenson; Giovanni Pagliarulo, Agnes Mongan Curator of the Fototeca Berenson, Curator of the Berenson Art Collection
Attendants: Sayatina, Avetyan, Terenteva
Schedule:
October 19, Monday
Uffizi Gallery
2:30pm – Villa Tatti (until 6pm)
Day 1 morning: beginning with a fairly comprehensive visit
(2 hrs) to the house, art collection, gardens, and library (with the
idea that the context here is crucial to a full understanding of this
particular photo archive), with the rest of the morning (1.5 hours)
spent in the photo archive and devoted to Berenson and photographs;
the development of the photo collection both by him and since Harvard
took over; and an initial look at highlights or particularly important
/ representative examples from the collection that illustrate its
value to scholarship.
Day 1 afternoon (3 hrs) – continuing with more examples as
above, plus some discussion of the different formats and photographic
techniques represented, the organization of the archive, and
consultation practices and policies.
October 20, Tuesday
Villa Tatti
Day 2 morning: devoted to issues of preservation and
conservation of our photographs, with discussion of the preservation
standards we try to achieve and of the storage materials we now use,
and with illustrations of particular conservation problems we’ve had
and of examples of photos that have undergone treatment.
Day 2 afternoon: devoted to presentations of our cataloging
and scanning workflows, and of various projects completed or underway
to make the collection accessible online (the Assisi fresco cycle of
the Life of Saint Francis, “Homeless” Paintings of the Italian
Renaissance, the Bernard and Mary Berenson Art Collection, etc.).
October 21, Wednesday
10:30am – group visit to museum Alinari
2:30pm (until 6pm) – villa Tatti
free study of the collection
October 22, Thursday
Free visits to Florence, museums.