Photographic Preservation and Collections Management MA

Transcription

1 Photographic Preservation and Collections Management MA Ryerson University 350 Victoria Street Toronto, ON M5B 2K3 February 2013 (79119)

2 Photographic Preservation and Collections Management MA The master of arts (MA) program in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management is fuelled by the dramatic changes taking place in the world of photography and film with the advent and growth of digital technology. As photographs have increased in value and historical importance, so has the need for trained professionals to care for them and manage the innumerable photographic collections that are part of almost every museum, archive and library around the globe. These facilities urgently require knowledgeable staff who understand both the historical values and cultural significance of these important resources. Such professionals must possess the technical expertise and collections management skills needed to document these collections, protect them and make them accessible to the public, both now and in the future. As filmmakers have adapted to digital technology and the range of effects it can create, film stocks and sound recording media that once were common have all but disappeared. Skilled professionals aware of the historical and cultural significance of films and knowledgeable about the history of filmmaking and sound recording are required to oversee the collection and preservation of this now vanishing resource. The way we take and enjoy photographs and films today is the product of a technological revolution. We can digitally capture still and moving images and store entire collections on computer databases making them instantly accessible on the Internet for public and private consumption. Digital technologies, which have already changed how we produce and disseminate photographic and audio-visual imagery, are beginning to have a profound impact on how archives, libraries and museums function as image exhibitors and repositories. This program will prepare graduates to meet the challenges faced by institutions and organizations that strive to maintain and develop object-based collections, as well as those involved in the production, management and dissemination of digital collections. 2 Cover photography by Barbara Galasso, George Eastman House Interior photography by Gerda Cammaer, Image Arts 3

3 Selection of Partnering Institutions Internships Faculty and Staff This program brings together historians of photography and film, curators, practitioners, scientists, museum, library and archival professionals to deliver a unique curriculum. Many faculty members are recognized on an international level for their research and professional contributions to the field. At Ryerson University, faculty members are based in the School of Image Arts, the Department of Chemistry and Biology and the Ryerson Image Centre. Faculty members from the Art Gallery of Ontario and the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film are full-time staff at their museums and teach under the direction of Professor Marta Braun and Alison Nordström, PhD, joint program directors. Albertina, Vienna, AUT Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, ON Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA Harry Ransom Centre, Austin, TX International Center for Photography, New York, NY Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, ON Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Tokyo, JPN Musée d Orsay, Paris, FRA Museo Fotografia Contemporanea, Milan, ITA National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, ON Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK Selection of Institutions Employing Graduates Archives of Ontario, Toronto, ON Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, ON Bibiloteca Nacional de Chile, Santiago, CHI George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, Rochester, NY Hearst Museum of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, CA International Center for Photography, New York, NY Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, ON Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY Museum of Civilization, Ottawa, ON Museum of the Chinese in the Americas, New York, NY Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY Ryerson Image Centre, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA University of St. Andrews Library, St. Andrews, UK Weissman Preservation Center, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 4 5

4 Two-year Academic Schedule Film Preservation Specialist First Year Fall (Three Credits) Winter (Four Credits) Spring/Summer (One Credit) Requirements & Curriculum The program is based on the assumption that specialists in the preservation of films and photographs must be acquainted with the materials of photography and film, their history, the social and cultural conditions of their production, and the critical and theoretical conceptions that inform their reception. Over a two-year period, students will complete 12 one-term courses, an internship and a professional practice project designed to provide a blend of historical knowledge, practical experience and professional education. Course offerings include seminars in photographic, moving image and sound recording materials, in addition to the history, curatorial practice and management of analogue and digital collections. History of Film I Film Materials and Processes Research Methods Second Year Fall (Three Credits) Winter (Two Credits) Spring/Summer (One Credit) Management of Film Collections/Metadata for Media Collections Film Production Processes Cataloguing and Registration Methods Topics in Early Film and its Preservation Orphan Films Chemistry of Photographic Deterioration Digital Applications for Collection Management Photographic Preservation Specialist First Year Issues in Film Curation and Exhibition Professional Practice Seminar Internship Seminar France Workshop (optional additional credit) Professional Practice Project (pass/fail) Fall (Three Credits) Winter (Four Credits) Spring/Summer (One Credit) History of Photography I Research Methods Photographic Materials and Processes: The Nineteenth Century Second Year Photographic Collections Chemistry of Photographic Deterioration Photographic Materials and Processes: The Twentieth Century Digital Applications for Collection Management Internship Seminar France Workshop (optional additional credit) Fall (Two Credits) Winter (Three Credits) Spring/Summer (One Credit) History of Photography II Cataloguing and Registration Methods Photographic Preservation Exhibition and Publication Professional Practice Seminar Professional Practice Project (pass/fail) 6 7

5 George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film Institutions The partnership between Ryerson University, where students spend their first year, and the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, the Ryerson Image Centre, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Archives of Modern Conflict, where students may spend their second year, delivers a program of the highest calibre. This program combines academic rigor with applied courses in photographic science, new media and museum studies and professional practice. Ryerson University Ryerson University is situated in downtown Toronto, Canada s largest and most vibrant city. Ryerson s School of Image Arts, home to this program, offers a concentration of image-making facilities as well as undergraduate and graduate courses of study. Housed in the same building, the Ryerson Image Centre comprises an advanced research centre, Canada s foremost teaching collection of 19th and 20th century photographs (including the Black Star Collection of historical photojournalism), and an international program of historical and contemporary exhibitions. Located in Rochester, New York, George Eastman House has one of the most encyclopaedic and important collections of photography in the world, an advanced research library and a sophisticated program of exhibitions. George Eastman House also houses an unparalleled collection of photographic apparatus and motion pictures. The museum has long been recognized as a centre of expertise and knowledge in the field of motion pictures and photography archival practice, and is home to the L. Jeffry Selznick School of Film Preservation. Art Gallery of Ontario As part of an international art museum, the photographs collection, comprising 55,000 images, spans the aesthetic and social history of the medium. The collection has large holdings of the work of Linnaeus Tripe, Samuel Bourne and Josef Sudek, in addition to particular areas of strength in 20th century photographic press agencies, photographic albums and personal objects adorned with photographs. The collection is available for study and forms part of a varied-exhibitions program. Archives of Modern Conflict Founded 20 years ago in London, England, The Archives of Modern Conflict has recently established a Toronto branch, which has a rapidly expanding and eccentric collection. Today, 200,000 photographs centred on Canadian social, industrial, and cultural history along with North American Aboriginal material are housed there. The collection is open to researchers and curators. 8 9

6 English Language Proficiency Requirement Applicants whose instruction during their undergraduate studies was in a language other than English are required to submit a test of English language proficiency. Applicants may demonstrate facility in English using one of the following methods: Admission Requirements A four-year undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university with an emphasis in a field of study related to the program. A minimum B average or equivalent in the final half of undergraduate studies. Post-secondary education in the areas of art history, history and photography are preferred, but not essential. Work experience in museum and archive collections is considered an asset. A test of English language proficiency, for applicants whose language of instruction during their undergraduate studies was a language other than English. A graduate committee, composed of four members of the program faculty, reviews applications. The graduate committee will assess applicants whose academic background does not include study in art history or photography for demonstrated equivalence. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) Additional Information For detailed program information, visit Program Contact Information Phone: , ext gradppcm@ryerson.ca Financial Support Ryerson University provides financial support in the form of scholarships, awards and assistantships for as many full-time students as possible. Financial support is offered on a competitive basis, and the number of scholarships, awards and assistantships in any given year will vary. For more information on available funding, visit How to Apply Online application instructions are available at Yeates School of Graduate Studies Admissions Ryerson University 350 Victoria Street Toronto, ON M5B 2K3 Phone: Fax: grdadmit@ryerson.ca 10 11