Records of the Research and Academic Program, 1997 -

The Records of The Research and Academic Program is comprised of records related to the planning of programs and fellowship information produced by the Clark’s Research and Academic Program (RAP). The records include digital and written correspondence; draft documents of publicity material; recordings and transcripts of lectures, conversations, conferences, and colloquia; invitations to events, catering menus, and ticket sales; minutes from planning committee meetings; and contact information for visiting scholars and program participants.

RAP’s administrative files include expenses, invoices, membership subscriptions, and employee handbooks; blueprints of the Visting Scholars Residence; and records associated with a fellowship portrait project. Records related to Michael Ann Holly’s tenure as chair and treasurer of The Association of Research Institutes in Art History (ARIAH), from 2001 through 2006, include personal notes, drafts of works, and administrative files. A substantial portion of the material concerns the hiring of RAP’s Associate Director in 2010. Notes, correspondence, and applicant credentials are included in these files.

RAP oversees the planning of several different public and academic programs, including colloquia, workshops, symposia, and Clark Conferences. Colloquia are semi-private gatherings of researchers discussing topics of mutual interest; these conversations span the history and historiography of art. Clark / Getty Workshops take place twice yearly and explore contemporary cultural concerns and their effects on the practice of art history. Exhibition Concept Workshops allow for collaboration among museum professionals to deepen and refine the ideas behind exhibitions. Clark Conferences are two-day, public gatherings focused on particular themes in art history. Conferences are generally organized by two external co-conveners and take place twice a year. Papers presented at Clark Conferences are published by Yale University Press in the series Clark Studies in Visual Arts. Symposia are one-day public events organized by external co-conveners.

The collection also includes information related to participants in the RAP fellowship program at the Clark Art Institute. Fellowships provide visiting scholars with housing on the campus of the Clark Art Institute; records derived from the fellowships include applications, project abstracts and proposals, exit questionnaires completed by fellows, as well as correspondence related to travel, housing, payment, acceptance letters, invoices, in addition to personal information and ephemera.

Multimedia in this collection includes audio and visual cassettes, digital photography and recordings, and born-digital formats documenting lectures, presentations, group discussions, and celebrations hosted by RAP.