Smithsonian Institution Archives

Professional Activities Files, 1994-2005

Summary

Collection ID:
SIA.FA18-205
Creators:
Smithsonian American Art Museum. Research and Scholars Center
Dates:
1994-2005
Languages:
English
Physical Description:
2 cu. ft. (2 record storage boxes)
Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives

Descriptive Entry

Descriptive Entry
This accession consists of correspondence, grant requests, agendas and meeting notes, press releases, reports and publicity pertaining to NMAA's [now known as the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM)] participation in the national Museum Educational Site Licensing Project. Also included are materials related to the formation of AMICO and the NMAA's participation in that project. These materials were created and maintained by Rachel M. Allen, Chief, Office of Research and Scholars Center, National Museum of American Art, who served as the museum's MESL project coordinator and its AMICO project coordinator and board member.
For related AMICO materials please see the Smithsonian Institution Archives Accession 05-192: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Office of the Director, Associations, Committees and Councils Records, 1989-2004; Accession 06-287: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Office of the Deputy Director, Subject Files, FY 2003; and Accession 08-052: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Office of the Deputy Director, Subject Files, FY 2004.

Historical Note

Historical Note
The Research and Scholars Center had its origin in the Office of Research and Professional Training, created by Director Joshua Charles Taylor in 1979, to embrace the Intern Program and the Fellows Program of the National Museum of American Art (NMAA). About 1983 the office was split, with the Intern Program passing to the Museum Programs Division and the Fellows Program transferring to the Museum Resources Division as the Office of Research Support. In 1989 Director Elizabeth Broun reunited the two offices as the Research and Scholars Center, with Rachel M. Allen as Acting Chief, 1989, and Chief, 1990-2001. As head of the Research and Scholars Center, Allen served as the museums project coordinator on a variety of outside projects and collaborations, including work with the Museum Education Site Licensing Project (MESL) and the Art Museum Image Consortium (AMICO).
The stated purpose of the MESL was "to explore and promote the educational benefits of digital access to museum collections through campus networks maintained by academic institutions in order to help promote the development of computer-based learning tools for the study of art and culture."
MESL was designed to explore ways to make museum images and related information available in an online environment for educational purposes. Organizational planning for the project began in early 1994 supported by the Getty Art History Information Program (AHIP) and MUSE Educational Media. An initial call for participation went out in September 1994. From among 80 applicants, seven museums and seven universities were selected as participants, with AHIP and MUSE Educational Media serving as project managers. The project covered two academic years: 1995-1996 and 1996-1997. The project concluded in the summer of 1997, with a final report published in 1998.
AMICO was "a non-profit corporation formed by North American Art Museums to provide educational access to and delivery of cultural heritage information by creating, maintaining, and licensing a collective digital library of images and documentation of works in their collections."
Early in 1997, the AAMD (Association of Art Museum Directors) invited its members to send representatives to an organizational meeting for what would become AMICO. AMICO was officially organized in October 1997, as a program of the Association of Art Museum Directors Educational Foundations, Inc., and the AMICO Board was constituted. In 1998, AMICO was separately incorporated as an independent, not-for-profit organization, ending its direct connection to the AAMD.
Built on the success of the Museum Educational Site Licensing Project (MESL), AMICO was designed to provide high quality images and information documenting the largest art museum collections in North America available for licensed educational use on campus networks. AMICO operated from 1997 to 2005. AMICO members made a library of digital multimedia documentation of more than 50,000 works of art available under subscription to educational institutions.

Administration

Author
Finding aid prepared by Smithsonian Institution Archives

Using the Collection

Prefered Citation
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 18-205, Smithsonian American Art Museum. Research and Scholars Center, Professional Activities Files
Use Restriction
Restricted for 15 years, until Jan-01-2021; Transferring office; 06/14/2018 memorandum, Toda to Hennessey; Contact reference staff for details.

More Information

Notes

SI Records


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Allen, Rachel M. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art Museum Image Consortium Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Museum Educational Site Licensing Project Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of American Art (U.S.). Research and Scholars Center Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Getty Art History Information Program Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Association of Art Museum Directors Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art museums Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Museums -- Educational aspects Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Digital libraries Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Clippings Genre/Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manuscripts Genre/Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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