The Future of South Asian Collections: UK and South Asia Perspectives, 30th April - 2 May 2014

A date for your diaries, and a call for papers...

The Sainsbury Institute for Art is organising a conference to be held at the University of East Anglia, in Norwich, 30th April - 2 May 2014, entitled:

'The Future of South Asian Collections: UK and South Asia Perspectives'

Conference organisers, Emily Crane (UEA) & Diana Grattan (SADACC), write:

There are numerous and varied South Asian collections held both in the UK and in South Asia.  They range from public or government institutions to privately held collections; some are world renown and firmly established, whilst some are newly formed or a small part of bigger institutions.  Moreover, there are some collections that are well-funded but, certainly within the UK, ever-increasing financial restraints have become a major issue.

Over the last decade there have been shifts in museum practices and thinking about these particular types of collections.  Issues of conservation, documentation, storage and research remain pragmatic concerns for many. Recent collecting practices have tended to be either non-existent, predicated on existing material, in response to particular audiences or linked to specific exhibitions.  Museums have attempted to deliver programs in response to different audiences, with changing expectations and levels of participation.  Does the breadth and complexity of these issues perhaps require the need for an increasingly collective and comprehensive approach?

The conference celebrates the affiliation of the South Asian DecorativeArts and Crafts Collection (SADACC) with the Sainsbury Institute for Art (SIfA) at the University of East Anglia. The notions of 'craft' and 'world art' are explored across the SIFA institutions.  Craft has been considered as the interrelation of form, function, material, process and meaning, mediated through social, economic and cultural influences. Craft is also inextricably linked to concepts of skill and craftsmanship. This understanding of ‘craft' has certainly informed the selection and collection of objects that now form the South Asian Decorative Arts and Craft Collection.  Is it, therefore, a useful device to interpret and consider objects found in South Asia Collections? Furthermore, how do notions of 'craft' relate to debates surrounding 'world art'?

This conference aims to promote collaboration and exchanges between professionals working with collections of South Asian arts and crafts, nationally and internationally.  By sharing knowledge and experiences, it is envisaged that the conference will build and strengthen networks, and foster new partnerships.

Call for papers

Emily and Diana welcome proposals for a range of possible contributions. These may be 30 minute plenary papers or an idea for running a 50 minute discussion group. These discussion groups may be organised around a particular theme, include shorter presentations by organisers, or address a particular issue or question that fits with the theme of the conference. Furthermore, if you have ideas for shorter contributions but do not wish to run a discussion session, we will try to fit these into groups based loosely around the questions outlined on the website, led by members of the host institutions.

Please send any proposals or queries to sifaconference.sasia@gmail.com by 28 February 2014.

Please see the conference webpage for further information.

https://www.uea.ac.uk/art-history/news-and-events/south-asian-collections-conference

SAALG 89th Conference - South Asian Arts and Crafts - Norwich - Friday 5th and Saturday 6th July

SAALG is very pleased to announce that its next conference will take place in Norwich on Friday 5th and Saturday 6th July at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts and the SADACC Trust.

Image copyright of SCVA University of East Anglia

The conference will explore South Asian arts and crafts and will include talks on: 

• ‘Early British Observations: The Madras and Environs Album 1804-1808’  by Diana Grattan (Collection Curator, The SADACC Trust)  

• ‘Indian anthropology and it’s archive’ by Dr Dan Rycroft  (Lecturer in the Arts and Cultures of Asia at the School of World Art Studies, UEA)

• 'Networked Artist-led Initiatives in South Asia' by Emily Crane (PhD Candidate, Sainsbury Institute for Art, University of East Anglia).  

There will also be presentations by Taylor and Francis of their new ‘South Asia Archive’ and Adam Matthew Digital of the digital archive of 'Foreign Office Files for India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, 1947-1980'

Following our day programme at SCVA we will move to the SADACC Trust for an introduction to its work and collections and a drinks reception.

Image copyright of SADACC Trust

Our Friday programme will conclude with a conference dinner at

the Loch Fyne restaurant in Norwich. On the morning of Saturday 6th there will be a guided tour of the SCVA galleries.

To attend our Friday programme the fee is £20.00 payable on the day (including lunch and refreshments, but excluding the conference dinner) and to attend the Saturday programme it is an additional £10.00. We encourage you to bring guests, family or friends to our conference dinner and Saturday tour, please just let us know when you book.

We are very grateful to Adam Matthew Digital for sponsoring our Drinks reception and Taylor and Francis for a donation to help SAALG with running costs for the conference.

For a full programme (including further details about accommodation options and conference dinner) or to make your booking please get in touch with Helen Porter hp@royalasiaticsociety.org by Friday 28th June.

Next SAALG Conference Friday 5th and Saturday 6th July 2013 - Norwich

SAALG's 89th conference will take place in Norwich on Friday 5th and Saturday 6th July so please add the dates to your diaries. We will be focusing on South Asian Arts and Crafts over the two days - the main talks on Friday will be held at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts at the University of East Anglia on Friday, followed by a visit to the SADACC Trust (South Asian Decorative Arts and Crafts Collection) and a conference dinner in Norwich. On Saturday we will have the opportunity to view the galleries at the Sainsbury Centre.

Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, Norwich.
Image copyright of University of East Anglia.

The SADACC Trust, Norwich

Participants will be welcome to take part in one or both days and full details of the talks, schedule for the two days and accommodation options will be sent out in the near future.

If you have any questions in the meantime please don't hesitate to get in touch with the SAALG Chair, Helen Porter hp@royalasiaticsociety.org Tel: 0207 391 9424.

New affiliation between the SADACC Trust and SIfA

I have been asked by Diana Grattan, Collection Curator at the SADACC Trust, and known to many SAALG members, to let you know about an exciting new affiliation between the South Asian Decorative Arts and Crafts Collection Trust (SADACC) and the Sainsbury Institute for Art (SIfA) at the University of East Anglia.

The South Asian Decorative Arts and Crafts Collection Trust was established in July 2010 as a charity (RCN 1137415) and in December 2012 it became affiliated to the University of East Anglia through the Sainsbury Institute for Art (SIfA).  Under this agreement SIfA and the SADACC Trust are working together to establish a South Asian Study Centre and Museum.  This involves SIfA using the collection and library as an educational resource in its teaching programmes and assisting in the development of the Museum.  The SADACC Trust, in turn, will help fund SIfA postgraduate work and continue to fund the development of the museum and work of the Trust.

For more information, please contact Diana Grattan at the Trust, http://www.southasiandecorativeartsandcrafts.co.uk/

Inaugural meeting of South Asian Arts Group

Anonymous watercolour and ink painting in Mithila style
 (Bihar) depicting Radha and Krishna,  from Crafts Museum, New Delhi;
2007, private collection.  http://sifa.uea.ac.uk/home

A date for your diaries...the inaugural meeting of the South Asian Arts Group (SAAG) will be hosted in Norwich by the Sainsbury Institute for Art (SIfA) on Tuesday November 13th 2012.  

The South Asian Arts Group (SAAG) is an informal network of academics, curators, artists and arts professionals, who share an interest in the arts and visual/material cultures of South Asia and the diaspora. SAAG provides a space for interaction, conversation and exchange for people interested in South Asian arts in the UK. 

Through an annual gathering – held at a different location in the UK each year – participants of SAAG will foster contacts, partnerships and friendships with a view to building interactions across different disciplines and approaches to South Asian arts.

The event is being organised by Daniel Rycroft (University of East Anglia) and Sarah Turner (University of York).  It is free and places will be filled on a ‘first come, first served' basis.  To download a registration form, go to: http://sifa.uea.ac.uk/home