We are the South Asia Archive & Library Group, representatives of libraries, archives and other institutions in the United Kingdom with some degree of specialisation in South Asian Studies. Please check our blog regularly to see our latest news (plus new links and blogs we're following - see below)! Or subscribe for regular email updates.
Showing posts with label South Asian Decorative Arts and Crafts Collection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Asian Decorative Arts and Crafts Collection. Show all posts
Friday, 18 July 2014
Saturday, 21 December 2013
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
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
Friday, 30 March 2012
Thursday, 22 September 2011
The SADACC Trust
SAALG members are warmly invited to three exhibitions at the SADACC Trust in Norwich:
Comprising over 3000 items, it includes pictures and prints, architectural items, vernacular furniture and objects which illustrate the everyday arts and crafts from the late 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, though good examples of modern production are also included.
Geographically, the collection concentrates primarily on South Asia and to a lesser extent on neighbouring countries such as Afghanistan, Burma, Thailand and Indonesia.
The collection originated following a number of journeys through South Asia in the 1970s and additions to it have continued ever since. In the 1980s, pictures and prints started to be collected covering the period from the late 18th century through to the early 20th century, particularly where these portrayed aspects of everyday life in the region. Good examples of modern traditional miniature painting have also been collected or commissioned.
The SADACC Trust has been actively acquiring good examples of everyday South Asian arts and crafts and displaying these through a series of exhibitions. It also holds periodic lectures on South Asian arts, crafts and culture, and awards travel and educational scholarships to postgraduate students for the study of South Asian arts, crafts and culture. It is also building a library of resources on South Asian arts, crafts and culture.
The Trust's website includes digital images of an increasing number of items in the collection, such as the fine Company School painting, beadwork hat and Nuristani door illustrating this post and I would encourage readers to explore their website and visit the collection. I very much hope that a future SAALG conference will include a visit to this fine collection in Norwich.
- Early Visions of India. Three pioneering British artists: aquatints by Thomas and William Daniell and James Baillie Fraser
- Arts and crafts of the Swat Valley and tribal areas of Northern Pakistan
- Beadwork from Gujarat, Western India
![]() |
Copyright © 2011 South Asian Decorative Arts and Crafts. |
Comprising over 3000 items, it includes pictures and prints, architectural items, vernacular furniture and objects which illustrate the everyday arts and crafts from the late 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, though good examples of modern production are also included.
Geographically, the collection concentrates primarily on South Asia and to a lesser extent on neighbouring countries such as Afghanistan, Burma, Thailand and Indonesia.
![]() |
Copyright © 2011 South Asian Decorative Arts and Crafts. |
![]() |
Copyright © 2011 South Asian Decorative Arts and Crafts. |
The Trust's website includes digital images of an increasing number of items in the collection, such as the fine Company School painting, beadwork hat and Nuristani door illustrating this post and I would encourage readers to explore their website and visit the collection. I very much hope that a future SAALG conference will include a visit to this fine collection in Norwich.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)