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2011 Freedman Fellows Share Projects--Apply Now for 2012 Awards
The Freedman Fellows Award Program 2012 is open for proposals, and the 2011 Fellows share their experiences in this profile series that takes research through centuries, countries, cultures. Read the details for proposal guidelines, criteria, the April 2 deadline & more, as you enjoy another 2011 Freedman Fellow profile:
Wattaeau's Paris: Arts and Intersections
Georgia Cowart (Professor, Musicology) claims she was a novice in the digital world even as she recognized that faculty were "all becoming more aware of the possibilities for digital scholarship." Sharing her project's progress, she joins other 2011 Freedman Fellows in noting that staff support (early on, varied, and continuing) is a hallmark of the program and is appreciated by the Fellows. The valuable advice she's received along the way has allowed her to "shape a methodology beyond what I could have developed on my own."
A Sense of What Is Possible
Cowart's project aims for a new view of 18th century Parisian culture with an annotated digital archive of Watteau's Paris. Such a digital project would complement other works about the growing body of works about the French art, music, dance, and theater. Cowart emphasizes that sharing the Fellows experience is invaluable so that others can see how the instruction, advice, and introductions to new areas can be beneficial as Fellows move on to more independent work. "The most crucial component for me was to get a sense of how I could create a digital dimension that would support, rather than steal time from the research I was already engaged in."
Her project can take advantage of digital materials and bring new dimension of music, performance, and art to scholarly works in a digital archive that could let you stroll geo-tagged gardens of Versailles to see how they influenced Watteau's garden architecture. Innovative annotations can foster increased multi-institutional & interdisciplinary digital projects and shared expertise. Cowart also sees evolving best practices in intellectual property & collaborative publications as she continues to work with Circle institutions like CMA and CIA.
For Georgia Cowart, there'll always be Paris...and Watteau, but she'd like it to be shown and known in new ways through her Freedman Fellows Award Project. Reflecting on her progress, she says she "appreciates the Program's willingness to accept repeat applications...my work with digital resources has blossomed."
Image: Antoine Watteau, Les fêtes vénitiennes (c. 1718), a painting Cowart has been able to interpret through its connections with a 1710 operatic work.
Posted by Karen Oye on March 19, 2012 08:50 PM
