Announcement

Graduate Research Workshop for the Study of Buddhist Art in Asia

May 21-25, 2018

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington D.C.

Sponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Applicants are welcome to apply to the Graduate Research Workshop for the Study of Buddhist Art in Asia, jointly organized by the Institute of Fine Arts at NYU, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington D.C.

This week-long workshop (Monday to Friday) foregrounds curatorial interpretation and display, technical art history, and digital humanities. It is intended to aid graduate students in developing sophisticated visual skills through close observation of and extended interaction with objects in a structured and guided environment. It also aims to deepen students’ knowledge of the physical and technical aspects of Buddhist artworks. Participants will engage in study, discussion and research with a small group of other students, faculty members as well as curators and conservators on site at the Freer and Sackler Galleries. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice Across Asia opening this October, and the special exhibition Secrets of the Lacquer Buddha (December 2017 to June 2018), the workshop takes advantage of the rare opportunity to see Buddhist objects from all over Asia together in one place and learn about issues surrounding conservation, interpretation, and digital programming specific to this field.

In addition to familiarizing participants to the exhibitions and the unparalleled collection at the Freer and Sackler Galleries, the workshop will introduce them to the practices of a world-class conservation lab.

Students are expected to complete readings assigned before the workshop and to complete a research project after the workshop based on an object/ objects studied at the Freer and Sackler Galleries. The program is open to Institute students specializing in Asian art or Buddhist art as well as those whose projects relate closely to the Buddhist art of Asia.

WORKSHOP DETAILS

Dates: May 21 (afternoon start) – May 25 (ends at noon), 2018

Location: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington D.C. Class will meet for most of the time at the conservation lab.

Instructors and Co-organizers: Hsueh-man Shen, Associate Professor: Ehrenkranz Chair in World Art, IFA, NYU; Donna Strahan, Head of Conservation and Scientific Research, Freer and Sackler Galleries.

Guest instructors, TBC.

Financial support: A transportation stipend, lodging and some meal support will be provided.

HOW TO APPLY

Submit a CV and a 500-word cover letter detailing your interest in the program to ifa.fs.buddhistartworkshop@gmail.com by 5 pm on November 10. Accepted participants will be announced by December 1, 2017.

 

Accessibility form: https://www.nyu.edu/footer/accessibility.html