Book with Wings, a sculpture by Anselm Kiefer at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Photograph by Dana Hart
«A couple weeks ago, a number of Watson librarians descended on Fort Worth for the 2015 Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) Conference. We were there to share ideas and innovations from the previous year, as well as visit some of Fort Worth's fantastic art museums. Wining and dining is, of course, part of any good conference, and Watson attendees took part in their fair share of Fort Worth's food and drink. Presented here are a few highlights from the trip.»
Conjoined, a sculpture by Roxy Paine at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, was a highlight of the Society Circle's opening-night reception. Photograph by Ross Day
The conference's opening event, a fundraiser at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, gave us a chance to enjoy some much-needed warm weather for those of us visiting from the Northeast. The gorgeous image above of the Roxy Paine sculpture Conjoined was taken as attendees roamed about the museum's sculpture garden.
A wall of framed rawhide whips in the conference hotel. Photograph by Tamara Fultz
Our conference hotel had a definite cowboy-themed ambiance to go with the rambunctious Texas livestock town: the walls were decorated with paintings of monumental steers, detailed photographs of spurs, and, pictured above, some framed rawhide whips.
Librarians Tina Lidogoster (left) and Andrea Puccio (right) present a poster on our recent influx of PDF gift catalogs. Photograph by Julie Lê
Tina Lidogoster and Andrea Puccio presented a poster on how Watson has handled its recent influx of PDF gift catalogs. Our efforts were well received and we were bombarded with questions. Tina got to show off her previously unknown skills in product demonstration as she wowed visitors with catalogs downloaded to our iPad. Other institutions expressed a real interest in the project, and conversations are underway to make this a more collaborative, cross-institutional effort.
Left: Julie Lê enjoying some Texan BBQ at Angelo's. Photograph by Tina Lidogoster. Right: Two of the dishes we enjoyed at Muang Lao, a Laotian restaurant. Photograph by Julie Lê
The food in Fort Worth was terrific, and many of us at Watson explored a diverse range of the city's cuisine. Of course we had to try some Texas BBQ while there, and you can see librarian Julie Lê above preparing to dig into some ribs at Angelo's. We also enjoyed a night out at a Laotian restaurant, Muang Lao, which was a truly wonderful place to eat.
The Etruscan, a sculpture by Michelangelo Pistoletto at the Modern Museum of Art of Fort Worth. Photograph by William Blueher
Between conference sessions, Watson's Dana Hart and William Blueher biked over to the Modern Museum of Art of Fort Worth. Serendipitously the crowds were at a minimum, so it was the perfect time to stroll around and appreciate the beautiful architecture of the museum, designed by architect Tadao Ando. Highlights included the Anselm Kiefer sculpture Book with Wings (shown at the top of the post) and Michelangelo Pistoletto's The Etruscan.
Daniel Starr receives the Distinguished Service Award. Photograph by Robyn Fleming
The final night of the conference was particularly exciting because Watson's very own Daniel Starr received the Distinguished Service Award, the highest accolade given out by ARLIS/NA. Daniel began his brief acceptance speech by recounting how he began working at the Art Institute of Chicago's Ryerson and Burnham Libraries as a teenager and thanking the librarians who took him under their wing, trained him, and taught him to mix work and humor. He framed his remarks around the below poem that they recited one afternoon as he was shelving books in the basement stacks.
Poem recited to a teenage Daniel Starr at the Art Institute of Chicago's Ryerson and Burnham Libraries
All in all it was a great conference: great art, great sessions, great posters, great food, and, most of all, great people. Members of Watson were involved on a number of levels throughout the conference, moderating a number of sessions (Dan Lipcan, Tamara Fultz, Andrea Puccio), and participating in committee work (Dan Lipcan and Tamara Fultz). For more, we encourage you to explore some of the images from the conference under #arlis2015.