Material / Image Research Lab (MIRL)

In Fall 2023, we began developing an archive of modern and contemporary art by local Chumash artists, in response to the absence of contemporary Chumash artists in the JSTOR repository. A search for Chumash art, for example, brings up few works that are less than 100 years old. Over the year, we amassed close to 500 art works by 20 artists, now catalogued in JSTOR Forum.

We are now expanding the project beyond the Chumash Nations to include modern to contemporary art by other Central Coast Native Americans. When ready, this platform will be open to all community members, both on JSTOR as well as an open-source web platform.

https://forum.jstor.org/#/projects/150618

Please contact us for more information.

3d scanned objects provide an enriched, immersive, interactive viewing experience, where one can view the object from any angle and/or distance. This offers the closest experience to actually seeing the object in person, when the object is stored or otherwise absent. 3d scanned objects also allow researchers to materially analyze the object, including surface deviation, material composition, UV exposure, and more.

The object above is a Chimu silver Kero, ca. 900 – 1430 CE (Grace H. Dreyfus Collection, #1968.6).

This expansive project explores the relationship between art history and archeology in utilizing formal analysis skills and digital humanities methods, yet with archeological objects. The project involved intensive digitization, documentation, and the development of metadata for 525 illustrations and photographs of Chimu and Lambayeque objects from approximately 60 burial sites in Farfan, Peru. 

This project centers on the digitization of a compelling collection of vernacular photographs and postcards from North Africa and Europe, dating to the 1920s and 1930s. These materials offer valuable insights into everyday life, travel, and cross-cultural encounters during the interwar period. Photographs and postcards from this era often served as tools of representation, reflecting both personal narratives and broader societal trends. In colonial contexts, these images reveal complex dynamics of power, cultural exchange, and visual propaganda, capturing how colonized spaces and peoples were depicted for European audiences. Beyond their colonial implications, the materials also illuminate local perspectives, social customs, and the ways photography functioned as a medium of memory and connection. By digitizing and preserving this collection, the project contributes to the study of visual culture, colonial histories, and the role of photography in shaping collective and individual identities during a pivotal historical moment.