The Association of Academics, Artists and Citizens for University Autonomy (ACUA) was formed in February 2008 to revitalize and enrich universities as prime centres of higher education, prevent the erosion of university autonomy and constitutional provisions sustaining it, and advocate the idea that universities are a space to nurture the public imagination about them as specific, specialised and privileged domains of freedom of thought, inquiry and expression. ACUA has pursued the above objectives by organising workshops, public lectures, seminars and conferences in collaboration with individuals, educational institutions, thus working towards establishing a creative-critical interface between universities and the public.

The review of the arts research and documentation programme had emphasised the need to organise seminarsand conferences that linked the strategic and thematic focusof the programme and contributed to making IFA's work public and strengthened and connected grants and grantees. Since conferences and seminars were viewed by the panel as ideal tools to consolidate existing grant outcomes and provide a platform for future research, this grant to the ACUA takes this idea forward and supports a three-day, international confeerence titled Archiving the Art Histories: Exigencies and Challenges in Pedagogy and Research. Drawing on theoretical understandings that have led to a rethinking of the archive and archiving practices, the conference will survey the history of the existing archiving, research and teaching practices of art history in the art schools in India. Secondly, the conference will think through and devise ways of improving the present state of visual archives in the art teaching institutions in the country.

Prof. Shivaji Panniker will coordinate the conference on behalf of ACUA. The thrust of this conference is in line with the review of arts research and documentation programme, in the art teaching instituitions in India may have the inclination to engage in research-based activities but lack the resources to do so. Since research is dependent on a sound infrastructure, IFA's intervention can specifically centre on strengthening the interface between online libraries and archives and promoting networks and dialogue bewteen art teaching institutions in India. 

Panniker says, "We hope that many representatives from different arts teaching institutions in India will participate and present their points of view. However, we shall not restrict the conference solely to the institutions that research and teach fine arts, but will invite inputs from instiutions engaged with archiving, research and teaching in the allied areas such as design studies, film studies, literary studies, urban studies, cultural studies, performance studies, etc." International participation in the conference will be facilitated by the Asia Society.

 

 

This description is part of the institutional records created by IFA at the onset of the grant. The project may have changed in due course as reflected in the deliverables from the Grantee.