Category Archives: uncatergorised

Self-Nominations for the MAA Graduate Student Committee – Call For Applications

The Medieval Academy of America is currently accepting self-nominations for vacancies opening up on the Graduate Student Committee (GSC) for the 2016-2018 term. The GSC comprises five members appointed for a two- year term on a rotating basis. Self-nominations are open to all graduate students, worldwide, who are members of the MAA and have at least two years remaining in their program of study.

The GSC was founded more than ten years ago to represent and promote the participation of graduate student medievalists within the MAA and the broader academic community. In addition to fostering international and interdisciplinary exchange, the GSC is dedicated to providing guidance on research, teaching, publishing, professionalization, funding, and employment, as well as offering a forum for the expression of the concerns and interests of our colleagues. Our responsibilities, thus, include organizing pre-professionalizing panels and social events annually at ICMS Kalamazoo, the MAA Annual Meeting, IMC Leeds, and biennially at ANZAMEMS. We also run a successful and popular Mentorship Program that pairs graduate students with faculty to discuss any aspect of our profession such as teaching, publishing, finding a successful work/life balance, maneuvering the job market, and more. In addition, we seek to bring together graduate students through virtual communities such as the growing Graduate Student Group on the MAA website, Facebook, Twitter, the med-grad listserv, and this tri-annual newsletter.

GSC members are asked to attend the Committee’s annual business meeting at Kalamazoo for the duration of their term and to communicate regularly with the group via email and Skype. Ideal applicants are expected to work well both independently and as part of a team in a collaborative environment. Previous experience with organizing conference panels and social events, as well as facility with social and digital media are not required, but may be a benefit.

Interested applicants should submit the following by December 15, 2015:

  • The Nomination Form;
  • A brief CV (2 pages maximum) uploaded as part of the Nomination Form;
  • A recommendation letter from your faculty advisor, sent to the Executive Director of the Medieval Academy by mail or as a PDF attachment (on letterhead with signature, to LFD@TheMedievalAcademy.org).

New members will be selected by the Committee on Committees and confirmed by the Council of the Medieval Academy at the 2016 Annual Meeting in Boston, February 25-27. If you have any questions, please contact us at gsc@themedievalacademy.org.

The John Emmerson Collection: Rare Books Donated to the State Library of Victoria

A collection of rare books valued at up to $8 million has been donated to the State Library of Victoria by the late Melbourne barrister John Emmerson QC. Rare first-hand accounts of the execution of King Charles I are among an extraordinary collection of books and pamphlets donated to the SLV. The collection also contains early editions of noted writers including Chaucer, Milton, Defoe, and Swift.

For more on this exciting news, please read: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-16/books-including-one-owned-by-king-charles-i-donated-to-victoria/6393386 and http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-16/the-john-emmerson-collection-five-rare-books/6395636

Documentaries on Prints in the Bibliothèque National

For the past six years, Maxime Préaud, curator-in-chief emeritus of the Département des Estampes et de la Photographie of the Bibliothèque Nationale, has been working with filmmaker Bertrand Renaudineau and Gallix Productions to create a series of documentaries exploring the great masterpieces of the BN’s collection of prints.

Called Impressions fortes, these 35-minute films each focus on one work by the chosen artists, such as The Knight, Death and the Devil by Albrecht Dürer, The Temptation of Saint Anthony by Jacques Callot and The Holy Face by Claude Mellun (among others by Goya, Rembrandt, Piranesi…). The films use HD technology to get incredibly close to the originals in stunning detail and also teach the rudiments and artistry of the various printmaking processes. Art historians discuss the works and place them into their historical and artistic context.

Each documentary also features a contemporary French printmaker whose work is intimately related to that of the old master in order to show the range and wealth of contemporary printmaking.

Six films have been produced so far and a seventh is in production, dedicated to the 17th century engraver Sébastien Leclerc and his famous print The Academy of Sciences and Fine Arts.

Each is available on DVD or can be downloaded via the website, where more information is also available. English subtitles are available. Please visit www.galixproduction.fr for more information.

If anyone would like to organize public showings of single films or several in the series, please contact Bertrand Renaudineau at bertrand@gallix.fr.

New Australian and New Zealand Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies

The newly formed Australian and New Zealand Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ANZSECS) exists to promote the study of the culture and history of the long eighteenth century within Australia and New Zealand. The Society encourages research in eighteenth-century studies on a broad interdisciplinary basis—its members work in fields including art history, history, literature, philosophy, bibliography, and the history and philosophy of science. It is an affiliate of ISECS, the International Congress for Eighteenth-Century Studies.

Established in December 2014, the Society draws on a distinguished history of eighteenth-century scholarship in Australia and New Zealand. It advances the exchange of information and ideas among researchers engaged in eighteenth-century studies through various activities and events, including the 3-4 yearly David Nichol Smith Seminar.

For more information about the Society, membership, and related events, please visit the ANZSECS website: http://anzsecs.com

Petition – Save the Warburg Institute

There is currently a petition from the Friends of the Warburg calling upon the University of London to withdraw their legal challenge of its own deed of trust concerning the care and integrity of the Warburg Institute. Possible results of this action include the dispersal of the library, or its relocation abroad.

There is more information on the history of this important library and research institution and the threats it faces in the Times Higher Education:

The future of a “unique and extraordinary” library saved from Nazi Germany lies in the balance after the University of London launched a legal action to challenge its deed of trust.

The Warburg Institute, which holds about 350,000 books in its Bloomsbury premises, was originally established in Hamburg by Aby Warburg (1866-1929), an intellectual whose brilliance has been compared to that of Sigmund Freud. More.

You can add your signature to the petition here https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/petition-save-the-warburg-institute. They already have almost 3500 and are aiming for 5000.

Help Preserve the National Library of Australia’s Medieval Manuscripts

The National Library has chosen to focus this year’s donation appeal on preserving and digitising key medieval manuscripts from some of their most significant collections. Digitisation would enable the Library to discover more about their provenance and make a major contribution to research in this field.

With your support, the Library will undertake essential preservation and commence digitising the manuscripts to enable their access by a worldwide audience. By providing online access to these rare and fragile documents, they can create a lasting legacy, making the medieval past available to scholars throughout the world.

For more information on the Library’s collection of medieval manuscripts, and how to donate, please visit: http://www.nla.gov.au/support-us/medieval-manuscripts

Balingup Medieval Carnivale 2014

Western Australia’s biggest, best and longest running medieval carnivale, the Balingup Medieval Carnivale will be held on the fourth weekend of August 2014.

Date: Saturday & Sunday, 23rd-24th August, 2014
Time: 10:00am – 4:30pm
Location: Balingup, WA (250 km south of Perth)
Entry Fee* : $15 per day or ONLY $20 for a weekend pass.
*Free Entry for accompanied children under the age of 12

  • Market Stalls – Craft, Food & Wine Tastings
  • Music and Dance, Medieval Re-enactors Combat
  • The Blacksmith & Potters
  • Daily Grand Parade at 1pm each day

For full details, visit the Balingup Medieval Carnivale website: http://www.balingupmedievalcarnivale.com.au