Our Current Projects

Display Case “Casey Case’em”

The AMCA Lab’s display case, dubbed “Casey Case’em,” is one of the best methods the Lab has to show off items and artifacts from our various collections. Arriving in the Lab last summer, the case is a new addition to the Lab, but one which we are making full use of. Currently housed in the display case are items from the classical period, which aim to decentralize the classical world from just Rome and Greece. In doing this, we have meticulously selected items to highlight Egypt, Jordan, Israel, and more. Stop by JH380 and take a look!

Archive Creation

Archivist Maya on her work in creating and managing the AMCA archive:

My work as an archivist for the AMCA Lab takes me down many different avenues in terms of my responsibilities and projects. My current project is the accessioning and research of files from Newfields (Indianapolis Museum of Art) that the lab received back in 2020/2021. Accessioning is the act of essentially transferring ownership over objects, or files in this case. These files are scans of correspondence (both handwritten and typed), book chapters, and various documents showing the original purchase and/or accessioning of objects into Newfields. All of these files connect in some way to the objects Newfields donated to the AMCA Lab, and it is my job to research that connection. Part of this project additionally involves researching the people connected to both the objects and the files, creating a web of relevant people.

Beyond just research, I have also been creating collection guides for each file. Collection guides are a summary of whatever document or collection they refer to and are meant to help give information to an audience faster. This is so that whenever someone wants to look at a document or collection, they have an available summary of data to determine if the document/collection is what they want to look at. The final part of this Newfields accessioning project has been beginning the conversation with Newfields, to see if they have any files that might not have been passed along the first time. Due to the large amount of our collection having come from Newfields, this is an important part, so that the AMCA Lab can have the most updated information on our objects.

That is my main/current project, but I have a few other things that I hope to complete with the rest of my time this semester. While creating the web of people relating to the Newfields document is related to my main project, I hope to learn how to use the software Obsidian to create a more visual web. This would not only show the connections between the people and objects but also between just the people. Part of my job as the lab’s archivist was also to organize the Google Drive and maintain that organization. I hope to learn more about the best way to back up our Google Drive to make sure that we have something to fall back on. The final project that I will be working on is creating a cohesive “how to be an activist for the lab” for whoever steps into my position once I graduate.

Collection Digitization

The AMCA Lab is working with Butler Libraries on a project to digitize our holdings. The first phase of this project – integration of our library collection so that books are in circulation – is almost complete. The next phases are centered on improving and building our digital catalog for our objects. This work – including taking and editing photographs of all lab objects, the creation of 3D models through photogrammetry, and writing accurate records for each object – is being completed by lab interns who gain hands-on experience that looks outstanding on resumes and CVs.