A new set of postcards are now available which showcase the thousands of digital images that are available on VADS and free for educational use.

The new publicity material includes images from some of the new collections that are available online in 2011 – from a handbag constructed using milk bottle tops from the Museum of Design in Plastics at Arts University College at Bournemouth, to a 1950s painting of Lots Road Power Station by British artist John Minton from the Royal College of Art Collection, and from a 1960s evening gown from the Woolmark Company Archive at London College of Fashion, to an image from the archives at University College Falmouth by former Principal of Falmouth School of Art, Tom Cross.

The publicity material is available freely to universities, colleges, schools and libraries across the UK. Contact us on info@vads.ac.uk or 01252 892723 to request copies.

You can also download the poster directly from the VADS website, at: vads.ac.uk/publicity

A collection of images by painter and former Principal of Falmouth School of Art, Tom Cross, has been digitised and made available online via the Visual Arts Data Service (VADS). The collection was kindly donated to University College Falmouth by his widow Pat Cross who is keen to ensure the legacy of Tom’s work continues and inspires students and artists alike, following his death in 2009.

Tuart Forest II by Tom Cross, 1999, from the Tom Cross Archive at University College Falmouth © Estate of Tom Cross.

Whilst in the role of Principal from 1976 to 1987, Tom Cross produced many paintings and drawings inspired by Cornwall’s landscapes and seascapes. He felt it was important for students to be taught by practising artists and invited many key characters from the St. Ives art scene to teach at the College. Prior to his time at Falmouth, Tom lived and worked all around the country and abroad, and was influenced by a range of popular styles including French Modernism and Russian Constructivism, making him a key British twentieth century artist.

Blue jug and oysters by Tom Cross, 1991, from the Tom Cross Archive at University College Falmouth © Estate of Tom Cross.

University College Falmouth acquired the Tom Cross Archive in 2010. The archive provides a personal account of the life and work of the artist and former Principal through sketchbooks, diary entries, news-cuttings and exhibition catalogues.

Sketch for Calamansac Wood by Tom Cross, 1987, from the Tom Cross Archive at University College Falmouth © Estate of Tom Cross.

Following the donation of the archive, Pat Cross also donated a substantial collection of Tom’s slides of paintings and drawings, which the University College has uploaded into its database ‘The Image Space’ for learning, teaching and research at University College Falmouth. Out of this collection, Pat has also kindly donated a selection of images for public access via VADS, as she was keen to share the prolific work of her late husband with a wider audience. Pat and the Image Collections Co-ordinator from University College Falmouth made the selection together, based on works which Pat thought were key in Tom’s career and which showed a cross section of the range of work from different periods.

To view images from the Tom Cross Archive on VADS, please see:
http://www.vads.ac.uk/collections/TCA

A case study on the digitisation of the collection at University College Falmouth has also been made available on the JISC-funded Look-here! project website at:
http://www.vads.ac.uk/lookhere/casestudies

Doorway in Oman by Tom Cross, 1996, from the Tom Cross Archive at University College Falmouth © Estate of Tom Cross.

From complex and intricate fancy work to the very practical garments for sailors, many types of knitting are included in this unique collection of Victorian knitting manuals from the Knitting Reference Library located at Winchester School of Art Library, University of Southampton.

Ladies work for sailors, published by the Mission to Seamen. The Richard Rutt Collection, Winchester School of Art Library.

The books were donated by scholar and former bishop Richard Rutt, often referred to as the ‘knitting bishop’ and widely known for his classic book ‘A history of hand knitting’ published by Batsford in 1987. Richard Rutt’s personal library of books, journals, magazines, patterns and his research notes on knitting were donated by him to the University. His intention being that his library joined the Montse Stanley Knitting Collection in recognition of their shared passion and knowledge of knitting developed through their long standing friendship.

How to knit spun silk socks & stockings: with full and simple directions by which persons may teach themselves, by Miss E. Ryder. The Richard Rutt Collection, Winchester School of Art Library.

A particular distinction and strength of Richard Rutt’s collection is the range and number of nineteenth century knitting books first published in the 1830s. These Victorian knitting manuals may be considered as the precursors to the contemporary knitting pattern and the ‘how-to-knit’ books that are still being published over 180 years later. This collection has now been digitised and each book has been copied from cover to cover by the University of Southampton’s Digitisation Unit and are available online via the Visual Arts Data Service (VADS).

The knitting manuals have been made available on VADS as part of the JISC-funded Look-Here! project which was a collaboration between ten partners across the arts education sector. The project sought to develop skills and strategies for digitisation within libraries, museums, and archives in the arts education community.

The stocking-knitter’s manual: a handy book for the work-table by Mrs George Cupples. The Richard Rutt Collection, Winchester School of Art Library.

One of the outputs of the project was a series of case studies by project partners focusing on various different aspects of digitisation in the creative arts. This includes a case study on the Knitting Collections at Winchester School of Art Library by Linda Newington, which can be found on the project website at: http://www.vads.ac.uk/lookhere/casestudies

A unique file relating to the planning of the 1951 Festival of Britain is now accessible online for the very first time.

The file comprises almost three hundred pages of documentation that offer unprecedented insight into the planning of the Homes and Gardens Pavilion, and is one of 77 files held in the Design Council Archive at University of Brighton relating to this national event. A key resource for researchers, this rich set of correspondence, memoranda, plans, and sketches is now visible to scholars around the world.

Handwritten note from the official administrative file relating to the Homes and Gardens Pavilion at the Festival of Britain, 1951. Design Council Archive, University of Brighton.

Front cover from ’4 Ways of Living’ leaflet, from the official administrative file relating to the Homes and Gardens Pavilion at the Festival of Britain, 1951. Design Council Archive, University of Brighton.

Photograph of Homes and Gardens Pavilion designed by Bronek Katz and Reginald Vaughan at the Festival of Britain, 1951. Sculpture by Jacob Epstein in the foreground.
Design Council Archive, University of Brighton.

The digitisation work was undertaken as part of the JISC-funded Look-Here! project during 2010 in anticipation of the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain this year. The file can be accessed via the Visual Arts Data Service (VADS) and compliments the 3200 images already available online from the Design Archives at University of Brighton. For more information, and to view all of the digitised collections from the archive, see:
http://www.vads.ac.uk/collections/DCA

The file can also be accessed as part of the multi-level description of the Design Council Archive available on the Archives Hub

The Look-Here! project, which was led by VADS in collaboration with nine partners across the arts education sector, sought to develop skills and strategies for digitisation within libraries, museums, and archives in the arts education community. One of the outputs of the project was a series of digitisation case studies by project partners, including a case study on the digitisation of the Festival of Britain documentation, which can be found on the project website at: http://www.vads.ac.uk/lookhere/casestudies

A conference organised by the Visual Arts Data Service (VADS), a research centre of the University for the Creative Arts, has been held to celebrate the work of the JISC-funded Look-Here! project.

The Look-Here! project is a collaborative venture, led by VADS working in partnership with libraries, museums and archives across the arts education sector to develop skills and strategies for the creation, management, and use of digitised collections in learning, teaching, and research.

The conference took place on Tuesday 8 February 2011 at RIBA in London and included presentations from the nine project partners ranging from the unique Knitting Collections held at the University of Southampton Library, to the eclectic Museum of Design in Plastics at Arts University College at Bournemouth. The event also presented the work of the Library and Learning Services team at UCA to undertake a digitisation audit across the institution to inform the development of a new digitisation facility and future strategy for digitisation at the university.

Leigh Garrett, VADS Director, said, ‘It has been a great privilege and pleasure working with the custodians of such an amazing array of collections, many of which are currently difficult or impossible to access. The Look Here! project has clearly shown that with sector-wide collaboration much can be achieved in this often complex area. Custodians are now in a much better position to expose their collections more widely across the higher education sector to support learning, teaching and research, and the wider community.’

VADS staff past and present, including VADS Director, Leigh Garrett (back) and Director of the JISC e-Content Programme, Catherine Grout (centre)

The event also included a keynote speech from Catherine Grout, Programme Director of e-Content at JISC, who said: ‘It is essential that we find a way of continuing to grow and sustain our digital collections even in these challenging economic times. The Look-Here project has provided some excellent examples of the rich collections that can be developed within higher education and the kinds of skills and strategies that are required to deliver them.’

The conference included over one hundred delegates from across the arts education community and the wider universities and cultural heritage sector. Discussion covered a broad range of topics spanning the entire digital content lifecycle ranging from metadata and digital content creation, to user engagement and marketing, and from copyright and IPR to sustainability.

As part of the conference ‘fringe’ event, delegates were also invited to participate creatively and try their hand at knitting, inspired by the Knitting Collections at University of Southampton and demonstrations and displays from the Royal School of Needlework and Bradford College Textile Archive.

For more information about the Look-Here! project and to download the conference presentations, see the project website at: http://www.vads.ac.uk/lookhere

Cycling success is down to the perfect combination of rider and machine – and now the bike which the British team is riding in the Tour of Britain this week is available to researchers online.

Team Sky Pinarello FP2 105 2010 Road Bike at the Museum of Design in Plastics

Team Sky’s carbon fibre Pinarello road bike has joined the unique collection at the Museum of Design in Plastics and has been digitised as part of a JISC project at the Arts University College at Bournemouth.

The bike joins nearly 9000 plastic objects in the museum’s unique collection, including other sporting treasures such as Giro Road and Time Trial cycle helmets, an international standard Adidas football and Nike shin pads, and an Olympic standard Speedo Bodysuit.

Louise Dennis, assistant curator at the museum, explained why the bike design is of interest to researchers: “The material something is made of has a great effect on its speed and plastics have been used by manufacturers to overcome many of these issues. Carbon fibre is a plastics-based composite material which allows the bike to be extremely low in weight and yet be stiff, strong and responsive. In addition the geometry of the tubing and the smoothness of the material help to reduce drag.”

Digitising the bike is part of an £80,000 JISC investment in improving the online version of the museum with over 1500 objects from its unique collection – which means the museum can provide access to rare objects which are not physically on display.

Ben Showers, programme manager at JISC, said: “The ubiquitous nature of plastic objects means that it is easy to take their impact for granted – but the newly digitised collection at the museum includes some wonderful artefacts and objects that will help inspire students, teachers and entrepreneurs contributing to our productive and innovative creative economy.

“We now really want other academic and cultural institutions to learn the lessons from this valuable project, which is a great example of how a small scale digitisation project can become fully embedded and useful to teaching and learning in an individual college as well as being sustainable in the longer term,” he added.

The plastic objects now have a dedicated section on the Visual Arts Data Service (VADS) website which shares the collection with a wider audience and places it alongside other archives from other art institutions such as Central St Martins, London College of Communication, and the Design Council Slide Collection.

This link with VADS has also led the Museum of Design in Plastics to become a partner in the JISC funded Look-here! project, which is using the museum’s experience as a model for digitisation in the arts higher education sector.

Knitted elephants from the Montse Stanley Collection, courtesy of the University of Southampton Library

The VADS Look-Here! project involves the creation and publication of a digitisation model developed upon the national collection of knitting patterns and related objects held by the University of Southampton. Their Knitting Collection has been in the news recently again:

In the Loop 2, a second international/interdisciplinary conference took place at Shetland Museum & Archives from 1-5 September 2010. This was a collaboration with the Museum and the Textile Curator Dr Carol Christiansen. The conference has gained interest from media relations resulting in a live interview with Woman’s Hour on 24th August 2010.

A book has been published which includes the papers from the first In the Loop conference held in July 2008 at the Winchester campus, it is entitled “In the loop: knitting now”, edited by Jessica Hemmings and published by Black Dog, 2010.

Links:

• BBC Radio 4 – Women’s Hour, 24th August 2010 – Knitting Past and Present
• University of Southampton In the Loop website
• Look-Here! project website

The Royal School of Needlework occupy some of the ‘grace and favour’ rooms at Hampton Court Palace, this view shows a basket used by previous residents. Image: VADS 2010.

The sixth workshop in the JISC-funded Look-Here! project focused on funding and sustainability, and was held on the 20th August, hosted by the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace. The workshop included presentations by Andrea Stern from V&A Enterprises Ltd, Alastair Dunning, JISC Digitisation Programme Manager, and Joanne South from Arts & Business. The sustainability research, that has been conducted by Leigh Garrett and Carlos Silva as part of the Look-Here! project, was also disseminated and discussed. The day ended with a behind the scenes tour of the Royal School of Needlework.

View outside the window in the workshop venue. Image: VADS 2010.

Some of the issues discussed included working with businesses in a two-way relationship based on collections with unique selling points and specialist skills; and also to look to benefit from external expertise not only financial support. We also discussed image licensing and the benefits of having several sources of funding in terms of sustainability. A summary of the workshop will be available on the Look-Here! project website in due course.

An example of the material held by the Royal School of Needlework, and a glimpse of some of the threads. Images: VADS 2010.

During the tour of the Royal School of Needlework we viewed: an upholstered and embroidered chair that Queen Victoria used; restoration of goldwork in progress; and some of the many examples of works in the collection, from designs by William Morris to a crewel-work screen in the training room.

Links:

• Royal School of Needlework website
• V&A Images: Image Licensing at a Cultural Heritage Institution (PDF)
• Look-Here! project website

Last week Leigh Garrett, Director of VADS, presented a session titled ‘Joining the dots: funding and sustaining digital collections’, at the ARLIS/UK & Ireland annual conference, University of Edinburgh. VADS have been conducting research into the sustainability of a wide range of public, commercial and education digital collections as part of the Look-Here! project.

The session participants were invited to consider the state of the national digital art collection; to examine the current state of funding as well as methods adopted to sustain and grow collections; and to reflect upon how this knowledge can be applied to develop practices and policies to ensure our collections survive and prosper whatever the future of public sector funding may hold.

Links:

• ARLIS/UK & Ireland Annual Conference 2010, University of Edinburgh, 14th – 16th July 2010
• Joining the dots: funding and sustaining digital collections, Leigh Garrett, VADS, the online resource for visual arts (PDF)

The fifth workshop in the JISC-funded Look-Here! project focused on digitisation, and was held on the 9th July at the University of Brighton. The workshop included a practical introduction from JISC Digital Media and a presentation on innovative 3D digitisation technologies for cultural artefacts from the Cultural Informatics Research Group at University of Brighton. Each of the partners gave presentations on their top tips and tools for digitisation projects, and the day ended with a tour of the Design Archives at the University of Brighton.

Forlorn, the knitted poodle. Image courtesy of Linda Newington.

Forlorn, a knitted and stuffed white poodle, was produced by Linda Newington, Head of Faculty Services: Law, Arts and Social Sciences, and Head Librarian at Winchester School of Art, the University of Southampton. Forlorn received an astonished welcome from the workshop participants and illustrated Linda’s top tip very well as a consequence. Linda’s top tip was to ‘keep sight of your objects’, this is because community and collaboration is essential. It is important not to lose sight of your users; objects are one of the things that get people talking and involved with your collection. Linda also mentioned the need to engage students in working with objects as part of developing their research skills.

Links:

• University of Southampton’s Knitting Collections
• Look-Here! project

Translucent blue alarm clock, circa 1998. Collection: Museum of Design in Plastics, Arts University College at Bournemouth (AUCB). The AUCB are one of the partners on the Look-Here! project.

Amy Robinson gave a presentation about VADS and the Look-Here! project at the University for the Creative Arts in Canterbury on the 25th June. This event, titled ‘Preserving today for tomorrow: digitisation projects and problems’, was organised by the Kent Information and Library Network (KILN). KILN facilitates collaboration and co-operation between information professionals.

Detail of the Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK
Image: Bernie Condon / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Last Thursday Marie-Therese Gramstadt gave a presentation titled ‘From VADS to VADS’ at the Architecture Librarians Annual Conference, held from the 7th to the 9th July at the University of Portsmouth. The theme of the conference was ‘Reflections’ and the presentation reflected on VADS’ past as well as looking to current work and projects, with a focus on collections relating to architecture.

The Visual Arts Data Service (VADS) based at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham has secured funding to support institutional digitisation skills across the UK arts education sector.

VADS is to lead the creation of a national community of experts in digitisation across the creative and visual arts higher education sector, after securing funding from the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC).

Knitted elephants from the Montse Stanley Collection, courtesy of the University of Southampton Library

The Look-here! project will bring together, facilitate and build upon the existing skills of the six institutional partners to enhance and embed digitisation skills across the sector. Partners include the University for the Creative Arts, University of Southampton, The Arts University College at Bournemouth, University College Falmouth, University of the Arts London, and University of Brighton.

Knitted beaded purse from the Montse Stanley Collection, courtesy of the University of Southampton Library

The project will see the creation and publication of a digitisation model developed upon the national collection of knitting patterns and related objects held by the University of Southampton. The model will then be tested and refined by the partners. This will result in the digitisation of a wide range of artefacts including books, journals, magazines, patterns and personal papers, and also a number of more unusual objects including clothing, knitting tools and ephemera. These collections will be made available freely for educational use to the arts and wider community through the national online hosting service provided by VADS (http://www.vads.ac.uk).

The knowledge, skills and experience acquired by the partners through the modelling process will be shared with the education and heritage sectors and VADS will provide information, advice and guidance to institutions interested in engaging in their own digitisation projects. The project will also see a series of workshops and seminars which will be open to the education and heritage sectors, and the creation of a series of case studies and practitioner guides.

Leigh Garrett, Director of VADS said: “This is an exciting and pioneering project which will bring a wide range of arts education providers and collection holders together to use a digital platform to make collections more widely available to students and staff across the education sector”.

Linda Newington, Faculty Librarian, Law, Arts and Social Sciences, University of Southampton said, “we welcome this exciting opportunity to promote and engage staff, students and the wider community from across the globe with the important and unique collections held here at Winchester”.

The home knitter, 1876, Richard Rutt Library (part of the Knitting Reference Library), courtesy of the University of Southampton Library

The project will run from October until February 2011. For further information please contact Amy Robinson (amy@vads.ac.uk or 01252 892723).

Established in 1996, the Visual Arts Data Service provides a national online image hosting service, which now consists of approximately 100,000 items from over 300 collections – these images can be used freely for educational use. The collections can be found at: http://www.vads.ac.uk.

This project is one of 11 projects funded under JISC’s e-Content programme which is running from September 2009 to February 2011. Projects are aligned under two strands, some looking at the skills and strategies required in universities to embed digitisation as a core part of its remit, whilst others are creating enhanced digital resources by bringing together disparate collection of related digitised material.