Enfilade

From ArtHist.net:

Jewish Museums and Professionals in Jewish Art and Material Culture in Latin America
Museos Judíos y Profesionales del Arte y Cultura Material Judía en América Latina
Sociedad Hebraica Argentina, Buenos Aires, 19–21 November 2024

Proposals due by 15 August 2024

Organized by Sociedad Hebraica Argentina with support from the World Union for Jewish Studies and the Latin American Jewish Studies Association

We invite proposals for papers to be presented at the first seminar for Jewish Museums and Professionals in Jewish Art and Material Culture in Latin America, to be held at Sociedad Hebraica Argentina, Buenos Aires, in November 2024. We welcome proposals from curators, conservators, educators, art historians, artists, and researchers in Jewish studies.

The seminar aims to bring together a small group of professionals in Jewish museums and art to explore the question of Jewish art and museums in Latin America. Over three days, participants will give short presentations on their individual experiences, research, and institutions, engaging in discussions on sources, methodology, and theory to evaluate current and future trends, as well as common challenges, at the intersection of museums and art related to the Jewish experience in Latin America. Additionally, participants will engage in practical workshops and visits to relevant local museums and collections.

Jewish museums have existed in Latin America since the mid-20th century. However, the region lacks a network to connect and share experiences among museums that can enrich museum activities: education, visitor centers, provenance research, collection management, preservation, and research. Understanding that Latin American Jewish museums are underrepresented in both museum studies and Jewish studies, the purpose of this seminar is to bring together professionals in Jewish art, collectors, professionals from museums of Jewish history and material culture, archivists, librarians, educators, and scholars in Jewish studies to develop a program of exchange and debate on the current situation of the field in the Latin American region.

The Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue (The Hope of Israel-Emanuel Synagogue) in Willemstad, Curaçao is, according to Wikipedia, “the oldest surviving synagogue in the Americas. . . . The community (congregation Mikvé Israel) dates from the 1650s, and consisted of Spanish and Portuguese Jews from the Netherlands and Brazil. . . . The first synagogue building was purchased in 1674; the current building dates from 1730.” Photo from January 2008, Wikimedia Commons. Image added to the Call for Papers at Enfilade by Craig Hanson

Based on case studies of experiences in producing Jewish art and presenting Jewish history and experiences through exhibitions, as well as the conservation and dissemination of museum and archival material, we seek to identify different approaches and key themes of the field in relation to our region. The focus areas may include, but are not limited to:
• Exhibition of Jewish history and culture: Jewish history and culture in general and in Latin America. Jewish immigration and presence in Latin American countries.
• Exhibition spaces: Jewish sections in historical museums, in synagogues, and in art museums.
• Jewish art: contemporary art, Jewish art salons, Latin American Jewish artists.
• Holocaust and memory: Holocaust museums and memory spaces.
• Education and accessibility: education programs in museums and interaction with the community.
• Digitization and technology: digital and online museums, digitization projects, and collections of Jewish material culture in archives and libraries.
• Conservation and collection management: provenance research and management of art, archive, and Jewish material culture collections. Management of donations.
• Methodology and research: research methodologies in museums, research on Jewish material culture, and research on the Jewish presence in Latin America.

The seminar will be conducted in Spanish, but presentations in English and Portuguese will also be accepted. Submit short proposals (maximum of 500 words) and a one-page CV to Tammy Kohn (tammykohn@gmail.com) and Hebraica (cultura@hebraica.org.ar) by August 15. Selected applicants will be notified in September. Participants and their institutions are responsible for covering travel and accommodation expenses, but limited financial assistance is available upon request. Requests for financial aid must be submitted by August 1. Full papers must be submitted by November 1 for circulation in advance.

Important Dates
Submission of proposals: by 15 August 2024
Request for financial aid: by 1 August 2024
Notification of acceptance to participants: September 2024
Submission of papers: by 1 November 2024
Seminar date: 19–21 November 2024