The 6Sight Summit drew leaders in digital imaging from round the world recently for a two day exchange in Monterey, and I had an opportunity to share news about the Leadership Award George Eastman House received from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. The award will allow the Conservation Department at the Museum to create a modified Wiki that we will design and organize to share information on the material aspects of the photograph – information equally necessary to the connoisseur, the collector and the conservator. Click here to read my remarks. The announcement attracted press attention right away, which showed me the general interest in organizing and distributing information about our material culture.

Alexis Girard, leader and founder of 6Sight and its parent institution, Future Image, is organizing a significant gift to Eastman House of early digital imaging hardware and software and associated materials, such as manuals and workbooks. This gift, planned for next year, will point to the need for another Wiki, complimentary to the Wiki on the materiality of the photograph. In fact, the rich and deep documentation that will accompany the Girard gift of pioneer digital objects will create a foundation for data we anticipate will be submitted to the Wiki on digital imaging. Eastman House now has set out to raise funds necessary for both the digital and the legacy Wiki, a task that will be made easier through our association with Future Image. Continue Reading »