The Acton Photograph Archive Digitization Project

The Acton Photograph Archive includes more than 28,000 photographs.
Documenting the history of photography from its dawn, these images are memories of artifacts, works of art, places, travels, and people that tell the story of Villa La Pietra and its many connections to Italy and the wider world. But memories are like negatives—they must be developed in order to articulate and signify something meaningful. Photographs, like memories, can deteriorate over time, so it’s paramount to preserve and protect them so that the stories they tell remain a resource for future generations.

This event will illustrate the project of transforming an unorganized family collection of images into an accessible archive. Step by step, the stakeholders involved in the project will present their goals and discuss how they were achieved. Mia Biviano, NYU Global Liberal Studies Student has been invited to come back from New York to talk about her involvement as a student engaged with a tangible museum project.

Speakers will also include: Francesca Baldry, Collection Manager, Scott Palmer, Coordinator of Instructional Technology and Digital Initiatives, and Centrica, the company providing technical digital support for the project

(Event open to NYU Florence Community-only)

Museum Meetings consists of a series of conversations dedicated to various aspects of art and museums, including art history, photography, anthropology, collecting, curation, techniques and media, conservation, and the role of museums and archives in society today. It originates in the Acton Collection at Villa La Pietra and expands to other art spaces in Florence and Tuscany. It is designed to attract a multidisciplinary group of students, not just those studying art or art history. All the meetings are conceived as discussions and envisage an active participation.