Posted on Wednesday, July 12, 2023
In today’s art world, digitization is central to the preservation and durability of artifacts. For this reason, Humanities Texas awarded Texas Southern University $20,000 to support the major project HBCU Art Legacy: Digitizing Texas Southern’s Hannah Hall Murals, which is directed by Alvia Wardlaw, Ph.D., professor of art history and museum studies.
Funding for the project will support a major research preservation initiative to digitize 40 student murals in the university’s historic Mack H. Hannah Hall. The murals were painted through a program created by the late Dr. John T. Biggers, renowned artist and founder of the art department at Texas Southern.
“Digitizing the murals entails capturing multiple, high-resolution photographs with the exact same lighting and framing, and then stitching the captures together to form one composite image,” said Dr. Wardlaw. “The digitized murals will appear on the HBCU History and Culture Access Consortium (HCAC) website, and in a national traveling exhibition that will include an exhibition catalog.”
Supplementing the major HCAC initiative, which provides additional staff for the digitization of collections, conservation of art & artifacts, and institutional capacity-building, the Humanities Texas award will fund the granular work of photo-capture and post-production. An outside, expert photographer will be contracted to perform this work.
University Museum staffers Ben Schachter and Analisa Esther will manage the project and coordinate the creation of supplementary content to support the digitized murals. Additionally, a five- to 10-minute documentary film will depict the digitization process and explain the significance of the murals and their global, online reach.
“It is clear, digitizing the murals will facilitate multiple key goals of the University,” Dr. Wardlaw shared. “Due to environmental factors, construction damage and general wear, the Hannah Hall murals are under constant threat. Digitization will preserve the murals in their current state, creating an important historical record.”
Likewise, the project, upon completion, contributes to the body of knowledge and research on murals and reaches a larger audience beyond academia. The HCAC website will house the digitized murals and supplementary content offering a virtual, interactive way to experience the murals at TSU. The national traveling exhibition will also bring digitized versions of the murals to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, HBCU campuses and other museums across the nation. Similarly, an exhibition catalog will provide a publication for reference by scholars and members of the public interested in African American art and history.
“Digitizing the murals and creating complementary materials such as essays will provide an invaluable teaching and research resource for students of all ages who are interested in black art and history in Texas,” said Dr. Wardlaw. “With the digitization of the Hannah Hall murals, through the generosity of the Humanities Texas grant, we will secure a lasting Texas-inspired legacy that will be widely available for future Texans and generations.Category: Alumni, Faculty & Staff, News Media, Students