depARTment of art FACILITIES

art history ceramics drawing graphic/web design painting

photography/imaging arts printmaking sculpture visual resource center woodshop

VISUAL RESOURCE CENTER

The Visual Resource Center (VRC), located on the first floor of Meek Hall, supports the teaching of Art and Art History courses by the Department of Art, including adjunct and visiting faculty, with the delivery of images into the classroom. Departmental graduate students making seminar presentations in university courses or presenting conference papers also may access the VRC's holdings.

The VRC is managed by a full-time curator, who reports directly to the Chair of the Department of Art and is assisted by a support staff of student workers. Restricted-access facilities include an imaging station for digitizing images and the department's collection of 35mm slides. The slide collection contains more than 85,000 slides of world art, artifacts, and material culture from the prehistoric through the contemporary periods.

Digital Image Database (UMDID.org/art)
In Spring 2004, with the purchase of a new Macintosh G5, Nikon Super CoolScan 8000 slide scanner, Epson Expression 1680 flatbed scanner, and Canon EOS Digital Rebel digital camera, the VRC commenced the Department's Digital Image Database (UMDID) initiative. After a year into the digitization process, the results became a searchable FileMakerPro database containing JPEG images for classroom projection. In Spring 2007 after over 3 years into the project, we launched the UMDID to the web. UMDID.org/art is now accessible to the department and faculty. Our collection has almost reached 25,000 digital images and continues to grow everyday!

For an introduction to using the UMDID, please contact the VRC's curator to arrange a training session: Allan Innman, jainnman@olemiss.edu