Our developer, Interaction Consortium, are attending the annual Python conference tomorrow and have a super sweet Python mascot to match! If you can think of a name, tweet it to them: https://twitter.com/_theIC_

Unfortunately the CAF event at Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, scheduled for Saturday July 18, was postponed due to wild weather and road closures.

On a brighter note, DAAO and CAF will be heading out to Dubbo’s Western Plains Cultural Centre this Saturday August 1.

Digging deep into the art and design histories of regional New South Wales, the symposium will address strategies of recovering lost information, promoting the legacies of local feminist activists and building a solid platform for the future.

The panel will feature: Jessica Moore (Collections Officer WPCC), Simone Taylor (Local Studies Officer, Macquarie Regional Library, Dubbo Branch), Gillian Fuller (UNSW NIEA), Eric Riddler (AGNSW Archive) and Jo Holder and Catriona Moore (Contemporary Art and Feminism).

The How to DAAO workshop, led by Gillian Fuller, will be an introduction to one of the biggest research projects in Australian visual culture. The database provides a means of making data immediately available and connecting with other researchers. It can be used by anyone and everyone. To participate, make sure you bring a laptop and a little (or a lot!) of content to contribute.

The day will run as follows:
Future Feminist Archive Symposium – 11 – 12pm
How to DAAO Workshop – 12:30 – 2:30pm

Places are limited, so check out the Facebook event and get in touch with Barbara Carling at Western Plains Cultural Centre to RSVP: Barbara.Carling@dubbo.nsw.gov.au

Future Feminist Archive has been working hard to build connections between local archives and local feminist histories. The aim is to uncover forgotten archives and facilitate an increase in visibility for Australia’s women artists, past and present.

As part of FFA, well-known artist Fiona MacDonald is researching Vivienne Binns’ Full Flight (1981 – 83), addressing it as a feminist prototype for contemporary participatory practices. This project consisted of Binns living in an “Art Caravan” for two years and travelling from Lithgow to Lake Cargelligo in central New South Wales. Throughout this journey, she observed and engaged with the creative expression of local communities.

Please see this link: http://contemporaryartandfeminism.com/2015/07/15/call-out-full-flight-participants-1980-198/

If your name appears, Fiona wants your art historical musings! Please get in touch via the CAF Facebook page

Check out this video of Gil at the AGNSW Future Feminist Archive event on June 15. She is talking through how the DAAO works and how to upload data.

DAAO and Contemporary Art and Feminism have been working together to lift the visibility of women working in the arts, past and present.

CAF is a multi-faceted project calling on artists, writers, students and thinkers with a passion for art and feminism. Through real and virtual activism, the project aims to reclaim historically overlooked artists and work toward a more vibrant, egalitarian future.

On June 15, the Art Gallery of New South Wales will be hosting a Future Feminist Archive Symposium and How to DAAO workshop, led by Dr Gillian Fuller.

One of the central aims of Future Feminist Archive is finding ways to recover lost archives, to stock-take existing records, and to generate new ideas for curating and archiving.

DAAO is a valuable tool for realising these goals and for building a more collaborative research community. The database holds over 15,000 person records and is continually expanding. The workshop is the perfect introduction to e-research and is open to anyone and everyone. You can help to redress the gender imbalance in web content by sharing accurate and useful information on Australian art and design.

To register for the free seminar please email: joholder@aic.net.au

Here is a photograph of Gill in command at the Wollongong Art Gallery on May 10.

DAAO is hitting the road! Dr Gillian Fuller will be leading a series of site testing and training workshops across the country from May through to July 2015.

Gillian will be running sessions on how the DAAO works, how to get involved and how the database supports new approaches to research. She will also be leading data salons, which are a great way of bringing your research community together.

The research and testing roadshow is all about gathering feedback from the community on our current site developments. In addition to building long-term scholarly relationships, we are enhancing the site’s social features and improving researcher functionality. As we are constantly working towards a more substantial and relevant coverage of Australian art, we need to ensure that we are meeting the needs of the DAAO community.

As funding tightens, user-driven models of preserving our cultural heritage are becoming increasingly important. These sessions are the perfect introduction to e-research and digital humanities. In a rapidly changing academic environment, online visibility is the key to launching a successful career. If you are interested in hosting an event, please contact: daao@unsw.edu.au

Here is a list of preliminary dates. More to come!

Design & Art Australia Online will be undertaking two major upgrades over the next fortnight or so. The DAAO will unavailable intermittently on these dates:

Thursday 23rd April 2015 – 9am to 3pm.

Friday 1st May 2015 – 4pm to 7pm.