University Art Collection Digitization Project underway
USI boasts numerous opportunities to view art around campus—from the McCutchan Art Center and Pace Galleries to the various exhibits in the hallways of our academic and administrative buildings. Now, a project to digitize these collections extends the reach from in-person visitors to a virtual, global audience.
The University Art Collection’s mission has always been to provide educational and aesthetic experiences for the University community and all who visit campus, according to Susan Colaricci Sauls, Director of University Art Collection (UAC). In November 2022, David Bower, USI Foundation President and Art Collection Committee (ACC) Chair, put forth the suggestion of digitizing the entire collection to allow for more accessibility. To determine the scope for such an effort, Sauls was tasked with preparing a budget, methodology and timeline for the ACC to consider. She then presented it to committee members in January 2023, where the ACC unanimously approved the venture.
In March, Evansville community leader and ACC member Neal A. Franklin made a generous gift of $25,000 to underwrite the entire project. “We are indebted to Neal for her support of this mission,” says Sauls. “Because of her generosity, the planning and preparation is well underway for all the objects in the UAC to be digitized.”
Franklin and her husband, Dr. Joseph “Jef” Franklin (1941-2022), moved to Evansville in 1975 after he accepted an opportunity to work at the Welborn Clinic. The Franklins became involved with USI after Richard E.S. Diggs, former USI Varsity Club President, introduced the couple to USI Head Basketball Coach Bruce Pearl in 1992. After becoming avid USI Basketball supporters, they then became supporters of academics, especially the arts. Mrs. Franklin is a member of the USI Foundation Board of Directors and has served as chair of the USI Society for Arts and Humanities.
While this process opens access to the collection to more viewers, it also will aid in preservation efforts and allow art objects to also be virtually accessible for research purposes. The artwork will be accessible through the University Archives and Special Collections’ (UASC) online digital platform, CONTENTdm.
Sauls says the project’s primary workspace will be in the John M. Lawrence ’73 Library, room 0119, on the lower level of the Liberal Arts Center. “This space will house a photography studio and art processing area with computer workstations,” she adds.
Another exciting aspect of the project will be the involvement of USI students. “This endeavor will create opportunities for art student involvement through internships and student worker positions,” says Sauls. “By participating in the digitization process, students will learn skill sets in demand by archives, libraries, museums, cultural heritage organizations and commercial enterprises.”
The digitization and metadata process formally begins in September and is scheduled to be completed by December 2024.
The UAC holds more than 4,000 works of art and artifacts, including works by American abstract expressionist Stephen S. Pace, pop artist Andy Warhol, leading African American sculptor Richard Hunt, the Kenneth P. McCutchan 19th and 20th Century Indiana Art Collection, selections from the John M. Lawrence ’73 Medieval Art Collection and much more.