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• Archive Newsletters
• Issue #205
• Article

The American Photography Archives Group (APAG) is an organization founded, and run by, Mary Engel, daughter of Ruth Orkin and Morris Engel. The primary mission of APAG has been to offer a forum for living artists and guardians of archives to come together to discuss and learn about all aspects of archive management.

To complement the ongoing work of APAG, Engel has recently joined with Penelope Dixon, long-time appraiser of photographic collections and archives, to start "The Archive Project". This joint venture will aim to help artists and other archive holders specifically with their own archives in terms of providing consultations, organizational and cataloging help, and assistance in finding placements for the collections.

In order to get this project started they are organizing a two-day seminar/workshop that will include sessions on:

•Organizing an archive from A (archival boxes) to Z (zip lock bags)

•Conservation/Preservation issues and solutions

•Legal Issues, including copyright and intellectual property discussions

•Marketing, including social media and website design

•How an archive gets valued and when and why valuations are necessary

•How to secure placement in an institution

•Question and Answer time with the experts

The panelists include the following experts:

Keynote Speaker: Cheryl Finley (professor at Cornell and student of many archives).

Cat Celebrezze (archivist and expert in database creation); Amina Lakhaney (archivist for Bruce Davidson); Emma Winters (archivist for numerous well known photographers).

Kenneth Falcon, Marc Jacobson and Nancy E. Wolff, all legal experts in the field of photography, who will discuss intellectual property, copyright and trademark law for archives, as well as address legal issues surrounding social media and the DMCA, Digital Millennium copyright act.

Peter Mustardo (The Better Image, dedicated to the conservation and preservation of fine art and historical photographs); and Doug Munson and Emily Phoenix (Chicago Albumen Works, specializing in digital archiving of collections).

Robert Pledge (Founder and Director of Contact Press Images); Stuart Wolferman (Unfinished Side Productions, a firm specializing in website design); and Julie Grahame (Publisher of the aCurator photography website; writer, editor and consultant).

Edward Yee (Vice-President of Penelope Dixon & Associates, appraisers of photography for over 30 years); Daile Kaplan (vice-president and director of photography and photo books at Swann Auction Galleries) and Jill Arnold (senior vice-president for fine art collectibles at Hugh Wood, Inc.).

Andrew Smith (owner of Andrew Smith Gallery in Santa Fe, specializing primarily in 20th century photography and collection placements); Julia Van Haaften (founding curator of the New York Public Library's collection, currently specializing in curatorial work, collections management and cultural stewardship); John P. Jacob (director, Magnum Foundation Legacy Program); and Brian Wallis (chief curator at ICP).

The seminar will take place at the ICP (International Center of Photography) school, which is located at 1114 6th Ave. and 43rd St., New York City, on Friday and Saturday, September 5th and 6th, between 9 am and 5:30 pm. Each day will consist of two morning sessions, a lunch break, one afternoon session and a two-hour question and answer period, during which participants can meet in small groups with the experts present that day. Participants are limited to 60 individuals or dual representatives of collections.

The cost for the seminar is $350 for one person for both days and $175 for a second person representing the same archive or photographer. The cost per single day of the seminar it is $250 and $125 respectively. Checks should be made out to: APAG, and sent to: Mary Engel, 41 Union Square West, #620, New York, NY 10003. APAG is a 501c (3) non-profit corporation, and all donations are tax deductible.

For a complete program and other details, contact Mary Engle at 1-917-741-7141 or orkinphoto@aol.com; or Penelope Dixon at pad@peneloped.com.