The Open Modern Art Collection of Iraq: Web tools for Documenting, Sharing and Enriching Iraqi Artistic Expressions

FAIN: HD-50821-09

Alexandria Archive Institute, Inc. (San Francisco, CA 94127-2036)
Nada Shabout (Project Director: April 2009 to February 2012)

The creation of a database with community input to reassemble the partially dispersed and lost collections of the Iraqi Museum of Modern Art in Baghdad.

The Open Modern Art Collection of Iraq (OMACI) project will prototype a robust, participatory content-management system to trace, share and enable community enrichment of the modern art heritage of Iraq. The project represents a collaborative effort of the University of North Texas, the Alexandria Archive Institute, and the School of Information at UC Berkeley. OMACI will create a virtual gallery with images of works of art, many of them now lost, from the Iraqi Museum of Modern Art in Baghdad, linked to publications, exhibition catalogs, and personal documentation. Technologies deployed in this project focus on ease of use and localization, extensive and inclusive documentation, community contribution, and syndication of content elsewhere on the web. The success of the system lies in its ability to reach a wide and participatory audience across the globe, offering users the ability to document, discuss, explore, and enrich Iraqi artistic expressions and experiences.

Media Coverage

Treasure Hunt (Media Coverage)
Publication: University of Texas, Arlington Alumni Stories web page
Date: 3/27/2014
Abstract: "Alumni Stories" article about Project Director Nada Shabout.
URL: http://www.uta.edu/unbranded/alumni/nada-shabout.php

The Modern Art Iraq Archive Offers New Hope for Lost Works of Modern Art from Iraq (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Christopher Howard
Publication: College Art Association website
Date: 3/4/2011
URL: http://www.collegeart.org/advocacy/2011/03/04/the-modern-art-iraq-archive-offers-new-hope-for-lost-works-of-modern-art-from-iraq/

UNT professor hunts for stolen Iraqi art (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Jik Douglas
Publication: WFAA 8 ABC
Date: 3/2/2012
Abstract: Video and news article about the MAIA project.
URL: http://www.wfaa.com/news/education/tracking-stolen-Iraqi-art-141247233.html

Alumna Seeks to Save Iraqi Art (Media Coverage)
Publication: Univ. of Texas, Arlington, College of Liberal Arts Newsroom
Date: 12/5/2012
URL: http://utalibartsnews.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/alumna-seeks-to-save-iraqi-art/

New Hope for Lost Works of Modern Art from Iraq (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Nafas art
Publication: Culture in Development
Date: 3/21/2011
URL: http://www.cultureindevelopment.nl/News/Dossier_Heritage_Iraq/854/New_Hope_for_Lost_Works_of_Modern_Art_from_Iraq_

Associated Products

The Modern Art Iraq Archive (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: The Modern Art Iraq Archive
Author: Nada Shabout
Abstract: The Modern Art Iraq Archive (MAIA) project works to document Iraq’s rich but threatened modern artistic heritage. This project prototypes a participatory content-management system to trace, share and enable community enrichment around this art. MAIA houses images of works of art, many of them now lost, from the Iraqi Museum of Modern Art in Baghdad, as well as publications, exhibition catalogs, and personal documentation. MAIA's goals are to raise awareness of the diverse body of modern works of Iraqi art, to help locate their current whereabouts, and to assist agencies working to prevent their illegal movement and sale. MAIA aims to reach a wide and participatory audience across the globe, and offers users the ability to document, discuss, explore, and enrich Iraqi artistic expressions and experiences. Central to its development were ease of use, translation into Arabic, extensive and inclusive documentation, community contribution, and syndication of content elsewhere on the Web.
Year: 2011
Primary URL: http://artiraq.org/maia/
Primary URL Description: MAIA website
Access Model: open access

The Modern Art Iraq Archive (MAIA): Web Tools for Documenting, Sharing, and Enriching Iraqi Artistic Expression (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: The Modern Art Iraq Archive (MAIA): Web Tools for Documenting, Sharing, and Enriching Iraqi Artistic Expression
Author: Sarah Whitcher Kansa
Author: Nada Shabout
Author: Saleem Al-Bahloly
Abstract: The Modern Art Iraq Archive (MAIA) project is a participatory content-management system to share, trace and enable community enrichment of the modern art heritage of Iraq. The focus of the project is thousands of works of art, many of them now lost, from the Iraqi Museum of Modern Art in Baghdad. MAIA is unique in that it not only documents the lost artworks, but also provides tools for community enhancement of those works, allowing contribution of stories, knowledge and documentation to the system, as well as syndication of the content elsewhere on the web. For the past eight months, participants in this project have been building a comprehensive virtual archive of the works in the Museum's various galleries, including a database of images and information about the objects (artist name, title, date, dimensions, subject matter, medium, condition, current location, related works, etc). These significant national treasures are displayed in an open format that invites participation from users worldwide, including the Iraqi national and expatriate communities, and users will be encouraged to help identify and understand individual pieces. The MAIA system, which integrates two extant content management systems, Open Context and Omeka, will provide a valuable research tool for scholars, students, as well as the general public, but most importantly for Iraqis: these works of art form an important expression of the Iraqi national experience.
Date: 7/8/10
Primary URL: http://dh2010.cch.kcl.ac.uk/academic-programme/abstracts/papers/html/ab-754.html
Primary URL Description: Conference paper online
Conference Name: Digital Humanities 2010

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