The Long Lives of Medieval Objects, from Big to Small, AVISTA sponsored session at 51st International Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo, MI, May 12–15, 2016

Traditional histories often privilege the moment of an object’s origin, whether it be the design of a building, the production of a manuscript, or the creation of decorative arts, ritual or mundane. Yet medieval objects have long and expansive lives that defy the period and geographic boundaries set by academic disciplines. Many medieval objects have extended prehistories emerging from their sites and contexts of creation, and most medieval objects have undergone a variety of interventions and adaptations since coming into being. The lives of these objects have been further extended through historiography and digital media.

AVISTA will sponsor sessions that focus on the long lives of three types of objects: buildings, manuscripts, and small-scale sculpture and metalwork. These sessions are organized in conjunction with two sessions dedicated to the long life of medieval art and architecture to be held at the 23rd International Medieval Congress, Leeds, 4–7 July 2016. We encourage papers that complement the interdisciplinary mission of AVISTA, bringing together studies of technology, science, and art. These sessions, together with their parallel sessions at Leeds, anticipate a volume on the Long Lives of Medieval Art and Architecture as part of AVISTA Studies in the History of Medieval Science, Technology and Art, published with Ashgate Press (more information).

AVISTA Villard de Honnecourt Award and Travel Grants
AVISTA is pleased to offer the annual, merit-based Villard de Honnecourt Award for the outstanding paper by a graduate student in an AVISTA session at the ICMS at Kalamazoo. It is based on the evaluation of the candidate’s abstract and CV. This award, which comes with a $500 honorarium, is intended to further young talent in the study of medieval technology, science, and art.  The Society is also pleased to offer up to two $500 grants-in-aid to graduate students or independent scholars to defray costs of attending the ICMS at Kalamazoo.