BULLETIN ASSOCIATION OF ART HISTORIANS Editor: Clare Pumfrey, 40 Sillwood Road, Brighton BN1 2LE Tel: 0273 29433 Advertising Manager: Kate Woodhead, Dog and Partridge House, Byley, Cheshire CW10 9NJ Tel: 0606 835517 NEWS REPORT CHAIR'S REPORT 1991-1992 Now that my established term (sentence?) have necessarily been under review, and stages of the Congress (and who with David of three years as Chair has been served, I we anticipate that new and clearer terms Bindman is responsible for the academic can confirm that three years is about right. will be agreed. We have been pressing for planning), the Executive determined that I do wonder if it is necessary for the Chair the eventual re-uniting of the duties of the its willingness to undertake a major role in also to act automatically as Chairperson of DPA with the job of advertising manager CIHA 2000 was dependent on the reform the Board of Art History, particularly if for Art History, which is subject to a direct of how the National Committees are large amounts of travel are involved, but contract with Blackwell and which Pamela appointed. The issues are to be discussed this will be a consideration for the new had retained even after she had left the post at the Berlin CIHA Congress in July. Executive and incoming Chair. of DPA. Blackwell accepted that there was The business of the Association becomes a logic in the current DPA working on the Subcommittees ever more complex, reflecting the increa• advertising for Art History, and an It is a matter of concern that pressure on agreement has been reached between all sing complexities and pressures of the members in their workplaces makes it more the parties involved to the effect that Kate academic 'business', in whatever capacity difficult to find active participants in the Woodhead will take over the advertising we are involved. I have certainly been subcommittees, which are so vital to the for 1993, starting in September 1992. aware of times when general professional Association's business. After the near demise of the Students' Subcommittee, pressures have eroded my efficacy as a We warmly thank Kate for her achieve• happily resurrected by Saul Peake and his servant of the Association during the final ments, dedication and patience in her first helpers, and the brief vacuum in the year of my tenure. A number of significant year as DPA. Universities' Subcommittee, it is now the issues that we hoped would have been turn of the Museums' Subcommittee to resolved by this time are still outstanding, CIHA dissolve itself through inaction. With the including the slide-copyright question, the The relationship between the Association retiral of the highly effective Maurice artists' papers register and the South Africa and the British National Committee of the Davies, no-one appeared to be immediately Appeal. However, a number of other issues Comite International d'Histoire de l'Art willing to step into the breach, and the have been taken forward with more positive has been problematical, and needs to be Subcommittee needs to be reconstituted. results. resolved in the light of the decision taken in 1990 to hold the large International There can be no doubt about the importance of retaining and enlarging our membership Director of Publicity and Congress in London in 2000. The in Museums and Galleries, not least to Administration Association is supporting John White, Chair maintain a dialogue between members in Probably the most important development of the National Committee and member of different but complementary fields of for the members in 1991-1992 has been the CIHA Bureau, in his attempt to reform employment. the arrival of Kate Woodhead as DPA. the constitution of CIHA so that the National taking over from Pamela Courtney, who Committees can be comprised of elected - has done so much to establish the members from the professional associations Bookfair and Autumn Conference Association in its present thriving form. in each country. In discussions with John As members will recall, it proved The duties and remuneration of the DPA House, who is looking after the setting-up impossible to hold the 1991 Bookfair at a 1 NEWS REPORT time and venue to coincide with the Annual selfless work, but I think few of us fully focus of discussion in both the relevant Conference. The Bookfair was eventually appreciate the tremendous commitment subcommittees, which have been working held on 8-9 November at the National required to handle all the many submissions hard in joint harness, under the guidance of Gallery, London, to coincide with the (in all conceivable shapes and forms), to their respective Chairs, Monica Puloy and Conference 'Staying on Course1 which we extract comments from recalcitrant Will Vaughan, to respond to the rapid organised jointly with the Museums' referees, to meet the remorseless deadlines, developments. The previous existence of Association and the Museum Trainers' to j uggle material so as to achieve a balanced separate subcommittees for universities Forum. representation of research, to monitor the and polytechnics/colleges is necessarily The Bookfair, organised by Yvonne publishing procedure, and above all to deal leading to a rethinking of our subcommittee Courtney, was held in what proved to be expeditiously and humanely with authors. structure. It is clear that the Association rather cramped premises in the foyer and Neil has shown great dedication to the must remain continuously alert to the entrance spaces of the Orchard Street highest professional standards in all these special problems posed for art history by entrance. A good number of exhibitors areas, and the continued international the changes, and play as active a role as participated, but the financial success was success of Art History at a time when possible in shaping official opinion and severely dented by a bill for extra wardening recession has been severely affecting many policies. etc. of over £1,000 from the National journals is a testimony to his success in The first direct effort of the unified Gallery. A working party led by the Chair ensuring that it is a journal which continues system will be seen in the Research undertook a review of the Bookfair, and to make a distinctive contribution to the Selectivity Review. The Association, following its report the Executive decided discipline. through the Chair, responded to the that: Moves are underway to appoint a consultative document issued by the UFC, • the Bookfair should coincide with the successor to Neil (suggestions and stressing the need for a balanced represent• annual London conference, whenever applications welcome), though we are under ation on the subject review panels, and for possible; no illusions that finding a suitable Editor greater accountability. In what must be • the chief purpose of the Bookfair should will be easy. seen (at least cautiously) as a promising be reaffirmed as bringing publishers, move, the Association has subsequently their products and the membership into South Africa Appeal been invited to submit 5-8 names for the direct contact; The Appeal Committee - Eric Fernie panel. • the ideal of a single, stable, affordable (Chair), Simon Miller (secretary), Hazel venue for successive years was unlikely Clark, Sarat Maharaj and Tag Gronberg - Copyright and the making of slides to be realised; are to be warmly thanked for their work, The initial optimism of the Copyright • the organiser should be appointed on a and we are pleased to acknowledge Shelley Licensing Agency that this issue could be \ competitive basis through advert• Sacks's supportive offer to sell sets of settled reasonably simply through the isement, should work for a set fee and be prints of her work in aid of the Appeal. existing licensing arrangements has proved accountable to the Executive through However, in spite of these efforts, and unfounded. It is clear that a change in the the DPA. general expressions of support from law is needed, so that the Act directly The Conference, which looked at issues members, we have not come close to raising addresses the making of slides for raised by training courses for Museum and the kind of money needed to provide a educational purposes rather than apparently Gallery staff (organised on the Assoc• scholarship. The Appeal Committee is to catching slides in provisions intended for iation's side by Maurice Davies) was recommend to the Executive, in due course, other purposes. A report by me is publ ished recognised as a considerable success in the best and most appropriate use to be in the Bulletin summarising the current ventilating issues in a complex and rapidly made of the existing contributions. The position. It is the intention of the CLA to evolving area of education, and we relative lack of success comes as a work with ourselves and other interested gratefully acknowledge the substantial help considerable dis-appointment in view of parties for a change in the law. we received from the Museums' Assoc• the Association's previously expressed iation and the valuable support of the wish to do something positive in the context National Art Slide Library and Museum Trainers' Form. of the continued problems of inequality in National Art Library • South Africa. There now sadly seems to be a routine of Art History disputes between the Victoria and Albert This year marks the end of Neil The end of the binary divide Museum and members of the profession. Mc William's term as Editorof/lA7///*.s7r>ry. The challenge presented by the radical The latest problem has been caused by the I am sure all members will recognise that reorganisation in the structures and funding Museum's decision to transfer the Slide the editorship involves a large amount of of higher education have provided a major Library to Leicester Polytechnic.