Academic Initiatives

Visit of Dr. Kimberly Masteller

Dr. Kimberly Masteller is the Jeanne McCray Beals Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. She visited The City Palace Museum, Udaipur on 16th September 2019 during which she toured the Museum with Dr. Hansmukh Seth, Associate Curator, and Ms. Chelsea Santos, Assistant Curator at The City Palace Museum, Udaipur. Dr. Masteller's interest lay particularly in Mewar paintings and photographs of pre-modern era. During her visit, she spoke of a probable collaboration between The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas and The City Palace Museum, Udaipur, in the near future.

Ms. Chelsea Santos, Dr. Kimberly Masteller and Dr. Hansmukh Seth

Workshop 'Museums & the City'

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) in collaboration with The Lakshmi Mittal & Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University, organized a workshop titled 'Museums & the City' at the CSMVS' Visitor Centre. The three day programme, from 24th-26th September 2019, received an outstanding participation of curators, conservators, museum professionals and experts from across the globe. Post a tour of their Museum, the sessions took up and discussed several aspects pertaining to Museums, and the City within which they operate; the different museums and the several types of struggles they face, projects undertaken, the way it interacts with and engages the public; the different stakeholders including visitors, investors or patrons, etc, and the conversations it must establish with organizations from other fields; of science, business, education, with financial bigwigs and policy makers.

Museums as containers of several decades of history and culture by way of the art-works housed in its care, have the responsibility of providing a platform to them in a manner that does justice to the works of art while at the same time, being discernible to its audiences; conveying the message and arousing the desired sentiments, with an attractive play of light and colour, appropriate display techniques and architectural designing. How grave a role technology can or should play in this was also debated.

Dr. Shikha Jain, Director, DRONAH, Project Coordinator at The City Palace Museum, Udaipur, presented in the session 'The future of conservation' on 'Conservation and the Community', with special emphasis on The City Palace Museum, MMCF, Udaipur and the several conservation works undertaken steadily over the years. Ms. Chelsea Santos, Assistant Curator at The City Palace Museum, Udaipur represented MMCF at this workshop.

Ms. Chelsea Santos and Mr. Anupam Sah, Head of Art Conservation, Research, and Training at CSMVS Museum Art Conservation Centre

Dr. Shikha Jain presenting on 'Conservation and the Community'