Report from the Field: Nava Streiter’s internship in digital art history at the Frick yields new online resources
This past summer, Nava Streiter (M.A. ’15) held an internship at the Center for the History of Collecting, a research wing of the The Frick Collection in New York. The Center was founded in 2007 with the aim of studying the formation and development of public and private art collections from the Renaissance to the present.
With the founding of the Center, the historic institution is helping lead the way in new modes of digital scholarship. According to Nava, “the Frick Art Reference Library has become very engaged with digital art history.” The Center is home to The Archives Directory for the Center for the History of Collecting, an online index of collectors, dealers, and auctions complete with historical information and archival materials. During her time at the Center, Nava worked on a project to map early auctions of art in the U.S., cataloging over 7,500 auctions, and using digital platforms to geocode and map the historical addresses of these auctions.
Nava also created the Center’s Wikipedia page, which provides a thorough overview of its many aims and contributions to the diverse field of scholarship surrounding the history of art collections.
As Nava recounts, the Frick takes seriously its commitment to the education of its interns. “The Frick organizes a great series of educational events for interns, and provides opportunities to attend behind-the-scenes tours at a number of NY arts institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum, the Morgan Library and Museum, and the New York Public Library.” Most of all, the internship allowed Nava intimate access to a favorite museum of hers, and the opportunity to learn more about the history and function of its holdings and art library.