2015 Reception

May 30, 2015 in Events, ICMS, International Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo, Reception

Co-Sponsored Reception
at the 50th International Congress on Medieval Studies

[Published on 11 November 2015]

Invitation for Reception at the 2015 International Congress on Medieval Studies co-sponsored by the Societas Magica, the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence, and the Index of Christian Art at Princeton UniversityAt the 2015 Congress, we continued the tradition of co-sponsoring a Reception.  The tradition began with the 2014 Anniversary Reception, co-sponsored at the 49th International Congress on Medieval Studies by the Societas Magica and the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence, to celebrate the anniversaries of both organizations.

And so, we held another Reception at the 2015 Congress, this time co-sponsored by

The Reception Invitation (shown here) is laid out in the RGME copyright font Bembino, with donated design layout according with our style principles, as expressed in our Style Manifesto (now available in an illustrated version, updated for the Congress). This multilingual digital font is available for download, for FREE: Bembino.

Background

Interesting combination for collaboration.  The shared co-sponsorship emerged through a network of collaborations between individuals and organizations across the years.

Since 2006, the Societas Magica and the Research Group have co-sponsored Sessions at the annual Congress.  Information about all those Sessions appears in our list of Co-Sponsored Sessions, with details of their programs and with the abstracts of many of their papers in our Congress Archive.  Since 2015, these Abstracts are also accessible through their Indexes By Author and By Year.

Since the early years of the presence of the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence in Princeton, the Index of Christian Art has co-sponsored many of its Events, including Seminars, Workshops, Colloquia & Symposia, both in Princeton and elsewhere. These collaborations are listed in our Events Archive. To these Events and others, some of the staff of the Index has contributed, as speakers, moderators, participants, and advisers.  The first of the co-sponsorships started already with the 1995 Symposium in the series of Annual Symposia on the Transmission of the Bible.  The tradition of collaboration continues to flourish from one Directorship of the Index to the next.

And so the combination of sponsors arose for this year’s Reception, continuing the new tradition for the Societas Magica and the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence, and introducing an opportunity for the Index of Christian Art to have a co-sponsored event at the Congress, during its year of transition between Directors.  As a bonus, the Reception itself offered the opportunity to discover, in the conversations and questions, that some colleagues in the other organizations were engaged in research explorations that involved, or could involve, the resources of the Index, and vice versa.  Nice!

Foreground

The Reception gathered together Officers and Members of the Societas, Officers and Associates of the Research Group, new Friends and Volunteers, the Acting Director of the Index of Christian Art (also a Trustee of the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence), and a number of subscribers of, visitors to, and potential subscribers to, its database.

A refective moment at the 2015 Reception at the 50th International Congress on Medieval Studies. One of our advisers relaxes between conversations.Photography © Mildred BudnyThe Reception gave the opportunity, with drinks, cupcakes, and conversation, to meet, greet, and thank the participants of our Congress Sessions over the years, as well as to admire the activities of our organizations, both individually and collaboratively, and to consider further courses of collaboration — sometimes unexpected, because customarily we might function as individual organizations, without being aware of the interests which our same colleagues may share. Only, perhaps, because, usually we focus upon the tasks in hand, and the sorts of specialities or themes which a given Session or Conference might call forth.  And now we discover some other areas of keen interest shared between and across the collectives.

Cause for celebration, indeed!

A gathering of fellowship at the 2015 Reception co-sponsored by the Societas Magica, the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence, and the Index of Christian Art. Photography © Mildred Budny

Solidarity

Two Attendees at the 2015 Reception at the 50th International Congress on Medieval Studies. They stand facing the photographer and smile. Photography © Mildred Budny

Greeting

Manuscripts, Even

We even had the opportunity to examine some original manuscript materials, brought by request.  This pair of fragments, in Latin, was the earliest in date.  We prepare a blogpost to report about its character.  We like characters, letters included.

Two manuscript scholars confer about a manuscript fragment, brought to the event by request, at the 2015 Reception at the 50th International Congress on Medieval Studies. Photography by David Sorenson

Photography by Mildred Budny and by David Sorenson

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The success of this Reception, like last year’s, encourages us to hold a co-sponsored Reception also at the 2016 Congress Planning. A room is booked and the time is assigned. Our co-sponsor is the Index of Christian Art at Princeton University, now with a new Director and with plans to sponsor 2 Sessions of its own. Please join us if you can. All are welcome.

Information about our other activities at the Congress appears in the 2015 Congress Report.

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