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Saturday, November 21, 2015

University of Arizona to Augment "Beauford Delaney and Paris" Exhibition

Imagine yourself in the Grande Salle at Reid Hall, Columbia Global Centers | Europe in Paris. You are standing in front of this painting:

Nativity Scene
(1961) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

You hold up your smart phone, point the lens at the painting, and scan it. Within seconds, an overlay appears at the corner of your screen and a 30-second video gives you the "back story" about this work. You are then given the option to click through to a Web site that provides additional information.

This is what the University of Arizona Augmented Reality project will allow attendees of the Beauford Delaney and Paris: A Breathtaking Evolution to experience!

Dr. Bryan Carter, Associate Professor of the University of Arizona's Department of Africana Studies, conceived this project. He specializes in African-American literature of the 20th century with a primary focus on the Harlem Renaissance and digital culture. He has been bringing University of Arizona students to Paris since 2013.

Honors students enrolled in Dr. Carter's Harlem Renaissance course can apply to participate in this project as fulfillment of an "honors contract," while others can apply to participate as independent study students. Those accepted will come to Paris a week prior to the opening of the exhibition to video short segments of a docent explaining some aspect of the 20 paintings selected for the project. They will take high resolution images of these paintings, upload them to a digital platform, and upload the videos and other files as overlays.

The exhibition vernissage (opening) is scheduled for February 3, 2016 and the show will run from February 4-29, 2016. Those who are unable to attend will be able to use the Augmented Reality digital application to scan images in the catalog to access the overlays.

Les Amis de Beauford Delaney and the Wells International Foundation (WIF) are pleased that the technology of Augmented Reality will expand the reach and scope of this groundbreaking exhibition. We are currently accepting donations to fund this study abroad experience.

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Les Amis de Beauford Delaney, Reid Hall, and the Wells International Foundation (WIF) are partnering to bring an exhibition of original Beauford Delaney works to Reid Hall in Paris in February 2016! WE VALUE YOUR SUPPORT!

To contribute to the show, click HERE.

To sign-up to receive the latest behind-the-scenes news about the show, click HERE.

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