Wiki Education Improves Pre-Modern European Art Scholarship on Wikipedia
Established in 2014, Wiki Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves as the bridge between subject matter experts and Wikipedia. We aim to make Wikipedia more accurate, representative, and complete. Our Scholars & Scientists Program runs virtual Wikipedia training courses that guide subject matter experts as they improve articles related to their area of study. They curate knowledge from their scholarly research and publications, bringing unique perspectives to Wikipedia and a high level of depth to the topic area.
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In fall 2023, Wiki Education hosted a 10-week Wiki Scholars course, supported by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, to train scholars and experts to edit, update, and create new Wikipedia articles, with a focus on European art and architecture from antiquity to the early nineteenth century. Wikipedia is the fifth most visited website in the world, yet the quality of information varies significantly across subject matter. Information on early European art is particularly limited.
According to Will Kent of Wiki Education, “Collectively, the course participants contributed more than 900 total edits in more than 100 Wikipedia articles, adding almost 50,000 words and 718 references. The course not only yielded a substantial number of article edits, but it also resulted in a marked increase in the quality of articles.”
Important updates resulting from the recent course include those by Anne McClanan, an art history professor at Portland State University, on Byzantine silver. This article has been viewed 250,000 times in the past month alone and, according to Wiki Education, is regarded as one of Wikipedia’s best articles.
James Clifton, Director of the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, focused his efforts on an article on the Italian art historian and painter Bernardo de’ Dominici. The “visual editor” mode on Wikipedia reveals the extensive edits Clifton made to the existing article, with his additions highlighted in green and text he removed in red (see illustration below).
Like many scholars, Clifton relies on Wikipedia in his own work and recognizes the prolific use of the site by experts and novices alike. “I use Wikipedia frequently,” said Clifton. “It is the quickest path to at least superficial – and often profound – information on countless subjects. As such, its importance as a widespread source of information is incalculable, and it behooves those who contribute to it to make it as accurate and accessible as possible. The Wikipedia editing course taught me to do that in my own small corner of the world.”
Read Wiki Education's recent blog post more information on the course, its participants, and the lasting impact of this important work.
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Course participants:
- Paul Albert, Scholar, George Mason University
- Anne McClanan, PhD, Art History Professor, Portland State University
- James Clifton, Director, Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation, Curator, Renaissance and Baroque Painting, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
- Margaret Ann Zaho, PhD, Associate Professor of Art History, University of Central Florida
- Kate Dimitrova, PhD, Lecturer, Department of Art, Architecture + Art History, University of San Diego
- Maria Ketcham, Director, Research Library, Archives & Collections Information, Detroit Museum of Art
- Jessica Allison, Collections Database Manager, Detroit Museum of Art
- Maura Wilson, Department Assistant, University of San Francisco
- Elizabeth Macaulay, DPhil, Associate Professor, Graduate Center, CUNY
- Anne Betty Weinshenker, PhD, Professor Emerita of Art History, Montclair State University
- John Hagood, Librarian, National Gallery of Art
- Susanna Caroselli, PhD, Professor Emerita of Art HIstory, Messiah University
- Casey Long, Head of Research & Instruction, Agnes Scott College
- Lalaine Bangilan, PhD, Gallery Director and Adjunct Professor of Fine Arts, Misericordia University
- Zoe Kobs, Student, University of San Diego
- Daniel Maze, PhD, Associate Professor, Head of Art History, University of Iowa
- Shirley Schwarz, PhD, Professor Emerita, Assistant Teaching Professor, University of Evansville
- Lindsay Cook, PhD, Assistant Teaching Professor, Penn State University
- Joy Kearney, PhD Candidate, Royal Netherlands Military Academy
- Eelco Nagelsmit, PhD, Lecturer, Leiden University
- Emily Everhart, PhD, Assistant Professor, Chair of Liberal Arts, Art Academy of Cincinnati
- Daniella Berman, PhD, Project Manager & Researcher, The Drawing Foundation
- Christina Tatum, Instruction & Outreach Librarian, Agnes Scott College