There is practically no career, profession or academic discipline that does not make use of certain tools or implements in working. For example, in traditional African societies where farming is mostly approached at peasant levels, a farmer does not go to farm without carrying a hoe or cutlass. In a learning situation also, a student never goes to class without his or her writing materials (writing pad, pen, rule, pencil etc). For artists in the studio most especially painters, it common to find brushes, palette, palette knife, easel, and so on. In the same way, there are certain tools which an art historian must remember to take along with him or her during a field research to aid convenient collection of data for a given topic in an art historical study.
Audio-tape recorder: In every art historical study, the researcher is required to carry out interviews on the different groups of the population to understanding the nature of things inherent in the topic. Such interviews, if not recorded, will give the researcher very little opportunities for recalling vital issues or points which will support analysis in that given topic. The use of audio-tape recorder helps the researcher to transcribe the interview into a hard copy which can be conveniently quoted in the body of the work during analysis.
Still/Motion (Video) Cameras or Photographic machines: These are very important as they give the researcher enough hand or advantage in collecting visual data. Visual data are crucial in art historical researches as people want to see the visual forms of the art works discussed. In this way, pictures taken in the field are often used as visual support to the analysis of a particular study. The motion cameras, on the other hand, are very often used during field studies that involve participatory or non-participatory observations. While the cultural event is going on, the researcher records important segments that can be used in the analysis.
Sketch Pad, Pencil and Eraser: One would ask: What is the need for a sketch pad, pencil and eraser when the researcher already has a camera? The issue is that, there are situations or circumstances where the researcher is not allowed to take photograph of certain artworks, or cultural scene. For example, a researcher studying an initiation of a particular age group in certain traditional African societies, may require to follow up the event in participatory way, and will have little opportunity of taking the photographic images of the event. In this case, the researcher make use of sketches to complement the descriptive analysis of such art works or such cultural scenes.
A writing Pad and Pen: In the same way too, a writing pad and pen can complement other aspects of the interview which the researcher could not capture. Some times after the main research interview, there is a general discussion between the researcher and the interviewee which tends to reveal more points that can be used to enhance the quality of the research analysis. In such cases, the researcher make use of writing instruments to take down such points.
Also, things like Laptop, Flash-disk, and recordable CD, are very important as they aid the grouping and arrangement of data for easy analysis. Although there are many tools required for an art historian to take into the field, the ones mentioned above are paramount as they give the researcher an edge over some of the major challenges in the field especially in the collection data.
*** Art in Disguise ***
