About

Hi there.

I am an art historian and digital humanist working at the intersection of art, history, technology, and design.

For the past 4.5 years I have been the digital projects coordinator leading large digital intiatives at the National Gallery of Art, including a Wikimedia partnership that contributed 53,000 images to Wikimedia Commons and 120,000 collection records to Wikidata, as well as the launch of the museum’s Open Data Program. Before that, I was the Robert H. Smith Postdoctoral Research Associate for Digital Art History at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts (the Center), where I developed scholarly digital humanities research projects.

I am a medievalist by training, and wrote my Ph.D. dissertation on images of suicide (a bit morbid, I know) in medieval art, which will become a book one of these days. Beyond that, I’ve published broadly on medieval art and digital art history, and have extensive experience with GIS, linked data, and data visualizations. My current research focuses on the critical application of MV/ML/AI to art history and art historical methodology. Take a look at my CV or portfolio page for the nitty-gritty.

I approach most of my work in a fluid, agile, and interative manner - which really is me just taking my art school backgound of throwing paint at the wall and seeing what sticks.

Other interesting tidbits: I had a Fulbright to Sweden and speak Swedish, taught myself to play guitar (a pandemic project), continue to make art, and Ursula K. LeGuin, Halldor Laxness, and Haruki Murakami are among my favorite authors.

And if you ever want to get in touch: benjamin.zweig@gmail.com