Project Context / Objective:
The Art Information Commons initiative at the Philadelphia Museum of Art engaged Takin.Solutions, in partnership with Advance Services, to design and implement a pilot semantic virtual research environment (VRE) focused on the documentation and representation of Black artists, histories, and art. The project addressed a fundamental institutional challenge: research knowledge held across departments in siloed, incompatible systems was inaccessible, and existing database structures were too rigid to support the expression of non-canonical or epistemically marginalised knowledge.
The goal was to build an integrated, standards-aligned semantic infrastructure that would allow researchers and curators to pool institutional data, connect knowledge across departmental boundaries, and systematically document the presence and contribution of Black actors in the art world — in ways that traditional inventory systems structurally preclude.
Takin.Solutions’ Role / Contributions:
Takin.Solutions led the project as semantic modelling consultant and research infrastructure strategist, with Advance Services providing technical development support. Takin.Solutions was responsible for the conceptual data modelling, X3ML mapping, semantic documentation, and overall methodological direction of the pilot.
Key Activities:
- Analysed source data from multiple institutional systems at PMA, including TMS (collection management), library catalogs, and spreadsheet datasets.
- Designed a CIDOC CRM-aligned semantic data model based on the Linked.Art profile, tailored to support research on Black artists, art movements, workshops, and identity over time.
- Developed conceptual mapping documentation linking legacy data structures to the new semantic model.
- Produced X3ML mapping files and URI generator policies for data transformation into RDF.
- Advised on platform strategy, recommending ResearchSpace as the VRE for its scholar-focused research tooling.
- Co-designed data structures with the AIC research team to surface and systematically document epistemically repressed knowledge — including unknown actors, workshop affiliations, depictions of Black themes, and evolving artist identities.
- Coordinated iterative development and quality review with the AIC team throughout all project phases.
- Documented all models and outputs using Zellij, Takin’s semantic data management platform.
Deliverables / Outputs:
- Fully documented semantic data models aligned with CIDOC CRM / Linked.Art.
- Conceptual mapping documentation for all institutional source data.
- X3ML mapping files and URI generator policies for RDF transformation.
- Configured ResearchSpace VRE with templates, search functionality, authoring forms, and interactive map.
- Training and iteration support for the AIC research team.
- Full project and models documentation for long-term sustainability and reuse.
Outcome / Impact:
The pilot demonstrated how semantic data methods can break down institutional data silos while simultaneously creating the data structures needed to represent knowledge that traditional inventory systems systematically exclude. By modelling the research context of Black Art using CIDOC CRM and Linked.Art within ResearchSpace, the project provided PMA with a reusable, extensible blueprint for researcher-led semantic data integration — one that centres epistemic equity as a design principle and establishes a foundation for future cross-departmental and cross-institutional collaboration.
