The collaborators on The Lordship and Commune Project would like to thank the many scholars and friends who made this endeavor possible.
Kathryn Sklar and Thomas Dublin, friends and colleagues of Barbara Abou-El- Haj’s at Binghamton University, first inquired about the possibility of getting Barbara’s unfinished book on the cathedrals of Reims and Amiens out in some form, and, along with Nancy Um, as Chair of the Department of Art History, have been enthusiastic about this endeavor thereafter. Marcia Focht, Curator of Visual Resources at Binghamton, was instrumental in making the photographs shot by Sarra-Fleur Abou-El- Haj available for use. And we are deeply grateful that Sarra-Fleur shared all her images with us, and the larger intellectual community, free of restrictions.
In general, we have been delighted to have the warm support of Barbara’s family along the way– her daughters, Sarra-Fleur and Marriam, and her husband, Rifa’at.
We are also deeply grateful to the leadership of the International Center of Medieval Art for sponsoring The Lordship and Commune Project. Betsy Sears and Ben Tilghman, respectively, as Chairs of the Publications Committee and of the Digital Resources Committees, offered encouragement from day one. And Nancy Sevcenko and Helen Evans, as President and Vice President, embraced the initiative for what it might provide ICMA members, students, and medieval enthusiasts more generally. The ICMA Finance Committee likewise gave eager support at a critical early stage in the project, and Elina Gertsman graciously presented the proposal to the ICMA Board for general approval.
As texts were edited, drafted, and prepared for web publication, further colleagues lent crucial help. William Clark, Jacqueline Jung, and Stephen Murray read portions of the text with care and provided comments and corrections. Aimee Caya tagged photographs and worked with ICMA Program Director, Danielle Oteri.
We are grateful to all who contributed to and supported this project along the way. It was a labor of love, in honor and memory of our dear colleague. We hope Barbara would have been pleased with the site and the debates it generates.