Author: Camara Dia Holloway

I am the Project Manager for the Romare Bearden Digital Catalogue Raisonné at the Wildenstein Plattner Institute. I earned my PhD at Yale University in the History of Art Department and specialize in twentieth century American art with a particular focus on the history of photography, race and representation, and transatlantic modernist networks. I also serve as a Founding Co-Director of the Association for Critical Race Art History (ACRAH).

CFP: (In)appropriated Bodies Graduate Student Symposium @ Cornell

(In)appropriated Bodies
Cornell University Annual History of Art Graduate Student Symposium
Keynote Speaker: Amelia Jones, Art History & Communication Studies, McGill University
November 16-17, 2012
Ithaca, New York
Merriam-Webster defines appropriation as taking exclusive possession of something; setting it apart; assigning it to a particular purpose or use; and taking or making use of it without authority or right. This definition begs the question of whether it is inappropriate to appropriate, particularly when it comes to bodies.
This symposium aims to address how bodies have been appropriated in seemingly inappropriate ways. We are interested in improper, incorrect, perverse, and unsuitable uses of bodies that figure as unexpectedly apt creative strategies and political interventions. Artists have appropriated bodies, visual and corporeal, as a strategy to subvert established norms and meanings. Curators have categorized, displayed, and reconfigured imagery of bodies.  Furthermore, scholars have appropriated concepts of race, gender, nation or culture onto bodies to develop the socio-political discourses that surround them. In all of these cases, questions of inappropriateness often arise. However, these (in)appropriations also reveal themselves to be alternative forms of inquiry or representation that encourage new ways of seeing and speaking about bodies.
We invite graduate students of all disciplines to present papers on the appropriation of bodies by artists, curators, scholars which have been (or could be) considered inappropriate, and how this aspect of their work proves useful in expanding the ways we look at art and understand its significance and purpose in culture, society, politics and history. Possible approaches to the topic include, but are not limited to:
● Negotiation of identities (race, gender, class, and so on) through appropriation
● Subversion of power dynamics by appropriating identities
● Grafting of theoretical approaches on to bodies
● Past or present collections and displays of bodies
● Loss or theft of corporeal identity, ownership or originality
● Reenactments and portrayals of bodies in film, dance, video and performance
● Caricatures, stereotypes, and other visual misrepresentations in art or performance
● Reuse/revision of ignored, avoided or dismissed theoretical approaches to bodies
● Mimicry, quotation, or allusion as a creative strategy or concept
● Political and governmental co-optation of figural forms
Presentations for this two-day conference should be in English and 20 minutes in length. For those interested in participating, please email a 200-300 word abstract and c.v. by August 15, 2012 to cornellgradsymposium@gmail.com.

CFP: Inaugural Issue: Journal of Critical Mixed Race Studies

“Emerging Paradigms in Critical Mixed Race Studies”
The Journal of Critical Mixed Race Studies (JCMRS) is a peer-reviewed online journal dedicated to Critical Mixed Race Studies (CMRS). Launched in 2011, it is the first academic journal explicitly focused on Critical Mixed Race Studies. Sponsored by UC Santa Barbara’s Sociology Department, JCMRS is hosted on the eScholarship Repository, which is part of the eScholarship initiative of the California Digital Library. JCMRS functions as an open-access forum for critical mixed race studies scholars and will be available without cost to anyone with access to the Internet.
JCMRS is transracial, transdisciplinary, and transnational in focus and emphasizes the critical analysis of the institutionalization of social, cultural, and political orders based on dominant conceptions and constructions of race.
JCMRS emphasizes the constructed nature and thus mutability of race and the porosity of racial boundaries in order to critique processes of racialization and social stratification based on race. JCMRS addresses local and global systemic injustices rooted in systems of racialization.
Some questions to consider:
• Why Critical Mixed Race Studies rather than mixed ethnicity or mixed heritage?
• How does CMRS transform Ethnic Studies?
• What does CMRS mean in transnational contexts?
• What are some ways that CMRS can be institutionalized?
• How do foundational articles or books in CMRS resonate today?
• How does CMRS relate to the Multiracial Movement or social activism around mixed heritage identities?
• How does post-racial discourse factor into the development of CMRS?
• How is CMRS transdisciplinary or interdisciplinary?
Papers that were presented at the Inaugural Critical Mixed Race Studies Conference in 2010 are invited for revision and submission. JCMRS encourages both established and emerging scholars to submit articles throughout the year. Articles will be considered for publication on the basis of their contributions to important and current discussions in mixed race studies, and their scholarly competence and originality.
Submission Deadline: July 1, 2012
Submission Guidelines: Article manuscripts should range between 15-30 double-spaced pages, Times New Roman 12-point font, including notes and works cited, must follow the Chicago Manual of Style, and include an abstract (not to exceed 250 words).
Visit our website for complete submission guidelines and to submit an article:
http://escholarship.org/uc/ucsb_soc_jcmrs
Please address all inquiries to: socjcmrs@soc.ucsb.edu

CFP: African and its diasporas @ n.paradoxa: international feminist art journal

CALL FOR PAPERS
n.paradoxa: international feminist art journal
Volume 31: Africa and its diasporas (Jan 2013)
Guest Editor: Bisi Silva, independent curator and Director CCA, Lagos
(Copy deadline: 15 October 2012, to be published Jan 2013)

In the last two decades, there has been an exponential growth in the visibility of a new generation of women visual artists on or from the continent of Africa as well as a diversification not only in the medium but also in the breadth and complexity of the themes and issues with which they engage, which include the body, sexuality as well as questions of history, culture, patriarchy and post-colonialism. The aim of the volume is to look at women artists’ production across the over 50 countries that make up the continent of Africa as well as at African women artists working in Europe, South and North America and the Caribbean.  The African diaspora is diverse stretching across the Atlantic to the Caribbean, the Americas and across Europe.

Women artists from Africa, and of African descent, have been producing work which questions and challenges both their contemporary situation and their complex histories. This special volume will publish work which addresses these concerns and focuses on the cultural production of women artists who define themselves as black/African/Afro-Caribbean/Afro-American across the globe as well as first/second/third/and even fourth generations of immigrants in different countries. Contributions about contemporary art produced by women which reflect on the effects of the migration of African people around the world – during and after slavery – during and after Colonialism –pre- and post-1960s Independence – will be welcomed.

Critical essays as well as in-depth interviews offering a pan- or trans-African perspective on contemporary women artists (visual arts only, post-1970) will be welcomed from women artists or writers (art historians, critics and curators). We invite 300-400 words abstract by the 11th of June 2012 (Final contributions by Oct 15th 2012)

For more information about how to contribute please email Bisi Silva labisi22@gmail.com

About n.paradoxa
international feminist art journal
Founded in 1998, n.paradoxa publishes scholarly and critical articles written by women critics, art historians and artists on the work of contemporary women artists post-1970 (visual arts only) working anywhere in the world. Each thematic volume in print contains artists and authors from more than 10 countries in the world and explores their work in relation to feminist theory.

n.paradoxa is published bi-annually (January and July) in print as volume numbers (ISSN: 1461-0424). n.paradoxa is now available for sale in print and electronic forms by subscription. KT press is the publisher of n.paradoxa and operates as a not-for-profit publishing company whose aim is to promote understanding of women artists and their work.
Website: www.ktpress.co.uk

The Inferiority of Blackness as a Subject

tressiemc22's avatartressiemc

I am writing this very quickly while on the side of Interstate 20. I am also struggling mightily to not use my colorful repertoire of insanely rhythmic and appropriate curse words. Thank me later.

Today The Chronicle of Higher Education published a blog entry from Naomi Schaefer Riley entitled “The Most Persuasive Case for Eliminating Black Studies? Just Read the Dissertations.” I refuse to link. They do not deserve the traffic. Google it or take my word for it.

Schaefer Riley is responding to an earlier Chronicle article lauding the first cohort of Northwestern University’s Black Studies program. So bemused is she by the mere titles of the dissertations of these young black scholars that Schaefer Riley can barely contain her glee as she proceeds to viciously, intentionally, and deliberately insult every single one of the scholars listed and everyone within the field of black studies. You can almost…

View original post 1,303 more words

CFP: Subaltern Rising: Racialization and Visual Culture in the Wake of Independence @ CAA/ACRAH 2013

CFP: Subaltern Rising: Racialization and Visual Culture in the Wake of Independence
Association for Critical Race Art History (ACRAH) Sponsored Session
College Art Association Annual Conference
New York, February 13-16, 2013

Chair: José Esteban Muñoz, New York University

The years 2012 and 2013 mark fifty years of independence for dozens of former colonies across the globe. This panel is dedicated to the consideration of art and other forms of expressive culture at the moment of historical transition, especially as it was evident in the reconfigured  racialization of citizens, economies, geographies, and political systems.

Key regions of post-coloniality include the Caribbean, South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. Commissioned public monuments and state architecture; redrawn cities, renamed streets and other public spaces; and the establishment of cultural institutions—including national museums and libraries—were acts of autonomy in newly independent Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Algeria, and Western Samoa (all 1962), and elsewhere.

How was the burst of creativity among artists producing work for the state, reorganized marketplaces and other commercial venues, performance, and national pageants inevitably informed by the preceding colonial order? Which post-colonial strategies reflect symbolic and stylistic borrowings from the language of European modernism in general?

What comparisons and contrasts can be made with post-colonial art produced earlier in short India and Pakistan (1947); Sri Lanka (1948); Laos (1949); Cambodia (1953); Tunisia, Morocco, Ghana, and Sudan (1956)? How do all these mid-twentieth century breaks from colonial and imperial rule influence subsequent visual and cultural programs in the Bahamas (1971), Suriname (1973), Papua New Guinea (1975), the Panama Canal Zone (1979), Australia and New Zealand (1986), and Eritrea (1993)?

Please submit a 350-word preliminary abstract and short CV (2 page maximum) in one MSWord or PDF file attachment to: acrah@ymail.com by May 11, 2012. Email submissions with one attachment only.

CAA membership is NOT required to participate in or attend the session.

CFP: African-American Popular Culture Area @ MPCA/ACA Conference

CALL FOR PAPERS
AFRICAN-AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE AREA CALL:

The African-American Popular Culture Area of the Midwest Popular Culture
Association/American Culture Association is seeking panel sessions,
papers, and proposals examining historical and/or contemporary aspects
of African-American popular culture including African American
stereotypes, icons, personas, artifacts, rituals, genres, holidays,
art forms (music, orature, dance, literature, visual art, television,
film, comic art, etc.), festivals, foodways, folklore and folklife,
practices, religion, and etc.

The 2012 MPCA/ACA Conference will be held in Columbus, Ohio
Friday, October 12 through Sunday, October 14, 2012 at the Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel

PROPOSAL INFORMATION: Submissions should be made electronically via
our online submission system at <http://mpcaaca.org/columbus-2012/2012-cfp/>.

(1) Complete/key-in your Contact Information as requested

followed by a (2) full Title.

(3) Select the African-American Popular Culture area
from the drop-down menu.

(4) Key-in (or cut-and-paste) a 250-word (or less) Abstract in the space provided. You may also attach a document with the .doc, .pdf, or .rtf extensions, if desired.

(5) You must indicate if you need a TV/DVD player for your presentation.

Also, if necessary, you may (6) indicate dates or times you are UNABLE to present.

NOTE: (a) The only audio-visual equipment available from the
Association will be a DVD player and monitor, and you must ask for it
at the time you submit your proposal. With appropriate preparation, a
DVD player can play audio, video, and still images.

(b) You must include the name, affiliation, and email address of each
author/participant.

(c) If you do not include an email address, you must include a postal address.

(d) If you wish your presentation to be listed as MACA (rather than MPCA), please include this request with your submission.

Deadline for receipt of proposals is Monday, April 30, 2012.

REGISTRATION AND MEMBERSHIP: All conference participants must be
members of the Midwest Popular Culture Association/Midwest American
Culture Association.

CONFERENCE INFORMATION: Conference panel sessions will run at the
following approximate times:
–Friday 2:30pm-7:30pm
–Saturday 8:30am-6:15pm
–Sunday 8:00am-1:00pm.

(The conference may begin at 12:45pm on Friday, if demand so dictates).

Special events will include two featured speakers and a cash-bar reception on Friday, October 12 and a luncheon which is scheduled on Saturday, October 13 from 12:00pm–1:30pm. These events, plus continental breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, will be free for conference registrants.

CFP: 2012 MESDA CONFERENCE on American Material Culture

CALL FOR PAPERS: 2012 MESDA CONFERENCE on American Material Culture
Deadline: May 15, 2012

The seventh biennial MESDA Conference for recent research in the field of early American material culture and decorative arts will take place on October 25-27, 2012 at the East Tennessee Historical Society in Knoxville, Tennessee. The conference provides the only major forum for scholarly presentation and interaction on American material culture and decorative arts with specific emphasis on the South. The MESDA Conference includes the Gordon Seminar, a day of presentations on a variety of topics in American material culture. The conference also includes a day of field trips to regional material culture sites and decorative arts collections in east Tennessee. Scholars and graduate students in American studies, southern studies, decorative arts and other fields as they relate to early southern material culture are invited to submit proposals. Papers are to be twenty minutes in length. Subjects with an interdisciplinary approach and with emphasis on the study of southern decorative arts and material culture are highly encouraged.

Proposals will be accepted for individual papers or for panel sessions. Paper proposals must include the author’s name, the paper title, a one‐page abstract, and the author’s curriculum vitae. Session proposals must include a chair, list of presenters, cover letter, a one‐page summary of the session theme, presenter curriculum vitae, and abstracts for all papers.

Deadline for proposals: May 15, 2012

Notification of acceptance will be received by June 15, 2012.

Accepted papers must be submitted in full by September 15, 2010.

Electronic submission in Word format is preferred. Submit emailed proposals to Sally Gant : sgant@oldsalem.org

Or send hard copies to:
Sally Gant, MESDA Conference
924 South Main Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101

Phone: 336-721-7361 Fax: 336-721-7367

For conference information, visit MESDA.org/conference

Conference registrar Martha Ashley: 336-721-7360 or email MESDAPrograms@oldsalem.org

LEC: The Artist’s Voice – Leonardo Drew in Conversation with Thelma Golden @ Studio Museum

JOB: Course Proposals Sought for 2012 Fall MoMA Courses

Course Proposals Sought for 2011 Fall MoMA Courses

Deadline: Thursday, June 30, 2011

Dear Colleagues:

The Department of Education is seeking new instructors and course proposals for five and eight-week fall MoMA Courses.  We also invite previous applicants to re-submit or update existing course proposals.  Please feel free to pass along the call-for-proposals to any colleagues outside the Museum who may be interested.

The fall term begins the third week of September and continues through early December. Each class meets once per week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. – 12:50 p.m., or in the evenings from 6:00 – 7:50 p.m. or 8:10 – 10:00 p.m.  The times may change slightly based on classroom availability and other conflicts. Enrollment is limited to twenty students per class (twelve for studio classes) and classes meet in the Museum’s classrooms, as well as in the galleries when they are available.  A class may be cancelled if it does not meet enrollment requirements (a minimum of twelve students).  The stipend for course instructors is $2,400 for an eight-week course and $1,500 for a five-week course. Prior teaching experience is required.

Survey courses, such as Modern Art 1880 – 1945 or Modern and Contemporary Art 1945 to Today, have consistently attracted an enthusiastic audience, as have more focused topics, such as contemporary art of the past decade. Proposals for studio courses and classes on current exhibitions, key artistic movements or artists, and contemporary art are also encouraged.

Consideration should be given to installations and exhibitions on view at MoMA during the course term in order to teach directly from these works.  Holding class in the galleries is a highlight for the students and you are encouraged to incorporate teaching in the galleries.

The courses for the current summer term are posted on www.moma.org/courses.

For those interested in teaching a course at MoMA, please include the following in your proposal:

  • Name (Department, if MoMA employee)
  • Descriptive title for the class
  • A brief description of the class (no more than 150 words) for the online listing.  If you mention artists, please include both first and last names.
  • An outline of the subject, time period, and major works and artists to be covered (no more than a page)
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Two or three sentence bio
  • One letter of reference that addresses teaching experience if you have not taught a MoMA Course. Prior teaching experience is required.
  • Incomplete proposals will not be considered
  • Proposals will only be accepted via e-mail to amy_horschak@moma.org

The deadline for course proposals is Thursday, June 30.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Thank you,

Amy Horschak