Author: Jacqueline Francis

Writer, educator, curator, arts consultant, and occasional artist in San Francisco, California. Follow me on Twitter @JackieFrancisSF and Instagram--jackiefrancissf

Call for Proposals: Race in Design History, An Anthology (deadline Mar. 15, 2023)

Race in Design History: An Anthology

edited by Kristina Wilson, Professor of Art History, Clark University and Michelle Joan Wilkinson, Curator of Architecture and Design, National Museum of African American History and Culture

How has race shaped the objects of our designed world? We invite contributors to submit to an edited volume that will focus on the ways design and design histories have engaged ideas about race, whether implicitly or explicitly. Race is a contested category with shifting meanings over time, and perceptions about race influence design history in multiple ways: how objects are designed; how designers imagine their ideal consumer; how designs are put into production and how those designs are marketed. Ultimately, race has an impact on the scope and structure of the residual design archive that historians are left sifting through. This edited volume welcomes contributions in the form of close readings of design objects as well as critical interrogations about design through the lenses of practice, pedagogy, curation, and historiography.

Recent work in design history has emphasized the importance of decolonizing the predominantly Western and Northern biases of the modernist canon. This anthology aims to contribute to that work, and embraces the goals of critical race studies of design, with an investigation of the role of race in all aspects of design history. It welcomes scholarship that looks at under-valued objects of design, scholarship that expands our understanding of what it means to have a career as a designer, and scholarship that illuminates design history in new contexts. We seek narratives of design history that interrogate our assumptions about what is knowable in the past.

We invite contributions on decorative objects, interiors, fashion, architecture, and graphic design, among others, 1800 to the present, global in scope. Proposals should be made for one or more of the following types of essays:

1) Scholarly essays of 3,500-4,000 words: these might be case studies that investigate a movement, a designer, a specific exhibition, or production materials and processes; should engage historical context and demonstrate methodological innovation.

2) Short essays of 1250-1500 words: close readings of objects, keywords, or terms that give the reader an immersive encounter; the style of writing in these essays could be more experimental, and these short pieces will complement the larger contextual discussions offered in the longer essays;

3) Questions of practice essays of 3,000 words: essays that address aspects of museum practice, teaching and pedagogical practice, designers’ practice.

Please send a 300-word proposal and a CV to:

KrWilson@clarku.edu and WilkinsonM@si.edu with “Race in Design History” in the subject line by the deadline of March 15, 2023. Contributors will be notified by mid-April, and drafts will be due September 15, 2023.

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JOB OPPORTUNITY: Assistant Professor in 2D Studio Practices and Histories of African American Art, African Art, or African Diaspora Art—John Jay College/City University of New York (Application deadline: Jan. 8, 2023)

Information is here at: https://cuny.jobs/new-york-ny/assistant-professor-in-2d-and-african-american-artafrican-or-african-diaspora/FFB5504F9D1648D2B9618AAA0452F942/job/

Intersecting Photographies — Symposium at Howard University, Oct. 13-15, 2022

Register now!

The symposium, “Intersecting Photographies,” will be held at Howard University in Washington, DC, from October 13-15, 2022. Among the presentations and conversations that will be fostered there are an artist conversation between LaToya Ruby Frazier and Leslie Ureña, a keynote lecture by Tina Campt, a pecha kucha featuring lightning talks, and six panels presenting more in-depth research questions. To view the complete schedule online, which also includes an awards ceremony, receptions, and Saturday workshops hosted at DC-area institutions by local experts, please view our Symposium page. 

You must be a Photography Network Member to register for the symposium, with annual dues beginning as low as $20. Click on the registration button and follow the instructions to register for the In-Person ($50) or Online ($20) experience. We apologize that our website does not offer the capability of joining or renewing your membership and registering for the symposium in a single transaction. 

Photography Network is a 501(C)3 and College Art Association Affiliated Society whose purpose is to foster discussion, research, and new approaches to the study and practice of photography in its relation to art, culture, society, and history. Through a range of programming, Photography Network (PN) cultivates a spirit of community and exchange with the aim of advancing innovation in the field.

We encourage you to register early for the symposium. We do not have a registration cap, but availability is limited at the three DC-area hotels with whom we have made arrangements for discounted rates. Additionally, three of the four optional Saturday workshops will be collections-focused at area institutions including the Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art, and National Museum of American History, where space is necessarily limited; the fourth, with the National Museum of the American Indian, will be held over Zoom to accommodate those participating in the symposium remotely. 

If you encounter any problems during the registration process, please reach out to us at photographynetworksymposium@gmail.com. We thank the Terra Foundation for American Art and the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation for their generous support of this program.

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: Postdoctoral Research Associates at The Center (Washington, DC)—review of applications begins July 1, 2022

The Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, at the National Gallery of Art, supports outstanding emerging scholars in the field to assist with advanced scholarly research projects and academic programs defined and supervised by the Center’s deans and residential professors.

The Center currently seeks to appoint two postdoctoral research associates. While the area of expertise is open, we are particularly interested in candidates with a specialty in African American, Latin American, LatinX, or Early Modern art, architecture, or visual culture. The research associates also support other activities of the Kress-Beinecke Professor, A. W. Mellon Professor, and Edmond J. Safra Visiting Professor, such as lectures, event planning, publications, and participation in professional meetings. They may also support the Center’s Howard University Undergraduate Fellowship.

The positions are full-time salaried appointments with two-year terms, with an option of renewal for a third year. Postdoctoral Research Associates are employees of the National Gallery of Art and have full use of the National Gallery Library, research facilities, and services. As members of the Center’s scholarly community, they are expected to participate in ongoing meetings and programs at the Center. They are also encouraged to pursue their own scholarly research.

Applicants must have received a PhD in art history or related discipline between September 1, 2018 and September 1, 2022.

Preference is given to applicants who have not already held a regular faculty appointment.

Applicants should send cover letter addressed to Steven Nelson, Dean; curriculum vitae; and names of 2 references, to casvaResearch@nga.gov. The Center does not require letters of recommendation. Review of applications begins July 1, 2022 and continues until the position is filled.

NOTES:
Salary: $55,000 per year

Additional Salary Information: The Center also provides research associates an allowance for travel and research, paid annual and sick leave benefits, eligibility for enrollment in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, and one day per week paid telework to pursue one’s own research.

CFP: Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide (proposals due May 15, 2022)

Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide (NCAW) is pleased to announce the continuation of our series American Art History Digitally supported by a grant from the Terra Foundation for American Art. The editors of NCAW are now accepting proposals for the final digital art history article in the series to be published in spring 2023. To be considered, projects have to focus on art and visual culture of the Americas in the long nineteenth century, from the United States War of Independence to World War I, and must expand on existing histories of art by addressing understudied topics or historically marginalized constituencies while adopting research methods that are inclusive and equitable.

PROPOSALS ARE DUE MAY 15, 2022.

Proposals also should take full advantage of the potential of digital publishing by using digital technologies in the article’s research or publication phase, or both. Strong proposals will demonstrate how the production of digital tool(s) and/or components will lead to a scholarly argument’s key insights (either the tool/component enhanced the depth of insight or made it possible) and/or will illustrate aspects of that argument in dynamic/interactive ways.

NCAW encourages authors to use open source software when possible. While by no means limited to the following, proposals might explore:

  • High resolution imaging or dynamic image presentation (e.g., panoramas, zoom images, visual essays, x-ray or infrared reflectography, moving images, 3D images of art objects, annotated musical scores, annotated digital facsimiles)
  • “Big data” mining and analysis (e.g., social network analysis or text mining using analytics programs like Gephi, Network Workbench)
  • Mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) (e.g., depictions of sites, locations of objects, paths of travel, using online mapping tools like MapBox, Timemapper, Neatline)

NCAW is a pioneer in publishing digital art history. For examples of already-completed projects, see the Digital Art History and Digital Humanities page. Authors are not expected to have extensive technical expertise themselves but should be able to articulate how digital research methods and NCAW’s digital publication format connect with their research questions. Upon acceptance of a proposal authors will identify, in discussion with NCAW editors, the digital tools/software to be used. NCAW editors will assist with the development of a timeline and with guidelines for workflow, but authors will be responsible for managing their projects.

To propose a digital art history project, please submit:

  1. Abstract (500 words maximum) as a Microsoft Word document detailing the scholarly content of the article, including how information gleaned from the proposed digital tool will impact the article’s interpretive claims
  2. Abstract (500 words maximum) as a Microsoft Word document outlining the appearance/format of the digital tool(s) and explaining how the author plans to present the article and tool within the NCAW framework (technologies used, layout, etc.). Also provide link(s) from existing digital project(s) that resemble your proposed project functionally, aesthetically, or in the technologies used, followed by several sentences describing which elements of that project will differ from/emulate your proposed digital tool
  3. Budget (1 page maximum)
  4. CV

If interested contributors have an idea for a digital art history project but would like to discuss it with the editors first, we would be happy to talk with you about your ideas in advance of the deadline. Please contact Carey Gibbons, Digital Art History Editor, at dah_editor@19thc- artworldwide.org.

Call for Papers: 2022 Photography Network Symposium — apply by June 15

Intersecting Photographies

Photography Network’s 2022 Symposium, October 13-15 

The second symposium of the Photography Network will be hosted jointly by Photography Network and Howard University in Washington, DC. Depending on circumstances, the event will either be hybrid (in-person and virtual) or fully virtual. We will update speakers and attendees by August 15.

The 2022 symposium theme is “Intersecting Photographies.” Scholarship in the history of photography has until recently focused predominantly on its technical capabilities, patronage, and modes of representation. This focus elides the longer histories of colonialism and imperialism that the medium fosters­—and in which it can potentially intervene. Recent scholarship—including Ariella Azoulay’s “Unlearning the Origins of Photography” (2018), Mark Sealy’s Decolonising the Camera: Photography in Racial Time (2019), and Hulleah J. Tsinhnahjinnie’s (Seminole, Muscogee, Diné) “When is a Photograph Worth a Thousand Words?” (1998)—are among many projects reconceptualizing photography as a site of encounter and exchange, fraught with historical inequities brought by colonizing desires.

The symposium contributes to art history’s ongoing interrogation of photography as a colonizing technology, as well as the exploration of the medium’s ability to promote social justice. “Intersecting Photographies” supports thinkers active in disentangling these histories by foregrounding three kinds of intersections: 1) those between peoples (intersubjective or intercultural); 2) those between photography and other media (intermedial); and 3) photographs, photographers, or photographic subjects that foreground multi-layered representations of social groups and self-fashioning, following Kimberlé Crenshaw’s conceptualization of identity’s “intersectionality.” 

Proposals drawing on these interwoven spheres of concern could consider subjects such as:

·      Methodological questions regarding authority to speak on challenging photographs and themes

·      Social formations and power relationships in the “photographic encounter” and contexts of display

·      Displaying history, colonization, and legacies of imperialism in museums and other institutions

·      The application of decolonization studies and/or digital humanities to archival holdings

·      The archive as a critical site of intersectionality 

·      Intercultural albums as documents and objects of self-fashioning 

Photography Network invites proposals for presentations that broach these and other subjects pertinent to “Intersecting Photographies.” We welcome proposals across disciplines and encourage a broad range of subjects that reflect the geographical diversity of the field. Practitioners and scholars at any stage of their career are welcome to submit their research. We also welcome international scholars but note that the conference will be in English. The symposium organizers are also interested in attracting a range of presentational styles. In addition to proposals for individual, 20-minute papers, we also seek alternative-format presentations (e.g., workshops and roundtables). To encourage variety, applicants may submit up to 2 proposals, provided that one is in an alternative format. We will also host a Pecha Kucha for new research on any topic from students, curators, academics, and practitioners. If you would like to be considered for the Pecha Kucha, please note so in your email submission. You are welcome to apply only to the Pecha Kucha. Conference sessions will be organized around accepted submissions, rather than prescribed themes. 

Please send: (1) a 250-word abstract, (2) a clear indication of preferred format, and (3) a three-page resume or CV by June 15 to the Photography Network Symposium organizing committee: Monica Bravo (University of Southern California), Melanee Harvey (Howard University),Caroline Riley (University of California, Davis), Leslie Ureña (National Portrait Gallery), and Andrés Zervigón (Rutgers University), at photographynetworksymposium@gmail.com. To be considered only for the Pecha Kucha, please email us a 100-word abstract and a short, three-page resume or CV. Notifications of accepted proposals will be sent by email by July 19. The symposium will be held October 13, 14, and 15, 2022. The schedule will be announced by August 1 and will be determined after reviewing the abstracts and finalizing the conference format. Final papers from speakers are required by September 15.

 It is our hope that “Intersecting Photographies” will be live-streamed for those unable to attend because of geographic, financial, or other logistical barriers. ASL interpretation and enabling closed captioning for the live stream will make the symposium further available for those with language barriers.

Note: All are welcome to apply. Accepted presenters must be Photography Network members in good standing at the time of the symposium. Annual membership is $20 (student/unaffiliated), $40 (Affiliated), or $100 (Sustaining Member). Please visit Photography Network’s website (https://www.photographynetwork.net/memberregistration) for more information on how to join. 

Call for New Sessions SECAC 2022 in Baltimore–Deadline Apr. 14, 2022

The Call for New Sessions for SECAC 2022 in Baltimore is open through Thursday, April 14 at https://secac.secure-platform.com/a/solicitations/18/home.

Now that we are reviewing the roster of sessions that were originally scheduled for 2021, we would like to invite proposals for newly conceived sessions. We are especially interested in new ideas, themes, and approaches, and in combined art history and studio art sessions, where appropriate. This call for new session proposals will be followed by a corresponding (and final) call for papers. 

Link to abstracts of sessions advanced from 2021:  https://secac.secure-platform.com/a/page/sessions


Conference Dates: October 26 – 29, 2022
Venue: Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel
Conference Director: Kerr Houston
Contact: secac2022@mica.edu
Call for Sessions: March 22 – April 14, 2022
Website: https://secacart.org/page/Baltimore

The Maryland Institute College of Art is excited to act as the institutional host for the 78th annual meeting of SECAC in Baltimore, MD, from October 26-29, 2022. Based at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel and informed by the theme Watershed, the conference seeks to foster thoughtful analyses of the myriad intersections between art, art history, education, and social and environmental justice. To that end, more than 130 individual sessions will be supplemented by a keynote address by the artist, educator and 2016 MacArthur fellow Joyce Scott, and by three optional walking tours led by local architectural historians, artists and activists. The conference will also include a show of work by the 2021 Artist’s Fellowship winner Brianna Harlan and an exhibition of work by SECAC members, juried by the artist and curator Jeffrey Kent Attendees will have the chance, too, to explore Baltimore’s rich artistic landscape, from The Walters Art Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art to the American Visionary Art Museum, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, and a vibrant local gallery scene. The conference hotel is within convenient walking distance of Baltimore’s celebrated Inner Harbor, as well as a number of nearby restaurants, historical sites, and attractions. MICA looks forward to welcoming you to Charm City!

If you wish to stop receiving email from us, you can simply remove yourself by visiting: http://secacart.org/members/EmailOptPreferences.aspx?id=55025866&e=keri.watson@ucf.edu&h=47c2f92155d7b436c1cc8d397a57a08239262053

SECAC
PO Box 9773
Wilmington, DE 19809-9773

JOB OPPORTUNITY: Curator-at-Large, Phillips Collection (Washington, DC)

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Curator-at-Large

Active – Regular full-timeProfessionalCuratorial, Washington, DC, US

Requisition ID: 1160APPLY

Salary Range:$80,000.00 To 85,000.00 Annually

OVERVIEW: 

The Curator-at-Large will bring bold, imaginative thinking to The Phillips Collection, encompassing different global perspectives and engaging with a multiplicity of narratives that transcend Western European modernism. The curator’s work will position the museum vis-à-vis current regional and global contexts, by proposing new acquisitions, and initiating exhibitions and programs with particular emphasis on African American art, the arts of Africa, the African-Diaspora, the Americas and/or Asia. In addition, the Curator at Large will provide thought leadership and an energizing vision for curatorial programs and initiatives that enhance the Philips’s value principles of equity, empathy, and resilience, exploring the interface of artistic practice and social justice, art and wellness, and artistic reckoning with the urgency of climate destruction.  

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • As a member of the museum’s senior leadership team, the curator will work collaboratively with the museum director, the chief curator and deputy director for academic affairs, the director of learning and education strategy, the director of community engagement, and the Chief Diversity Officer 
  • Guided by the two key components of the job position the curator-a-t-large will introduce exhibitions, related programs and initiatives, thereby impacting the intellectual and artistic fabric of the institution. 
  • Work with the director, chief curator, and curatorial department, in identifying possible acquisitions for the collection.
  • Work with the director of community engagement on strategies to engage the broader DC community with the museum’s collection and exhibitions
  • Work with the Cross-Departmental Director for Contemporary Art Innovation & Partnerships to shape inclusive relationships in the local artist communities, but also introducing leading innovative voices from diverse and global perspectives. 
  • Direct the Phillips annual Artists of Conscience Forum as a platform to explore the intersection of artistic practice and urgent societal issues, working in collaboration cross departmentally.  
  • Participate in selecting and shaping Conversations with Artists, Creative Voices, Book Prize and Postdoctoral Fellowships, as well as shaping new programs and finding new partnerships. 
  • In collaboration with the Chief Diversity Officer, explore the opportunities for learning and growth around issues of social justice within the Phillips community.
  • Produce original research (catalogues, essays, articles, blogs, podcasts), and participate in conferences and workshops related to art, humanities, and intersectional scholarship.            
  • Perform additional management and administrative tasks as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS:

  • MA, PhD degree in Art History or Humanities or other related training area
  • 5 years plus of curatorial practice, preferably in a museum or other cultural institution. 
  • Knowledge of modern and contemporary art and art practices, with an emphasis global modernism and the history of African American art, the arts of Africa, the African-Diaspora, the Americas and/or Asia.
  • Enthusiasm for new forms of engagement in curatorial practice
  • Ability to adopt nimbly through complex situation; to listen and consult colleagues and build team spirit; to recognize and reward the contribution of others; and to communicate openly, decisively and proactively
  • Excellent writing, research, speaking, and interpersonal communication skills
  • Excellent organizational and time management skills

The Phillips Collection is an equal opportunity employer and administers all employment decisions and personnel actions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic disposition or carrier status, marital status, veteran status, personal appearance, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, or any other category protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

See: https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=f8ae008f-99ab-4241-be9d-f3450d619f5a&ccId=19000101_000001&type=MP&lang=en_US&selectedMenuKey=CareerCenter

Internship Opportunities at the Phillips Collection (Washington, DC)

*Community Engagement Intern

*Curatorial Intern

*DEAI Intern

*Education Intern

*Archives Intern

*Preparator and Installations Intern

*Human Resources Intern

*Marketing and Communications Intern

Go to: https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=f8ae008f-99ab-4241-be9d-f3450d619f5a&ccId=19000101_000001&type=MP&lang=en_US&selectedMenuKey=CareerCenter

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Job Opportunity: Open Rank Tenure Track Faculty Position in Critical Design History & Theory at California College of the Arts (San Francisco)- Applications due Mar. 4, 2022

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Open Rank Tenure Track, Critical Design History & Theory

POSITION SUMMARY

California College of the Arts seeks applicants for a full-time, open rank tenure track position in critical design history and theory to begin in Fall 2022. This unique position is supported by the divisions of Design and Humanities & Sciences.

CCA strives to expand our design history and theory pedagogy to address the systemic structures and power relations that shape our society. The ideal applicant engages with cultural, global, and/or transnational dimensions of design history and theory. We seek faculty with specialization in design and cultural work of Black, Indigenous, and people of color, decolonial theory, cultural studies, critical ethnic studies, and design justice. Additional expertise in queer/trans theory and/or disability studies is also welcome.

We seek candidates who cultivate and support an equity-focused creative and scholarly environment and curriculum within an increasingly diverse and international student body inclusive of a large demographic of first-generation college students. Successful candidates will also demonstrate a vibrant professional record of research, scholarship, and student-centered teaching.

The candidate will enhance the current design history and theory course offerings and develop additional graduate and undergraduate courses in the divisions of Design and Humanities & Sciences, from our MFA Design’s “Design in Context” track to our college-wide undergraduate media history courses. This faculty member will teach five courses per year, may supervise MFA Design thesis projects, and perform college-wide, divisional, and program service. Tenure track faculty are eligible to apply for full pay full-year sabbaticals.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Specialization and scholarship related to design and cultural work of Black, Indigenous, and people of color, decolonial theory, cultural studies, critical ethnic studies, design justice or related fields
  • Established record of professional activity
  • Teaching experience (college-level or equivalent), with the ability to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in design history and theory
  • Advanced degree in design, history, theory, cultural studies or a related field with a design focus

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • PhD in design, history, theory, cultural studies or a related field with a design focus
  • Experience in supporting multilingual learners, first-generation college students, and/or students with diverse backgrounds and learning modalities

COLLEGE

Founded in 1907, California College of the Arts (CCA) is an independent non-profit art college with undergraduate programs in architecture, design, fine arts, visual studies, and writing and literature. The college also has graduate programs in architecture, comics, design, interaction design, curatorial practice, design strategy, fine arts, social practice, film, visual and critical studies, and writing. Through these programs, the college has created a dynamic and interdisciplinary environment to fulfill the school’s motto of “Make art that matters.” Diverse cultural perspectives enrich the CCA community and the college believes that continuing to expand the horizons of the students and faculty is essential to achieving its educational objectives. CCA represents over one hundred years of dedication to its mission, whose character reflects its location in the San Francisco Bay Area, where histories of radical politics and technological innovation inform a culturally rich academic community infused by art schools, research universities, world-renowned museums, galleries, start-ups, and community-run institutions. The CCA campus, located in San Francisco, currently enrolls 1,950 full-time students and is embarking on a major campus planning project that will unify the college in one location and ensure its academic excellence for the next century.

SALARY

Salary will be commensurate with experience and includes a comprehensive benefits package.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Application deadline extended to March 4th at 11:59 PM PST.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Qualified applicants must complete the online application by uploading the following materials:

  • Letter of interest highlighting research interests and areas of specialization
  • Curriculum vitae
  • One-page statement of teaching experience and philosophy
  • One-page statement of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) experience
  • Writing Sample(s)–PDF version not exceeding 25 pages total
  • Contact information for three professional references (name, title, address, phone number, email address)

Additional materials may be requested by the search committee at a later time.

EEO Statement

As an educational and cultural institution, California College of the Arts has a responsibility to provide access and opportunities for all people, with special attention to supporting groups historically underrepresented in higher education. We believe that a culturally diverse campus is integral to academic excellence, and our student, faculty, staff, and trustee bodies should reflect the diverse world in which we live, with attention to race, ethnicity, religious creed, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and ability. California College of the Arts is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from individuals who will contribute to its diversity.

Apply here.

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