Category: call for participation

CFP: Visual Activism Conference @ San Francisco

The International Association of Visual Culture (IAVC) invites proposals for its third biennial conference in San Francisco, March 14-16, 2014.

The conference is centered on the concept of Visual Activism.  How can we better understand the relationships between visual culture and activist practices?  There are ways in which art can take the form of political/social activism and there are also ways in which activism takes specific, and sometimes surprising, visual forms that are not always aligned with or recognizable by art-world frameworks.  How can we engage in conversations about abstract or oblique visual activism, for instance as is demanded in conditions of extreme censorship?  How can we approach the complexity of governmental or commercial ‘visual activism’ to better address hegemonies of visual culture (for example, in advertising and the mass media)?  What becomes of the temporal lag that attends such images, when the politics of visual production are only made legible in retrospect, with historical distance?  How does the past become a form of ‘visual activism’ in the present?  To what degree do forms of visual activism travel, and in what ways are they necessarily grounded in locally specific knowledge and geographically specific spaces?

Presentations should respond to these questions or related topics and may take the form of scholarly papers (20 minutes), artist talks (20 minutes), short performances (5 to 30 minutes), or lighting-round interventions (5 minutes).  Proposals should include a 400-word abstract, links to websites with additional publications or relevant images and information, and a CV. Please send proposals to edu@sfmoma.org (with ‘visual activism’ as the subject line) no later than October 1, 2013.

The conference is convened by Julia Bryan-Wilson (Associate Professor, Modern and Contemporary Art, UC Berkeley), Jennifer A. González (Associate Professor, History of Art and Visual Culture, Contemporary Art, Race and Representation, UC Santa Cruz) and Dominic Willsdon (Leanne and George Roberts Curator of Education and Public Programs, SFMOMA) and will take place at the Brava Theater Center and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, CA.

Please email edu@sfmoma.org to be added to the mailing list to receive updates about the conference such as registration, the calendar of events and participants.

CFP: “Colour Me Queer” Session @ AAH Conference, London

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: Colour Me Queer

Association of Art Historians (AAH) 40th Annual Conference
Royal College of Art, London
​April 10-​12, 2014

While art history as a discipline has adopted a queer postcolonial gaze to trouble the canon, most ground-breaking scholarship on art and visual culture from queer racialized perspectives has been accomplished outside its borders—albeit with some notable exceptions, such as work by Kobena Mercer and Amelia Jones.

This session specifically aims to explore how art history might develop a vocabulary and methodology that speaks to better understand transnational, diasporic, indigenous and decolonial bodies alongside their gendered and sexualized lived experiences. Colo u​r Me Queer does not signify fixed/specific otherness, but rather functions as a politics that interrogates epistemological limits of race, gender and sexuality.

If art history has been largely resistant to exploring queer racialized visualities, what are the tools necessary to dismantle the conventions of knowledge production around art? How can a queer racialized gaze affect the relationship between visual analysis and knowledge production? Do newer forms of art such as performance, film, video, and installation (rather than older forms more burdened by western art history like painting and sculpture) lend themselves more easily to queer racialized visualities?

Overall, this session considers the stakes involved in queer racialized methodologies in visual analysis as well as the opportunity to interrogate canonical formation. Papers will not only assess what a queer racialized lens affords art history but correspondingly, what visual analysis provides queer racialized lived experiences.  What tropes and themes are incited when queer racialized visualities come to the fore? And finally, what might a queer racialized lens still occlude from critical analysis?

By November 11, please email a 250 word abstract of a proposed paper of 30 minutes, including your name and affiliation, to co-chairs:

  • Natasha Bissonauth, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, nb337@cornell.edu
  • Alpesh Kantilal Patel, Florida International University, Miami, alpesh.patel@fiu.edu.

 

CFP: Constructing National Identity Through Fashion @ 2nd International Non-Western Fashion Conference, November 21 – 22, 2013

2nd International Non-Western Fashion Conference
Constructing National Identity Through Fashion

London College of Fashion, UK
21-22 November 2013

CALL FOR PAPERS

In today’s rapidly globalizing world, dichotomies like ‘traditional’ versus
‘fashionable,’ ‘tradition’ versus ‘modernity’ and ‘non-West’ versus ‘West’
can no longer be justified and fortunately a new generation of fashion
scholars is acknowledging the existence of different (non Euro-American)
fashion systems. They realize there is a growing urgency for fashion
theory to rectify its ethno- and Eurocentric approach and no longer assume
that non-Western dress is (automatically) outside the realm of fashion
dynamics. Fashion designers from Asia, The Middle East, Latin America and
Africa are increasingly influencing global fashion dynamics, but
surprisingly still little is known on the effects these developments will
have on fashion as we know it today.

Therefore the aims of this annual conference, which is part of a larger
international interdisciplinary cross-regional research project set up in
2012, is to establish a broad network of scholars focusing on non-Western
fashion systems (without explicitly excluding research on Western fashion
systems), to stimulate international cross-regional comparative research
and to mobilise scholars across disciplines to engage in primary and
archival fieldwork on (emerging) non-Western fashion centres. The project
aims to meet a new intellectual and public interest in more local models
of fashion production and consumption.

This second edition of the Non-Western Fashion Conference will focus on the
construction of national identity in fashion and the roles of so-called
‘tradition’ and ‘modernity’ in this process. Fashion designers are
increasingly branding their national heritage/tradition as a successful
marketing tool, while simultaneously reinventing/modernizing it. On the
one hand, in a globalizing world, it allows them to differentiate
themselves on a highly competitive international fashion market, while on
the other hand, on a national level, it seems to make them successful as a
result of a general revaluation of national culture as a counter reaction
to increasing foreign cultural influences. However, when non-Western
designers use their cultural heritage as a source of inspiration, it is
considered ‘traditional
identity’ whereas when Western fashion designers brand their cultural
heritage, it is considered ‘fashion identity.’

This conference not only wishes to be interdisciplinary but also
cross-regional, assembling researchers who are engaged in creative and
critical rethinking of (non-Western) fashion systems in a wide scope of
geographical areas in ways that may include, but certainly are not limited
to the ideas above. Please note that all papers will be presented in
English, and no translation will be available.

Keynote speakers for this edition are:

*        Jennifer Craik (RMIT University, Melbourne)
*        Yuniya Kawamura (Fashion Institute of Technology, New York)
*        Leslie Rabine (University of California)
*        Emma Tarlo (Goldsmiths, University of London)
*        Sarah Cheang (Royal College of Art, London)
*        Reina Lewis (London College of Fashion)

300 word abstracts are due by the 30th of June 2013.

Emails containing the abstracts should be submitted to m.jansen@fashion.arts.ac.uk and entitled: NON-WESTERN FASHION ABSTRACT SUBMISSION.

Please include the author’s name, affiliation, email address and the title of the abstract. Please send PDF, Word or RTF formats, using plain text (Times Roman 12) and abstain from using footnotes and any special formatting, characters or emphasis.

Receipt of the email will be acknowledged within one week. If you do not receive a reply, please assume that it was not received, and send it again. A selection of the papers will be invited to feature in a hardcopy edited volume following the conference.

ACRAH’s photostream

Uhaul.com

Check out this photograph of a uhaul van featuring the underground railroad as part of a new advertising campaign. Discuss.

CFP: African Diasporas: Old and New @ University of Texas 2014

The University of Texas Africa Conference
African Diasporas: Old and New
April 3-6, 2014

We are now inviting scholars to submit conference papers and full panel
proposals for the 2014 conference on African Diasporas: Old and New. The
goal of this conference is to create an interdisciplinary dialogue
concerning Africa and Africans throughout the world from both historical
and contemporary approaches. This conference seeks to bring together a vast
array of scholars on a variety of academic levels to discuss the complex
experiences of African descended peoples across the globe.

What is the African Diaspora? How are old and new diasporas discussed in a
variety of disciplines? How can we conceptualize the African Diaspora? What
is the role of the African Diaspora in modern politics? How do various
groups within old and new African diasporas conceptualize themselves in
relation to others? How do diasporic voices shape conceptualizations of
individual and collective identities? What will the African diaspora look
like in the future?

Some potential topics may include:****

  • Human rights in the African Diaspora
  • Identity politics in the African Diaspora****
  • Conceptualizations of Diaspora****
  • The concept of homeland****
  • Reverse migrations****
  • Transnationalism, immigration, and citizenship****
  • Expressive culture in the African Diaspora****
  • Historiographical debates on the African Diaspora****
  • Religion, traditional culture, and creolization in the African Diaspora****
  • New Media and social media in the African Diaspora****
  • Slavery and the African Diaspora****
  • Kinship****
  • Indian Ocean networks****
  • Trans Saharan Trade****
  • Colonialism, labor, and the African Diaspora****
  • New Diaspora history****
  • Migration and memory****
  • International politics in the African diaspora****
  • Cultural expressions of political realities, including political protest in the forms of music, literature, film, art, etc., both in Africa and throughout the Diaspora
  • Forms of transnational political protest in the African Diaspora

As with all our previous conferences, participants will be drawn from
different parts of the world. Submitted papers will be assigned to
particular panels according to similarities in theme, topic, discipline, or
geographical location. Papers can also be submitted together as a panel.
Additionally, selected papers will be published in book form.

This conference also has a commitment to professional development which
will be fostered through workshops in writing, publishing, and conference
presentation. The conference will also provide ample time for professionals
from various disciplines and geographical locations to interact, exchange
ideas, and receive feedback. Graduate students are especially encouraged to
attend and present papers and will be partnered with a senior scholar to
encourage their own growth as scholars.

The deadline for submitting paper proposals is November 31, 2013. Proposals
should include a 250-word abstract and title, as well as the author’s name,
address, telephone number, email address, and institutional affiliation.

Please submit all abstracts to Cacee Hoyer/Danielle Sanchez:
africaconference2014@gmail.com

A mandatory non-refundable registration fee of $150 for scholars and $100
for graduate students must be paid immediately upon the acceptance of the
abstract. This conference fee includes admission to the panels, workshops,
and special events, as well as transportation to and from the conference
from the hotel, breakfast for three days, dinner on Friday night, lunch on
Saturday, and a banquet on Saturday evening.

The University of Texas at Austin does not provide participants with any
form of funding support, travel expenses, or boarding expenses. If the
conference obtains outside funding this will be used to help subsidize
graduate students’ accommodations on a competitive basis but it is not
guaranteed.

Convened by Dr. Toyin Falola****
Coordinated by Cacee Hoyer and Danielle Sanchez

CFP: “Making Art In/About/For Cities in Crisis” Session @ Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA)

Making Art In/About/For Cities in Crisis
45th Annual Convention, Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA)
April 3-6, 2014
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Host: Susquehanna University

This session seeks to promote cross-disciplinary discussion of the roles
verbal and visual art might play in the 21st-century American city. On the
heels of the Great Recession, cities are undergoing massive
transformations, with some gaining new prominence by attracting
what Richard Florida calls “creative class” workers while others,
particularly in the industrial Midwest and overbuilt South and Southwest,
seem to be in irreversible decline. In collaboration with government and
business leaders, architects and urban designers are arranging the physical
environments of cities on the rise to further accelerate and intensify
economic growth. At the same time, writers and artists are flocking to
cities at the other end of the spectrum—Detroit, most prominently—creating
collectives and workshops reminiscent of the 1960s poetry and art scenes in
cities like Los Angeles and New York. Are we, as Sarah Schulman argues in
The Gentrification of the Mind, on the leading edge of another wave of
appropriation and displacement, with writers and artists merely leading the
way? Can anything save cities from capitalism’s tendency toward creative
destruction? Do they need to be saved? Is there a critique from art or
aesthetic theory that might be put in productive dialogue with economic and
cultural approaches to urban problems? When will the new generation of
urban artists break through and in which media?

Send 250-word abstracts with contact and affiliation information to Nate Mickelson,
mickelsonjn@yahoo.com by September 30, 2013.

About the Conference:

The 2014 NeMLA convention continues the Association’s tradition of sharing
innovative scholarship in an engaging and generative location. This capitol
city set on the Susquehanna River is known for its vibrant restaurant
scene, historical sites, the National Civil War museum, and nearby Amish
Country, antique shops and Hershey Park.  NeMLA has arranged low hotel
rates of $104-$124.

The 2014 event will include guest speakers, literary readings, professional
events, and workshops. A reading by George Saunders will open the
Convention. His 2013 collection of short fiction, The Tenth of
December, has been acclaimed by the New York Times as: “the best
book you’ll read this year.” NeMLA’s Keynote Speaker will be David Staller,
Producer and Director of Project Shaw. Mr. Staller presents monthly
script-in-hand performances of Bernard Shaw’s plays at the Players Club in
New York City.

Interested participants may submit abstracts to more than one NeMLA
session; however, panelists can only present one paper (panel or seminar).
Convention participants may present a paper at a panel and also present at
a creative session or participate in a roundtable.

http://www.nemla.org/convention/2014/cfp.html

 

CFP: “Life in My City Photo Africa” Photography Contest @ Life In My City Art Festival, Enugu, Nigeria

INTERNATIONAL PHOTO CONTEST: LIFE IN MY CITY PHOTO AFRICA

Life In My City Art Festival, Enugu, Nigeria, hereby invites entries for Life in My City Photo Africa as part of the 2013 Life In My City Art Festival holding in October 2013.

Photo Africa is an international photo contest for African photographers who will be not more than 35 years of age by October 12th, 2013, living and working in Africa.

Submitted works are expected to portray interesting current living conditions in the African city as seen through the lens of photographer, bearing in mind that one of the aims of the Life In My City Art Festival is to provide a platform for young artists to make meaningful statements about their environment.

Rules available at website www.lifeinmycityartsfestival.com

ACRAH Update | Website Launch: www.acrah.org

ACRAH has a new web address: www.acrah.org

We have registered acrah.org as our domain and are working on expanding our website. The Grapevine blog is still live and we hope that you will continue to visit, follow, and share information with us. See our submissions guidelines to share your CRAH related news.

We are seeking contributors who are interested in reviewing exhibitions and publications and/or blogging a column on a regular basis (monthly?). Share your expertise and thoughts about art and race matters. Interested? Send an email to acrah@ymail.com

Bear with us as we continue to update the site and let us know how you like the new features as they appear. Anything that you would like to see in the future?

Thank you all for your continued interest and support of ACRAH.

Call for Papers: New Voices – Art and Decolonization

Looks like our CAA panel, “Subaltern Rising,” was very timely. Here is an event exploring similar themes.

CFP: Feminist Art History Conference @ American University, November 2013

Announcing the Fourth Annual FEMINIST ART HISTORY CONFERENCE at American University in Washington DC
Friday-Sunday, November 8-10, 2013

Keynote speaker:
Professor Patricia Simons, University of Michigan
Sessions and keynote will be held on the campus of American University

CALL FOR PAPERS
This fourth annual conference continues to build on the legacy of feminist art-historical scholarship and pedagogy initiated by Norma Broude and Mary D. Garrard at American University. To further the inclusive spirit of their groundbreaking anthologies, we invite papers on subjects spanning the chronological spectrum, from the ancient world through the present, to foster a broad dialogue on feminist art-historical practice. Papers may address such topics as: artists, movements, and works of art and architecture; cultural institutions and critical discourses; practices of collecting, patronage, and display; the gendering of objects, spaces, and media; the reception of images; and issues of power, agency, gender, and sexuality within visual cultures. Submissions on under-represented art-historical fields, geographic areas, national traditions, and issues of race and ethnicity are encouraged.
To be considered for participation, please provide a single document in Microsoft Word (title the document [last name]-proposal.doc or .docx) comprising a one-page, single-spaced proposal of no more than 500 words for a 20-minute presentation, followed by a curriculum vita of up to two pages.

Submit materials by May 15, 2013 to: fahc4papers@gmail.com
Accepted proposals will be notified by July 1, 2013.

Please direct inquiries to: fahc4papers@gmail.com.

Sponsored by the Art History Program, Department of Art, College of Arts and Sciences at American University

Organizing committee: Kathe Albrecht, Juliet Bellow, Norma Broude, Kim Butler, Mary D. Garrard, Namiko Kunimoto, Helen Langa, and Andrea Pearson