Colloquium Registration and Gala Ticket sales will begin March 27, 2023 at: https://art.howard.edu/porter-colloquium
SAVE THE DATE: James A. Porter Colloquium, 04/13-15/2023
The Grapevine
CFP: “Questionnaire: The Animacy of Objects” in American Art Journal
Call for Submissions: “Questionnaire: The Animacy of Objects”
Deadline: August 15, 2023
American Art, the peer-reviewed journal co-published by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the University of Chicago Press, seeks to publish papers demonstrating cultural perspectives that recognize objects as animate beings. Authors are invited to submit brief essays in reply to this question, posed by co-organizer heather ahtone (Choctaw/Chickasaw Nation): How does acknowledging and engaging with objects as animate beings—recognizing them as relatives and respecting that they carry a form of peoplehood—expose the knowledge they hold and carry, knowledge that is otherwise invisible and unrecognized?
Contributors are encouraged to interrogate how the Western discipline of art history, and particularly the focus of this journal—the role played by art and related visual culture in the ongoing transnational and transcultural formation of “America” as a contested geography, identity, and idea—would benefit from these perspectives. Toward this goal, essays are welcome from scholars who are working both within and beyond North American topics, as well as those coming from other disciplines and fields, including artists, art historians, linguists, cultural specialists, and others working on philosophical questions related to the animacy of objects. Diverse orthographies are welcome and will be accommodated whenever possible. Please click here for more information.
The journal’s standard guidelines on originality, quality, and submission format apply; click here for details. Please submit manuscripts of 1,500–2,000 words (including notes) with 1–4 images, to AmericanArtJournal@si.edu by August 15, 2023. Selected articles will be workshopped with authors, rigorously edited and fact-checked, and published in American Art in 2024. Inquiries are welcome.
JOB: New Joint Curatorial Position at SFMOMA and MoAD
SFMOMA AND MoAD ANNOUNCE JOINT CURATORIAL POSITION AS PART OF ONGOING PARTNERSHIP FOCUSED ON ART OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
New Role Will Advance Scholarship and Public Engagement with African Diasporic Art and Culture and Generate New Pipeline for
Curatorial Talent
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (February 28, 2023)—The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) announced today the creation of a joint curatorial position as part of a broader partnership that will support scholarship and public engagement with African Diasporic art and culture. SFMOMA and MoAD first collaborated in 2015 on the exhibition Portraits and Other Likenesses and have since sought opportunities to deepen their connection and share expertise and resources. The establishment of this position, titled Assistant Curator of the Art of the African Diaspora, solidifies the institutions’ partnership in support of a shared ambition to elevate artistic and curatorial talents, especially in the Bay Area, and will result in the creation of a robust range of co-created exhibitions, artist projects and public programs.
In addition to expanding each museums’ work to present and study art of the African Diaspora, the role is envisioned as a platform to cultivate new curatorial talent and advance the pipeline of BIPOC curators within the museum field. The full-time position has a rotating three-year term, consistently ensuring new and distinct voices, perspectives and approaches are brought to the development of subject programming and to the work of both Bay Area institutions more broadly. The creation and structure of the position acknowledges the need for more sustainable and distinct entry- to mid-level positions in the field that support young and emerging voices and that provide the experience necessary to grow into leadership roles. The job description will be posted next month, March 2023, with the goal of announcing the inaugural curator in summer 2023.
The partnership bolsters both museums’ ability to tell a more expansive art history, supports audience engagement and cultivates connections within the Yerba Buena cultural district where both institutions are located. The new Assistant Curator of the Art of the African Diaspora will work with leadership and teams across both institutions and play a critical role in developing collaborative exhibitions, public programs, artist-led projects for both institutions. Their work will be grounded in research, with a particular focus on bringing to the fore new and underrepresented artistic voices and presentation approaches. Additionally, the curator will help further diversify SFMOMA’s collection (MoAD is not a collecting institution). New acquisitions, as well as existing collection works, will enrich MoAD exhibitions, while MoAD’s close ties to the community will help SFMOMA reach new audiences. In this way, the partnership also establishes a dynamic model for cross-institutional collaboration that leverages different institutional strengths to support shared goals.
“MoAD is excited to partner with SFMOMA to expand the visibility and opportunities for art and artists of the African Diaspora. We are eager to share our unique ability to create deep and sustained community relationships to expand the audiences at both institutions,” said Monetta White, executive director and CEO of MoAD. “Through our Emerging Artists Program, guest curators and residencies, MoAD has amplified Black creative talent since our inception in 2005 and we are grateful to be able to scale these efforts alongside the team at SFMOMA. We look forward to increasing opportunities for Black museum professionals within major art institutions and bringing innovative voices and perspectives to the Yerba Buena cultural district unseen before. We hope this partnership inspires others across the country to be a part of cultivating and supporting more BIPOC leaders in the art world.”
The creation of the joint curatorial positions follows several other significant appointments at MoAD. In October 2022, the institution announced art historian, curator and rising star Key Jo Lee as chief of curatorial affairs and public programs, a newly created leadership position supported by a grant from the Mellon Foundation. In January, MoAD also announced Jocelyn Jackson as its new chef-in-residence and Dr. Artel Great, an acclaimed San Francisco filmmaker, author and scholar, as cultural-critic-in-residence, a newly established position and the first of its kind at a contemporary art museum. MoAD’s growing team elevates the Museum’s presence as a global leader in presenting and celebrating art from a uniquely African Diasporic perspective.
“With the establishment of this partnership, we are advancing work on several institutional priorities. This includes deepening SFMOMA’s relationships with organizations in our community to support mutual audience-building through the development of compelling and highly relevant exhibitions and programs. At the same time, this new role and partnership is part of our commitment to enhance SFMOMA’s holdings of art of the African Diaspora and its presentation within our galleries. This is a key collecting area for SFMOMA and we look forward to welcoming the expertise of our new curator in this essential work,” said Christopher Bedford, SFMOMA’s Helen and Charles Schwab Director. “I am grateful for Monetta White’s partnership and am excited to work with her and the MoAD team toward our shared vision.”
This collaboration builds on prior exhibitions and projects at SFMOMA focused on art and artists from the African Diaspora, including monographic presentations of works by Glenn Ligon, Kara Walker, Wangechi Mutu and Toyin Ojih Odutola; commissions by Julie Mehretu, Kerry James Marshall, Emory Douglas and Sadie Barnette; and generous gifts such as those from the Joyner/Giuffrida Collection, which includes objects by Elizabeth Catlett, Beauford Delaney, Norman Lewis and Richard Mayhew. The partnership signals an important step in SFMOMA’s commitment to diversifying its collection which was reaffirmed with the museum’s 2018 Strategic Plan; the 2019 deaccession and sale of Mark Rothko’s Untitled (1960) and its comprehensive DEI Strategic Plan, launched in March 2022. Following the appointment of Christopher Bedford, SFMOMA identified African Diasporic art and culture as an essential pillar of its strategic work to transform its collection and public programs as well as deepen its connections with the community.
About San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
151 Third Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States and a thriving cultural center for the Bay Area. Our remarkable collection of painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, design and media arts is housed in a LEED Gold-certified building designed by the global architects Snøhetta and Mario Botta. In addition to our seven gallery floors, SFMOMA now offers more than 62,000 square feet of free art-filled public space open to all.
Visit sfmoma.org or call 415.357.4000 for more information.
** Follow us on Twitter for updates and announcements: @SFMOMA_Press
About Museum of the African Diaspora
685 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) is a contemporary art museum whose mission is to celebrate Black cultures, ignite challenging conversations, and inspire learning through the global lens of the African Diaspora. MoAD is one of only a few museums in the United States dedicated to the celebration and interpretation of art, artists, and cultures from the African Diaspora. The Museum presents exhibitions highlighting contemporary art and artists of African descent and engages its audience through education and public programs that interpret and enhance the understanding of Black art. Founded in 2005, the Museum continues to be a unique, cultural arts staple in the San Francisco Bay Area community.
For more information about MoAD, visit the museum’s website at moadsf.org.
CFP: Toward Equity in Publishing/American Art
Call for Applications: Toward Equity in Publishing
Deadline: May 1, 2023
Toward Equity in Publishing is a professional development program provided by the peer-reviewed journal American Art, which is co-published by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and University of Chicago Press. The program works toward ameliorating the inequitable conditions that precede and impede publication by providing developmental editing and workshops to demystify academic publishing. Eligibility is limited to untenured faculty, junior museum staff, independent scholars, and unpublished graduate students.
With the continued generosity of the Dedalus Foundation, who has just extended their support for an additional two years, all participants will now receive a $1,000 stipend to offset participation costs such as family care, missed wages, or research expenses.
For more information and application instructions, please visit americanart.si.edu/research/toward-equity-publishing.
ACRAH will be at CAA2023!
The ACRAH/CAA2023 session will be “Harlem-on-Thames: NY/LON, 1919-1939.” The panel will be held on Zoom, February 16, 2023 at 9:00am EST.
https://caa.confex.com/caa/2023/meetingapp.cgi/Session/10984
Harlem, in the interwar era, was a space of avant-gardism. Groundbreaking forms of visual art, music, fashion, and popular dance, produced by Black artists, were received as racialized forms of modernism. Among those who recognized Harlem’s novelty and power and traveled there to experience it were white British artists who positioned themselves as iconoclasts: for them, Harlem was a realized site of modernity, where there were few social restraints upon expression. Simultaneously, enterprising Blacks from the United States and colonized countries in the Caribbean and Africa traveled to London, pursuing greater freedoms and career opportunities. There, they were part of interracial collaborations in concert dance, film, and musical productions; they mingled in liberal, social circles and pursued relationships across class, sexual, and racial lines. The Black presence in London was visible and remarked upon, welcomed by some and rejected by others. Both progressive ideas and fetishistic notions shaped the early twentieth-century trope of Blackness. What David Levering Lewis rightly termed the vogue for Harlem neither dispelled nor disrupted longstanding patterns of white privilege and racism within these interlocking, interwar trans-Atlantic modernisms. In the years leading up to the impending World War, many of these romantic liaisons and professional partnerships dissolved. In this session, we consider the understudied impact of the Harlem-London axis and raise questions about its legacy upon American and British cultural landscapes, undeniably shaped by Black modernisms.
Check out the papers descriptions here: CAA2023
Register for CAA: https://www.collegeart.org/programs/conference/conference2023/registration
The session will be recorded and available to conference registrants until April 17, 2023.
California State Parks Museum Curator Assessment
California State Parks Museum Curator Assessment now available through February 28!
Take the first step towards a career as a Museum Curator with the California Department of Parks and Recreation! The California State Parks are caretakers for over 3,000 historic buildings, more than 11,000 known California Native American ancestral and historic archaeological sites, and multiple museums including the California State Railroad Museum, Hearst Castle, and Regional Indian Museums, including the State Indian Museum (transitioning to the California Indian Heritage Center). We are seeking individuals who are passionate about helping to steward and maintain the California State Parks’ rich and varied collections, which encompass Native American cultural belongings, objects of fine art and material culture, paleontological and geological collections, historic resources, and architectural features. We are excited about the opportunity to reach candidates who bring diverse perspectives to museum collections management work. The monthly salary range for this position is $4,519 to $5,589.
The minimum qualifications for the Museum Curator I assessment include one year of professional experience in museum work, experience with management, and a college degree in a relevant field such as anthropology, archaeology, art history, history, museum studies, or natural sciences.
Please follow the steps below to submit your application for the Museum Curator I assessment:
Step 1: Create a CalCareers account
Step 2: Complete your application template (STD678)
Be sure to include the following:
• Exam Title: Museum Curator I
• Exam Code: 3PR05
Step 3: Email your application to Exams@parks.ca.gov with the Exam Code 3PR05 in the subject line
Step 4: After reviewing your application, our Exams Team will email you a link to take the online Assessment.
Submit your application for the Museum Curator I Assessment by February 28!
About the Assessment
Completing this assessment is a requirement to become a California State Parks Museum Curator I. This means that to apply for any entry-level Museum Curator position statewide, a candidate must first take the assessment. The exam is weighted 100% on a training and experience evaluation. Evaluation will be based on your knowledge, skills, and ability, as demonstrated by your education/experience.
If you require assistance or alternative testing arrangements due to a disability, please contact the testing department listed on the exam bulletin.
Questions?
Connect with us at recruiting@parks.ca.gov. We are happy to help!
2023 UC-HBCU Graduate Pathways Internship in African Archaeology
Dear colleagues,
Please forward to following announcement to potential HBCU students interested in Archaeology.
The UCSC Archaeological Research Center is excited to announce the 2023 UC-HBCU Graduate Pathways Internship in African Archaeology. Now in its 5th year, the internship is a five-week summer training program designed to introduce undergraduate students enrolled at accredited Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to the methods and results of archaeological research on African Diaspora sites. Since 2018, interns from multiple HBCUs have participated in archaeological excavations at three sites of key importance to the African Diaspora: 1) Sans-Souci, the royal palace of Henry Christophe located in Milot, Haiti, 2) Estate Little Princess, a former Danish plantation in St. Croix, USVI, and 3) Saclo, Bénin, a rural village that emerged on the outskirts of Abomey, capital of the precolonial Kingdom of Dahomey.
For the 2023 field season, we will focus exclusively on the site of Saclo, Bénin. Students will spend one week in residence at UC Santa Cruz, California (June 25th-July 1st) and another four weeks in Bénin (July 2nd-July 29th) doing field work and visiting heritage sites. At UCSC, students will receive one week of intensive training in artifact analysis and digital archaeological methods from multiple specialists on campus. Particular attention will be devoted to artifact typology, and the use of 3D technology to model artifacts and excavations. Interns will then join participants from the Université d’Abomey Calavi for 4 weeks of survey and excavation at Saclo in Bénin.
While in Bénin, interns will apply the methods they have learned in a real archaeological setting, recovering traces of a settlement dating to the era of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and the rise of the Kingdom of Dahomey. Interns will also visit important heritage sites in Bénin (Ouidah, Savi, Abomey, Cana), and learn from leaders in the field of archaeology and cultural heritage in Bénin. Time permitting, we may also conduct limited testing at a site associated with the Agojié, famous women warriors most recently depicted in the film The Woman King.
Participating interns will gain field experience in interdisciplinary methods for the study of West Africa and the African Diaspora, and mentorship towards a career in archaeology. The internship is intended to teach students basic excavation, survey, and analysis methods while also exposing them to potential graduate level research in archaeology and related disciplines. All room, board, and travel to and from UC Santa Cruz and Bénin will be provided. Additionally, interns will receive a stipend of $800 per week ($4,000 total). Students who successfully complete the program are eligible for competitive financial incentives to attend graduate school in any program in the University of California system.
Please provide all information requested in subsequent pages, and upload all necessary supporting documentation when prompted. This includes:
a. A 1,000-word essay that outlines your academic background, interest in archaeology, and how this experience will contribute to your academic and career goals.
b. An unofficial transcript.
c. One letter of recommendation from a professor who can speak to your academic interests and abilities.
d. A resume/CV outlining your work experience (academic or otherwise).
For more information about the internship and for links to the application form, please visit our webpage, or you may go directly to the application form. The deadline for receipt of all application materials is 5 pm (Pacific Standard Time), Sunday, February 26th, 2022. Materials received after this deadline cannot be guaranteed consideration. For more information contact Dr. J. Cameron Monroe(jcmonroe@ucsc.edu) or Dr. Justin Dunnavant (jdunnavant@anthro.ucla.edu).
JOB: Asst Prof, African American Art, tenure-track @ Georgia State University
The Welch School of Art & Design invites applications for a tenure-track position in African American Art History at the rank of assistant professor. This is a full-time appointment with an anticipated start date of August 2023. We welcome candidates working in any period of the Black Diaspora in North America. Scholars whose research includes intersectional, interdisciplinary, and/or interregional approaches are especially encouraged.
The successful candidate will join an Art History program with existing strengths in the art histories of Africa, Latin America, Western Europe, and the United States. They will be part of the Welch School of Art & Design’s growing faculty and will play a significant role in the College of the Art’s contribution to Georgia State University’s strategic goals of highlighting the arts and
media as vital to the quality of all major cities, demonstrating that students from all backgrounds can achieve academic and career success at high rates.
The College of the Arts is hiring scholars and creative practitioners across the fields of Music, Art & Design, and Film and Media Studies. This cluster hire is designed to leverage relationships across and within the College’s academic units and solidify its efforts to foreground the histories of underrepresented groups in the Arts.
An enterprising R-1 university in Atlanta, Georgia State University is a national leader in using innovation to drive student success and research growth. The university provides its world-class faculty and more than 50,000 students unsurpassed research, teaching, and learning opportunities in one of the 21st century’s great global cities. In 2023, U.S. News & World Report
ranked Georgia State as #2 in Most Innovative Schools, #7 in Best Undergraduate Teaching, #9 in Learning Communities, #6 in First-Year Experiences, and #21 in Top Performers on Social Mobility among national universities.
Responsibilities
The appointee will teach a section of the Western art survey II, upper level/graduate level courses in their area of expertise, and methodology seminars on a rotating basis. They will be responsible for maintaining an active research agenda, mentoring undergraduate and MA students, and participating in service at the school, college, and/or university levels. The successful candidate may have opportunities to establish affiliations with Georgia State
University’s Center for Studies on Africa and its Diaspora (CAD) and research and community connections with institutions in the Atlanta Metro area including the High Museum of Art, Atlanta University Center Consortium, the APEX museum, and the Atlanta History Center. Opportunities for support include intramural research grants, Welch Faculty Fellowships, summer research fellowships, teaching release time, graduate research assistants, travel funds, and assistance in pursuing external funding.
The successful candidate must have their PhD in hand by August 1, 2023
Salary Range: $65,000-70,000
To Apply
Submit three separate PDFs for this job application to wsadrecruiting@gsu.edu either through email or through direct download (such as WeTransfer). Complete applications will include PDF documents in this order:
A cover letter including past and/or potential contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion through research activity, teaching, and service
Curriculum Vitae
A writing sample of approx. 30 pages (published or unpublished)
A statement of teaching interest
Names, email addresses, telephone numbers, and titles of at least three professional references
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. To ensure consideration, submit all materials by January 9, 2023. Questions about the position can be directed to the search committee chair at wsadrecruiting@gsu.edu. Should you be recommended for a position, an offer of employment will be conditional on background verification.
Georgia State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against applicants due to race, ethnicity, gender, veteran status, or on the basis of disability or any other federal, state, or local protected class. As a campus with a diverse student body, we encourage applications from women, minorities, and individuals with a history of mentoring underrepresented minorities.
Call for Nominations: 2023 Charles C. Eldredge Prize
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is now accepting nominations for the 2023 Charles C. Eldredge Prize. The prize is awarded annually by the museum for outstanding scholarship in the field of American art. A cash award of $3,000 is made to the author of a recent book-length publication that provides new insight into works of art, the artists who made them, or aspects of history and theory that enrich our understanding of America’s artistic heritage. The Eldredge Prize seeks to recognize originality and thoroughness of research, excellence of writing, clarity of method, and significance for professional or public audiences. It is especially meant to honor those authors who deepen or focus debates in the field, or who broaden the discipline by reaching beyond traditional boundaries.
Single-author books devoted to any aspect of the visual arts of the United States and published in the three previous calendar years (2020, 2021, 2022) are eligible. To nominate a book, send a one-page letter explaining the work’s significance to the field of American art history and discussing the quality of the author’s scholarship and methodology. Nominations by authors or publishers for their own books will not be considered. The deadline for nominations is January 15, 2023. Please send to: Eldredge@si.edu. Further information about the prize may be found at americanart.si.edu/research/awards/eldredge.
JOB: Asst Prof, Global Contemporary Visual Culture @ Case Western Reserve University
The Department of Art History and Art at Case Western Reserve University is seeking a qualified candidate in the field of Global Contemporary Visual Culture. The preferred primary geographical areas of specialization include Asian, Southeast Asian, African, African Diaspora, Latin American, and/or Indigenous North American. Interdisciplinary and transregional expertise are especially welcomed.
Minimum Qualifications:
PhD or ABD if the PhD will be in hand by August 2023, in the field of Global Contemporary Visual Culture, broadly defined, with a promising research trajectory. Teaching experience at the college level is desirable. Must be eligible to work in the USA.
Candidates should exemplify excellence and innovation in research, scholarship, and teaching, with a demonstrated interest in engaging with museum and curatorial work. Given the long history of collaboration between the CWRU Department of Art History & Art and the renowned Cleveland Museum of Art, candidates are expected to demonstrate a strong commitment to object-based pedagogy. Candidates would also be encouraged to take advantage of the vibrant contemporary arts community in the greater Cleveland area. Teaching duties include two courses each semester, comprising introductory and area survey classes for undergraduates, upper-level courses in the successful applicant’s area of specialization and graduate seminars. Candidates should be prepared to supervise M.A. and PhD students, and fully participate in departmental and university service. Visit our website at: http://arthistory.case.edu
Applicants should submit a cover letter addressing research and teaching, a curriculum vitae, a writing sample, and email addresses of three references. Applications received by January 15, 2023 will be given full consideration. Questions should be directed to Elizabeth Bolman, Chair and Elsie B. Smith Professor in the Liberal Arts: esb87@case.edu.
About the College of Arts and Sciences, CWRU
The College of Arts and Sciences houses educational and research programs in the arts, humanities, social sciences, physical and biological sciences, and mathematics. Students in the college can choose a major or minor from almost 60 undergraduate programs, design their own courses of study, or enroll in integrated bachelor’s/master’s degree programs. In addition, the college offers graduate programs in several fields where small size and special expertise allow it to make a distinctive contribution to advanced education and research.
The college is organized into 21 academic departments and several interdisciplinary programs and centers, including Childhood Studies, International Studies, Evolutionary Biology, History and Philosophy of Science, and Women’s and Gender Studies. Undergraduates as well as graduate students are encouraged to conduct independent research, in their chosen fields or
related ones, within the college, in other units of the university, or in nearby medical and cultural institutions. The academic experience can extend into the community in the form of service-learning projects as well as internships in research institutions, businesses, cultural institutions, and governmental agencies.
The college’s curricular offerings are enhanced by its affiliations with other University Circle institutions, including the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Western Reserve Historical Society, the Cleveland Institute of Art, and the Cleveland Play House. The college itself offers many arts presentations, lecture series and symposia. It also provides abundant opportunities for students to participate in musical, theater and dance performances.
As a recipient of the national Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award for the past nine years, CWRU has been recognized nationally as a leader in advancing equity and inclusivity. The university and the College of Arts & Sciences at CWRU are committed to creating an inclusive community where all are welcome, valued and heard.
CAS Diversity Statement
The College of Arts and Sciences at Case Western Reserve University is committed to advancing an inclusive community in which everyone is welcome, respected, valued and heard. Along with colleagues across the university, our faculty, staff and students are engaged in continued and meaningful dialogue about issues of systemic racism, and we are determined to implement measures to end discriminatory practices on our campus and enhance our contributions to the communities around us.
Members of our faculty lend their expertise, research, and insights to ongoing national and international conversations about racial justice and equity. As a liberal arts college, we educate leaders and innovators whose knowledge, creativity and appreciation for multiple perspectives enable them to carry on the work of building a more hopeful future for all.
As our society grapples with the history, legacy and persistence of entrenched racism and its impact on communities of color, we reaffirm our mission to expand opportunities for underrepresented groups; provide a multifaceted education for our students; foster a culture of diversity, pluralism and recognition of individual difference; and realize our ideals within the university and in the larger world.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
In employment, as in education, Case Western Reserve University is committed to Equal Opportunity and Diversity. Women, veterans, members of underrepresented minority groups, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
Case Western Reserve University provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Office of Equity at 216-368-3066 to request a reasonable accommodation. Determinations as to granting reasonable accommodations for any applicant will be made on a case-by-case basis.
ACRAH 