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102nd Annual Conference of the College Art Association
Chicago, 12-15 February 2014

Panel Proposals due by 3 September 2012

The 102nd Annual Conference will take place February 12–15, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois. The Annual Conference Committee invites session proposals that cover the breadth of current thought and research in art, art and architectural history, theory and criticism, pedagogical issues, museum and curatorial practice, conservation, and developments in technology.

The submission process for 2014 proposals is now open. In order to submit a proposal, you must be a current CAA member. For full details on the submission process for the conference, please review the information published below. Deadline: September 3, 2012; no late applications will be accepted.

General Proposal Information

The process of fashioning the conference is a delicate balancing act. The 2014 program is shaped by four broad submission categories: Historical Studies, Contemporary Issues/Studio Art, Educational and Professional Practices, and Open Forms. Also included in the mix are sessions by CAA’s affiliated societies, committees, and Book and Trade Fair exhibitors.

For balance and programmatic equity, open sessions, which have a broad, inclusive topic or theme, are also presented. Most program sessions, however, are drawn from submissions by individual members; the committee greatly depends on the participation of CAA’s membership in forming the conference.

The Annual Conference Committee welcomes session proposals from established artists and scholars, along with those from younger scholars, emerging and midcareer artists, and graduate students. Particularly welcome are proposals that highlight interdisciplinary work. Artists are especially encouraged to propose sessions appropriate to dialogue and information exchange relevant to artists.

The Annual Conference Committee considers proposals from individual CAA members only. Once selected, session chairs must remain current members through 2014. No one may chair a session more than once in a three-year period. (That is, individuals who chaired sessions in 2012 or 2013 may not chair a session in 2014.) Sessions may bring together scholars and participants in a wide range of fields, including but not limited to: anthropology, history, economics, philosophy, religion, literary theory, and new media. In addition, the committee seeks topics that have not been addressed in recent conferences or areas that have traditionally been underrepresented.

Proposals need not conform to traditional panel formats; indeed, experimentation is highly desirable. To this end, CAA presents Open Forms, a session category that encourages the submission of experimental and nontraditional formats (e.g., roundtables, performances, forums, conversations, multimedia presentations, and workshops). Open Forms sessions may be preformed, with participants chosen in advance by session chairs. These sessions require advance planning by the chair; apply only if you have the time required to attend to such tasks. Sessions selected by the Annual Conference Committee for the 2014 conference are considered regular program sessions; that is, they are 2½-hours long, are scheduled during the eight regular program time slots during the four days of the conference, and require a conference badge for admission. With the exception of the Open Forms category, CAA session proposals may not be submitted as preformed panels with a list of speakers. Proposals for papers for the 2014 conference are solicited through the 2014 Call for Participation, to be published in March 2013.

Each CAA affiliated society and CAA committee may submit one proposal that follows the guidelines outlined above. A letter of support from the society or committee must accompany the submission. The Annual Conference Committee considers it, along with the other submissions, on the basis of merit.

Session Categories

Below are descriptions of the four general submission categories.

Historical Studies: This category broadly embraces all art-historical proposals up to the third quarter of the twentieth century.

Contemporary Issues/Studio Art: This category is intended for studio-art proposals, as well as those concerned with contemporary art and theory, criticism, and visual culture.

Educational and Professional Practices: This category pertains to session proposals that develop along more practical lines and address the educational and professional concerns of CAA members as teachers, practicing artists and critics, or museum curators.

Open Forms: This category encourages experimental and alternative formats that transcend the traditional panel, with presentations whose content extends to serve the areas of contemporary issues, studio art, historical studies, and educational and professional practices. Open Forms sessions may be preformed.

Proposal Submission Guidelines

The submission process for 2014 proposals is now open. You will need your CAA user/member ID# and password to complete and submit your session proposal online; paper forms and postal mailings are not required.

Prospective chairs must include the following in their proposal:

• A completed online session-proposal form
• If you have prior approval from a CAA affiliated society or committee to submit an application for a sponsored session, an official letter of support from the society or committee uploaded as a PDF or Word file. If you are not submitting an application for a sponsored session, please skip this step
• Your CV and, if applicable, the CV of your cochair; no more than two pages in length each, uploaded as a PDF or Word file (both CVs in one document)

The committee makes its selection solely on the basis of merit. Where proposals overlap, CAA reserves the right to select the most considered version or, in some cases, to suggest a fusion of two or more versions from among the proposals submitted. The submission process must be completed online. Deadline: September 3, 2012; no late applications will be accepted.

Contact

For more information about session proposals for the 2014 Annual Conference in Chicago, please contact Lauren Stark, CAA manager of programs, at 212-392-4405.