Call for Papers | Tracing Material Cultures in Early America
As announced by CAA:
Objects, Pathways, and Afterlives: Tracing Material Cultures in Early America
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, 20–22 April 2023
Organized by Christine DeLucia, Tiya Miles, Scott Manning Stevens, and Jennnifer Van Horn
Proposals due by 15 May 2022
This two-and-a-half-day symposium in April 2023 at the Huntington Library will articulate new pathways forward in American material cultures, broadly defined in terms of subject matter, hemispheric geography, and time period (from roughly 1500 to 1860). We invite holistic thinking about existing fault lines in object study and the generative spaces around issues of power, absence, representation, labor, hybridity, and materiality. Recognizing that ‘early’ America itself has been contested in productive ways, we ask what work ‘early’ American objects can help effect along the lines of contemporary visual sovereignty as well as cultural preservation and knowledge production.
As critical reckonings with the enduring legacies of white supremacy and settler colonialism that shaped early America continue to impact communities today, we seek to create a space for creative learning to investigate: How do we do this work? How do we interpret this work with and for multiple publics? How can we better engage younger community members and college students with materials collected by museums? What through-lines can museums elucidate between historical materials and contemporary Indigenous and African American artists and knowledge keepers?
Symposium participants can engage with the Huntington’s Fielding Collection of Early American Art as a resource and point of departure, but talks do not have to respond directly to works in the collection.
We invite proposals for 20–30 minute papers addressing these themes from people in many fields, including but not limited to African Diaspora, Archaeology, Art History, History, Indigenous Studies, Material Culture, and Museum Studies. Cross-disciplinary and comparative studies are also welcome. To submit, please email abstracts of no more than 200 words, along with a short (2 page) CV, to objectspathwaysafterlives@huntington.org by 15 May 2022.
Travel and accommodations will be provided for speakers arriving from outside the Los Angeles area, and meals will be provided for all. Graduate students outside the Los Angeles area who want to attend the conference are welcome to apply for grants to cover travel and lodging. To be considered, email objectspathwaysafterlives@huntington.org a 300-word statement detailing your research interests and outlining how attending the conference will further your scholarly or career development, along with a short (2-page) CV by 15 May 2022.
Online Lecture | Susan Lahey on Chinese Porcelain in Canada
From Events in the Field:
Susan Lahey | Chinese Porcelain in Canada in the 18th and 19th Centuries: Examples in Nova Scotia and Quebec Collections
Online, Canadian Society of Decorative Arts, 3 April 2022, 3pm (EDT)
Did you know there are more than 69,000 fragments of Chinese blue and white porcelain in the archaeological collection of Nova Scotia’s Fortress of Louisbourg? Or that Chinese famille rose porcelains were imported to Canada from the famous Imperial kilns of Jingdezhen? Join Asian art expert Susan Lahey, MA, ISA CAPP, for a visually engaging presentation exploring Chinese porcelain in museum collections from Quebec and Nova Scotia. Not only will she examine the history of when and how these pieces arrived in Canada, but also provide a brief background on the development of blue and white in China. The significance of these porcelain wares and the symbolism of decoration depicted on them will be discussed in a way that is entertaining to a broad audience of both Western and Chinese porcelain connoisseurs alike. Sunday, 3 April 2022, 3pm (EDT).
Register here»
Susan Lahey, MA, ISA CAPP, is a certified, professional appraiser with more than two decades of experience, specializing in Chinese decorative and fine art. Ms. Lahey holds an Honours BA in Chinese Studies from the University of Toronto; an MA in Classical Chinese Literature from the University of British Columbia; and a Post-Graduate Diploma with Distinction in Asian Art from the School of Oriental & African Studies/Sotheby’s in London, England.
CSDA/CCAD Sundays are regular online events hosted by the Canadian Society of Decorative Arts (csda-ccad.org) featuring a wide range of makers, collectors and other topics of interest to lovers of the decorative arts and crafts.
Conference | Fragile Splendour
From Haughton International:
Fragile Splendour: Prestige, Power, and Politics from the Medici to the Present Day
The British Academy, Carlton House Terrace, London, 29–30 June 2022
Vase ‘E de 1780’ Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory, 1781 (London: Wallace Collection C334 004).
We have great pleasure in announcing that this year’s Haughton International Seminar, entitled Fragile Splendour: Prestige, Power & Politics from the Medici’s to the Present Day, will again take place at The British Academy, 11 Carlton House Terrace, on Wednesday 29th and Thursday 30th June. Each year we draw together eminent international speakers to share their knowledge and passion with an appreciative audience. Information regarding this exciting seminar can be viewed on our website here. Tickets can be purchased online via this link. We look forward to welcoming you in June.
Cost of the two-day seminar: £110 (inc VAT). Cost of the two-day seminar including champagne reception and dinner at The Athenaeum on Wednesday, 29th June: £190 (inc VAT). Student tickets for the two-day seminar (on production of ID): £60 (inc VAT). Booking in advance through the website is essential due to limited numbers. The box office opens on Tuesday, 1st March. Below is a preliminary programme (subject to change).
W E D N E S D A Y , 2 9 J U N E 2 0 2 2
8.45 Registration
9.15 Welcome Address
9.30 Morning Session
• Gregory Irvine — The Art of War, the Arts of Peace: Patronage and Production of Luxury Crafts for the Samurai
• Timothy Schroder — Diplomatic Gifts in Gold
• Mathieu Deldicque — Prestige Despite Disfavour: The Prince de Condé and Chantilly Porcelain
• Helen Jacobson — The Art of Giving: Diplomacy at the Bourbon Court
1.00 Lunch Break
2.15 Afternoon Session
• Timothy Wilson — The Medici and Maiolica in the Time of the Florentine Republic
• Amin Jaffer — Attributes of Splendor: Jewels and the Projection of Power in Royal India
3.55 Face-to-Face: Rosalind Savill in Conversation with Brian Haughton
4.45 Q&A Session
6.30 Drinks Reception at The Athenaeum Club (for dinner guests only)
7.15 Dinner (dress code is smart with ties for gentlemen; no denim or training shoes)
T H U R S D A Y , 3 0 J U N E 2 0 2 2
9.00 Arrival
9.15 Morning Session
• Samuel Wittwer — Polishing the Crown: The Influence of Artists and Scholars on Royal Berlin Porcelain Orders
• Leslie Greene Bowman — Thomas Jefferson at Monticello: Prestige, Power, and the ‘Peculiar Institution’ of Slavery
• Eva Stroeber — For Sultans, Grand Dukes, and German Princes: Chinese Porcelain as Diplomatic Gift
• Rose Kerr — How Chinese Emperors Used Ceramics to Support their Power and Prestige
1.00 Lunch Break
2.15 Afternoon Session
• Johann Kräftner — Rebuilding a Collection: 20 Years of Working with Palaces, Paintings, Sculpture, Furniture, and Porcelain
• Julia Weber — Augustus the Strong and the ‘Red Porcelain’ from Saxony
• Judy Rudoe — Jewellery, Politics, and National Identity: Princess Alexandra and Her Wedding Gifts
4.30 Q&A Session
Enfilade 
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