CAA Chicago, 2010
Art history and criticism have a long history of theorizing things. Meditations on the artwork’s “thingness” make up much of the discipline’s canon, from Alois Riegl’s Late Roman Art Industry to Michael Fried’s Art and Objecthood. While the interpretive potential of materiality is perhaps most apparent for sculpture, writers have also considered the signifying thickness of paint, the importance of presence in devotional spaces (including museums), and the phenomenological charge of the film or video apparatus, to name just a few. While thingness has been a primary category of art history, art historians have offered little explicit comment on the recent interdisciplinary turn to “Thing Theory.” This panel asks how art history and criticism might productively contribute to this conversation. We invite papers from historians, critics, and artists that address the critical potential or liabilities of theorizing thingness from the vantage point of art.
Proposals for papers to session chairs Due May 08, 2009:
Proposals for participation in sessions should be sent directly to the appropriate session chair(s). If a session is cochaired, a copy should be sent to each chair, unless otherwise indicated.
Every proposal should include the following six items:
1. Completed session participation proposal form, located at the end of this brochure.
2. Preliminary abstract of one to two double-spaced, typed pages.
3. Letter explaining speaker’s interest, expertise in the topic, and CAA membership status.
4. CV with home and office mailing addresses, email address, and phone and fax numbers. Include summer address and telephone number, if applicable.
5. Documentation of work when appropriate (with a self-addressed, stamped envelope), especially for sessions in which artists might discuss their own work.
6. A stamped, self-addressed postcard for confirmation that proposal has been received (if mailing internationally, it is recommended that proposals be sent via certified mail, return receipt requested).
Chairs determine the speakers for their sessions and reply to all applicants by June, 01, 2009.
Jennifer Marshall: jjanemarshall@yahoo.com