CAA News Today
Participate in ARTexchange at the 2017 Annual Conference
posted by CAA — September 08, 2016
The artist Young Suk Lee participates in ARTexchange at the 2016 Annual Conference in Washington, DC (photograph by Bradley Marks)The Services to Artists Committee invites artist members to participate in ARTexchange, CAA’s unique pop-up exhibition and annual meet-up for artists and curators. This social event provides an opportunity for artists to share their work and build affinities with other artists, historians, curators, and cultural producers. ARTexchange will take place at the 105th Annual Conference in New York on Friday evening, February 17, 2017, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM.
Each artist is given the space on, above, and beneath a six-foot table to exhibit their work: prints, paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, and small installations; performance, process-based, interactive, and participatory works are especially encouraged. Previous ARTexchange participants have found that this parameter sparked many creative display options. Please note that artwork cannot be hung on walls, and it is not possible to run power cords from laptops or other electronic devices to outlets.
To participate as an exhibiting artist in 2017, contact Katie Apsey, CAA manager of programs, by December 2, 2016, with the following information: (1) a short description of what you will exhibit and how you will use the six-foot table space (provide details regarding performance, sound, spoken word, or technology-based work, including laptop presentations); (2) your CAA member number (memberships must be active through February 18, 2017); and (3) your website or a link to a digital portfolio.
Because ARTexchange is a popular venue and participation is based on available space, early applicants are given preference. Participants are responsible for their work; CAA is not liable for losses or damages. Sales of work are not permitted. Deadline extended: January 6, 2017.
NEA to Support ARTspace for 2017!
posted by CAA — May 10, 2016
National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $82 million to fund local arts projects and partnerships in the NEA’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2016. Included in this announcement is an Art Works award of $15,000 to the College Art Association (CAA) for ARTspace, part of the CAA Annual Conference. This is the eighth consecutive year the NEA has supported ARTspace. The Art Works category supports the creation of work and presentation of both new and existing work, lifelong learning in the arts, and public engagement with the arts through 13 arts disciplines or fields.
“The arts are all around us, enhancing our lives in ways both subtle and obvious, expected and unexpected,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “Supporting projects like the one from CAA offers more opportunities to engage in the arts every day.”
ARTspace is a conference within the conference tailored to the interests and needs of artists and open to all attendees. Organized by CAA’s Services to Artists Committee, it includes a large-audience session space and a media lounge. ARTspace is the site of the Annual Artists’ Interviews held on Friday afternoon. Each morning begins with coffee and tea. The 2016 Annual Conference Artists’ Interviews featured conversations between Rick Lowe and LaToya Ruby Frazier and Joyce Scott with George Ciscle.
Save the date for the 2017 Annual Conference, February 15-18 in New York City.
To join the Twitter conversation about this announcement, please use #NEASpring16. For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, go to arts.gov
Conference Registration Extended to January 6, 2016!
posted by Nia Page — December 18, 2015
UPDATE: CONFERENCE REGISTRATION HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2016.
The clock is ticking! Early Conference Registration Rates end December 21, 2015! Submit your Individual Registration Information to attend the largest gathering of visual arts professionals! This year, don’t miss Tania Bruguera, the chairs of the NEA and NEH, MacArthur Fellows LaToya Ruby Frazier and Rick Lowe, and much more!
We are very pleased to invite you to join us for the College Art Association’s Annual Conference. The 104th Annual Conference will be held in Washington, DC at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel from Wednesday, February 3 to Saturday, February 6, 2016. As the world’s largest international forum for professionals in the visual arts, the conference offers more than 200 sessions, panel discussions, roundtables, and meetings on topics in current art scholarship and practice. Join more than 4,000 artists, art historians, designers, museum directors and curators, arts administrators, and educators in networking opportunities and the exchange of ideas and information between colleagues from across the globe. We invite you to join us.
This year’s highlights include Convocation Keynote address by Cuban installation and performance artist, Tania Bruguera; Opening Night Reception at the Katzen Center at American University; and the Fourteenth Annual Distinguished Scholar session honoring Richard J. Powell, John Spencer Bassett Professor of Art and Art History and Dean of Humanities at Duke University.
Additional highlights include the NEA and NEH 50th Anniversary Presentation Lecture with Jane Chu, Chair of the NEA, in conversation with William “Bro” Adams, Chairman of the NEH; the Annual Distinguished Artists’ Interviews with Joyce Scott, artist of social commentary on racism, sexism and violence, in conversation with George Ciscle, Curator-in-Residence of MICA; and conversation between two MacArthur “genius” fellowship recipients, Rick Lowe (2014) and LaToya Ruby Frazier (2015); Jarl Mohn; National Public Radio CEO and President, will speak on the visual arts and the public; a special tribute to Linda Nochlin, Lila Acheson Wallace Professor of Modern Art at New York University; and the Book and Trade Fair with over 120 publishers, art materials manufacturers, and services in the arts, and much more.
The 2016 CAA conference will also host ARTspace, a conference within the conference. ARTspace is programmed by artists, and tailored to the interests and needs of artists. It is open to all attendees and includes the Annual Artists’ Interviews mentioned above, Media Lounge, and ARTexchange.
CAA has arranged for a curator-led tour of “Marvelous Objects: Surrealist Sculpture From Paris to New York” at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden; a US Capitol Building Tour; a tour of the Kogod House and Art Collection (Donor Circle and Life Members only); a tour of the Glenstone Museum, a Charles Gwathmey-designed private museum housing prime examples of Post-WWII works; and tours of DC-based artist studios and galleries.
CAA members receive substantial discounts on conference registration. For those members who are not eligible for CAA’s discounted memberships, the best overall value on combined membership and conference registration is with the Premium or Donor Circle level membership. CAA members at the Basic level planning to attend the Annual Conference are encouraged to upgrade to the Premium level, which when combined with the discounted conference registration will provide the greatest value. To upgrade your membership please email us or call 212.691.1051, ext. 1 with any feedback or questions.
CAA’s partners are offering exclusive discounts on airfare, car rentals, train travel, and hotel rooms to all conference attendees. Book now and save even more. It is strongly encouraged that you reserve your accommodations at one of the official Conference Hotels. Please note that CAA commits to a block of rooms at these hotels on behalf of its members and has a financial obligation to fill those blocks. Please help us avoid potential penalties and control costs for future events by staying at one of the official hotels.
We look forward to seeing you in DC!
2016 Annual Conference Website Is Live
posted by Christopher Howard — October 08, 2015
The website for the 104th Annual Conference in Washington, DC, to be held from Wednesday, February 3 to Saturday, February 6, 2016, at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, is live today. Get a taste of conference highlights and discover the benefits of registration, including access to all program sessions and admission to the Book and Trade Fair.
The dynamic energy of Washington, DC—known for its world-class museums and as an international destination for American history and culture—provides the backdrop for our annual gathering of more than four thousand artists, art historians, museum directors and curators, arts administrators, scholars, and educators. Look forward to the best in new scholarship, innovative art, and in-depth discussion of issues in the visual arts today.
Highlights of this year’s conference include the presentation of CAA’s 2016 Awards for Distinction, an opening reception at the Katzen Arts Center at American University, and the sixteenth annual Distinguished Scholar Session honoring Richard J. Powell of Duke University. The two Distinguished Artists’ Interviews will feature the sculptor Joyce Scott, speaking to the curator George Ciscle.
Among the highly anticipated sessions are: “South to North: Latin American Artists in the United States, 1820s–1890s,” chaired by Katherine E. Manthorne; “Transforming Japonisme: International Japonisme in an Age of Industrialization and Visual Commerce,” led by Gabriel P. Weisberg; and the two-part “Formalism before Clement Greenberg,” chaired by Katherine M. Kuenzli and Marnin Young. Other exciting session topics range from art as adventure to the Hudson River School, from digital cultural heritage to algorithms and data in contemporary art, and from diversity in curatorial work to staging design in museums.
Online registration for individuals and institutions is now open. In addition, you can book your hotel reservations and make your travel arrangements—don’t forget to use the exclusive CAA discount codes to save money! Register before the early deadline, December 21, 2015, to get the lowest rate and to ensure your place in the Directory of Attendees. You may also purchase tickets for special events and for a place in one of eleven professional-development workshops on a variety of topics for artists and scholars.
CAA will regularly update the conference website in the months leading up to the four-day event, so please be sure to check back often. Averaging more than 40,000 unique visitors per month, the conference website is the essential source for up-to-the-minute updates regarding registration, session listings, and hotel and travel discounts. Visit the Advertising section to learn more about reaching CAA membership and conference attendees.
We look forward to seeing you in Washington, DC!
Participate in ARTexchange at the 2016 Annual Conference
posted by Katie Apsey — September 24, 2015
The Services to Artists Committee invites artist members to participate in ARTexchange, the annual meet-up for artists and curators at CAA’s unique pop-up exhibition. This social event provides an opportunity for artists to share their work and build affinities with other artists, historians, curators, and cultural producers. ARTexchange will take place at the 104th Annual Conference in Washington, DC, on Friday evening, February 5, 2016, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM.
Each artist is given the space on, above, and beneath a six-foot table to exhibit their works: prints, paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, and small installations; performance, process-based, interactive and participatory works are especially encouraged. Previous ARTexchange participants have found that this parameter sparked many creative display options. Depending on the number and type of submissions CAA receives, a schedule of performances may be created. Please note that artwork cannot be hung on walls, and it is not possible to run power cords from laptops or other electronic devices to outlets—bring fully charged batteries.
To participate, send an email to Katie Apsey, CAA manager of programs. Include your CAA member number and a brief description of what you plan to present. Please provide details regarding performance, sound, spoken word, or technology-based work, including laptop presentations. You will receive an email confirmation. Because ARTexchange is a popular venue and participation is based on available space, early applicants are given preference. Participants are responsible for their work; CAA is not liable for losses or damages. Sales of work are not permitted. Deadline: December 14, 2015.
Image: A participant in ARTexchange at the 2015 Annual Conference in New York (photograph by Bradley Marks)
NEA Awards Seventh Consecutive Grant for ARTspace
posted by Nia Page — May 08, 2015
CAA has been awarded a $15,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support the next installment of ARTspace, taking place during the 2016 Annual Conference in Washington, DC. Spearheaded by CAA’s Services to Artists Committee, ARTspace is a forum for programming designed by artists for artists that is among the most vital and exciting aspects of the conference. Held at each Annual Conference since 2001, ARTspace is intended to reflect the current state of the visual arts and arts education.
ARTspace offers free program sessions and includes diverse activities such as the Annual Distinguished Artists’ Interviews (most recently with William Pope.L and Ursula von Rydingsvard in New York in February 2015); screenings of film, video, and multimedia works; live performances; and papers and presentations that facilitate a conversational yet professional exchange of ideas and practices designed to engage CAA’s artist members as well as the general public.
The grant, which is the NEA’s seventh consecutive award to CAA for ARTspace, will help fund programs such as ARTexchange, the popular open-portfolio exhibition for artists; the Distinguished Artists’ Interviews; and the Media Lounge, a space dedicated to curated programs of film, video, and multimedia work. ARTspace programming at the 2015 conference in New York included panels that explored the shifting landscape of the field, from “Surveillance as Art Practice” and “Art Collectives and the Contemporary World” to “Balancing Act: Art, Family, and Other Distractions” and “Imagining an Alternative School of Art.” You can explore all of the 2015 ARTspace programming on the conference website.
CAA’s 104th Annual Conference will take place February 3–6, 2016, in Washington, DC. Through grants to thousands of nonprofits each year, the NEA promotes opportunities for people in communities across America to experience the arts and exercise their creativity.
Image Caption
Jenny Schlenzka of MoMA PS 1 interviews the artist William Pope.L during ARTspace at the 2015 Annual Conference in New York (photograph by Bradley Marks)
Media Lounge Workshops at the Annual Conference
posted by Christopher Howard — February 02, 2015
Alternative Economies
A Project of Media Lounge and ARTspace
103rd Annual Conference
February 11–14, 2015
New York Hilton Midtown, Gibson Room
During the 2015 Annual Conference, the Media Lounge and ARTspace will host programming with the shared theme of “Alternative Economies.” These programs will consider models of social, cultural, and technological economies that transform the conditions for critical discourse and art making. The following workshops organized by Jenny Marketou and Stacy Miller are part of the event which take place at the Media Lounge; they are free and open to the public.
Imagining an Alternative School of Art
OWS Arts & Labor | Alternative Economies Working Group
Wednesday, February 11
9:00 AM–1:00 PM
The economic and structural realities of art schools as they exist today can often be a source of anxiety and frustration for students, faculty, and staff alike, so what might an alternative school of art look like? In this workshop the participants will familiarize themselves with over thirty alternative economic models that are in practice throughout the world today. After analyzing the current economic and structural issues apparent in our places of work and study, participants will be asked to imagine and consider the implications of using these alternative models to augment, remedy, or perhaps replace the current structure altogether.
About: Arts & Labor’s Alternative Economies Working Group is focused on researching alternative economic models that can be used to create and nurture more equitable and sustainable art worlds. Believing that vibrant creative communities come from the bottom up, they encourage relationships based on mutual aid rather than competition and advocate for cultural institutions rooted in a framework of social, economic, and environmental justice.
Facilitation: Melissa Liu, Daniel Tuss, Antonio Serna, Yana Dimitrova, and James Douglas Whitman.
Beyond Faxes with Clip Art: Connective Technology and Art Making
Saturday, February 14
9:30–11:00 AM
This hands-on workshop will move beyond social media as a simple broadcast media for artists and examine how technologically engaged creation and collaboration can enhance, enable, and disrupt established models for art-making practice and interaction. In this workshop, participants will use open-source and/or free tools to connect with artists and create works; they will also discuss relevant issues in practice and pedagogy.
Facilitation: David Hart (MA, Art and Art Education, Teacher’s College, Columbia University) is a producer, writer, and educator with an emphasis in the museum field. He has taught in afterschool settings, corporate workshops, museum programs (in-person and virtually), and undergraduate and graduate programs. Hart worked in the Department of Education and the Department of Digital Media at the Museum of Modern Art and currently is a producer for Acoustiguide, partnering with such institutions as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the New York Botanical Garden, and the J. Paul Getty Museum.
NEA Awards Sixth Consecutive Grant for ARTspace
posted by Nia Page — April 29, 2014
CAA has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support the next installment of ARTspace at the 2015 Annual Conference in New York. Spearheaded by CAA’s Services to Artists Committee, ARTspace is a forum for programming designed by artists for artists that is free and open to the public. Held at each Annual Conference since 2001, ARTspace is intended to reflect the current state of the visual arts and arts education and is among the most vital and exciting aspects of the conference.
Designed to engage CAA’s artist members as well as the general public, ARTspace offers free program sessions and includes diverse activities such as the Annual Distinguished Artists’ Interviews (most recently with Kay Rosen); screenings of film, video, and multimedia works; live performances; and papers and presentations that facilitate a conversational yet professional exchange of ideas and practices.
The grant, which is the NEA’s sixth consecutive award to CAA for ARTspace, will help fund programs such as ARTexchange, the popular open-portfolio exhibition for artists, as well as [Meta] Mentors, a professional-development forum that has addressed such topics as making a living as an artist with and without a dealer, self publishing, social media, and alternative funding. ARTspace programming at the 2014 conference in Chicago included panels that explored the shifting landscape of the field, from the growing role of audience participation and collaboration to new models for artists’ workspaces. You can explore all of the 2014 ARTspace programming at conference.collegeart.org/artspace.
Image Caption
The artist Kay Rosen was interviewed in ARTspace at the 2014 Annual Conference in Chicago (photograph by Bradley Marks).
In the Media Lounge: Uncommon/Commons
posted by Christopher Howard — January 28, 2014
This year’s Media Lounge at the Annual Conference will present Uncommon/Commons, a hybrid media art and research project conceived by the interdisciplinary artist Jenny Marketou and realized with the assistance of Nathanael Bassett, a media researcher and producer.
The goal of the collective project is to invite artists, researchers, writers, scholars, and activists to unpack ambiguous vocabularies and new forms for representation in contemporary art. The participants will all respond to those forms by using social media, public conversations, workshops, and video screenings and by creating hybrid and real events—with the aim to engage public discourse as a social sculpture—that underline not only points of commonality among disciplines but also differences. The artists and curators hope that Uncommon/Commons will be an opportunity to connect Chicago’s artists, activists, academics, and grassroots groups to engender conversations and connections that are important to our civic landscape.
As part of ARTspace, Uncommon/Commons will take place February 12–15, 2014, in the Hilton Chicago’s Joliet Room during the CAA Annual Conference. This is the first year in which the Media Lounge has its own dedicated space with a full program of events. If you cannot attend the conference, watch the Uncommon/Commons live stream and follow the activities on Twitter.
Uncommon/Commons will be an incubator for sharing skills and knowledge, responding to themes of the commons and “communing.” One highlight of the event will be a series of workshops whose topics include: “Environmental Justice: A Civic Science for the Public Realm,” facilitated by Liz Barry; “Wages for Facebook,” led by Laurel Ptak; “Autonets Convergence Chicago: Hackathon for Technologists and Antiviolence Activists,” organized by Micha Cardenas; and “Public Offering and COMMON CAPTURE: Keyhole Excavations in Media Archeology,” spearheaded by Alexis Bhagat.
Uncommon/Commons will also feature two programs of film and video screenings, titled “We refuse their fabulous lies” and “Invalid data – dreaming through the gaps.” A public discussion between the screenings’ two curators, Jenny Marketou and Abina Manning, director of Video Data Bank at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, will take place after the programs, followed by Q&A with the audience. Additional one-time screenings in the Media Lounge will include Oliver Ressler’s Take The Square, Rania and Raed Rafei’s 974, and Marketou’s Looking Out of My Window.
Image Captions
First: Rosa Barba (Germany/Sweden), Outwardly from Earth’s Center, 2007.
Second: Workshop during the XFR STN project at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York in 2013 (photograph by Tara Hart and provided by the New Museum).
Call for Testimonials for “Academic Porn”
posted by Christopher Howard — January 07, 2014
In academia, it is well known that politics among colleagues, institutions, and committees are rarely, if ever, spoken about publicly. Instead, an artist-educator and/or art historian is left alone to navigate what sometimes may be murky, dangerous waters in order to avoid getting eaten by the lurking academic sharks.
At the 2014 Annual Conference in Chicago, ARTspace will host an interactive, American Idol–like event titled “Academic Porn: Revealing the Politics in Academia” on Thursday, February 13, 2:30–5:00 PM. Focusing on difficult and uncomfortable circumstances that commonly arise in institutional environments, the four panelists will address dilemmas in academic politics, acting as “judges” adjudicating—and hopefully resolving—these issues.
In advance of this event, the organizers of “Academic Porn” need your testimonials. Feel free to anonymously (or not!) share situations that you or your colleagues have experienced. The panel’s moderator, Sharon Louden, will be reading these testimonials out loud, with a live Twitter feed and audience participation enthusiastically welcomed. Please send your testimonials directly to her at sharon.louden@gmail.com.