CAA News

CAA Thanks Chicago Conference Attendees and Participants

posted by Christopher Howard — February 17, 2010

CAA sincerely thanks all attendees and participants of the 98th Annual Conference in Chicago. Despite weather-related delays, you all helped to make this year’s event one of the most well attended and exciting in recent years.

We look forward to seeing you next year in New York for CAA’s centennial conference, February 9–12, 2011!

Filed under: Annual Conference —

New Members of the CAA Board of Directors

posted by Vanessa Jalet — February 13, 2010

CAA members have elected four new directors to the CAA board for a four-year term, 2010–14:

Peter Barnet, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Roger Crum, University of Dayton
Jean M. K. Miller, Towson University
Sabina Ott, Columbia College Chicago

The winners were announced by Paul B. Jaskot, CAA president, at the conclusion of the Annual Members’ Business Meeting, held on late Friday afternoon, February 12, at the CAA Annual Conference in Chicago. The above four will join the board at its next meeting, in May 2010.

Filed under: Board of Directors, Governance, People in the News —

ONLINE CAREER CENTER JOB STATISTICS

posted by CAA — February 11, 2010

CAA’s Online Career Center, the major database for job classifieds in the academic art world, is also an indicator of professional trends in the visual arts. As anticipated in this economic downturn, job postings decreased for full-time positions from CAA’s fiscal year 2008 (July 1, 2007–June 30, 2008) to fiscal year 2009 (July 1, 2008–June 30, 2009).

In addition, indicators from the US Department of Education and the American Association of University Professors show an increase in contingent faculty (e.g., part-time or adjunct positions). CAA, however, is not able to keep statistics on contingent faculty since most hires are made locally and not posted nationally on the Online Career Center.

General Jobs Statistics

Overall, the Online Career Center posted 1,263 jobs in FY 2009, down from 1,757 in FY 2008. A total of 643 jobs have appeared in the first six months of the current fiscal year (July 1–December 31, 2009).

In the charts below, please keep in mind that each job can be posted to multiple categories, so there is not a one-to-one relationship between job and category. Also, the category “Any” is for employers that are looking for someone to teach a broad range of classes.

The ten most frequent postings by specialty for studio art and art history in fiscal year 2009 are used as the baseline in the following four charts:

Studio Art	FY09	FY08
Any	629	1,005
Graphic/Industrial/Object	185	246
Digital/Media/Animation	150	220
Drawing/Printmaking/Paper	96	130
Sculpture/Installation/Environmental Art	92	99
Ceramics/Metals/Fiber	89	92
Photography	85	143
Art Education	73	90
Film/Video	70	89
Foundations	59	90

The above statistics represent a 30.7 percent decline in the number of positions posted in studio art.

Art History	FY09	FY08
Any	445	561
Contemporary Art	101	107
Twentieth-Century Art	79	89
General Art History	77	110
Renaissance/Baroque Art	60	64
Japanese/Korean Art	56	39
Nineteenth-Century Art	52	61
Chinese Art	49	39
South/Southeast Asian Art	45	47
Art of the United States	35	49

The above statistics represent a 14.3 percent decline in the number of positions posted in art history.

A comparison of the top-ten specializations posted in last six months (July 1–December 31, 2009) to the same period in 2008 demonstrates an overall decline of 28.9 percent in studio-art job postings.

Studio Art	2009	2008
Any	320	524
Graphic/Industrial/Object	109	124
Digital/Media/Animation	80	112
Drawing/Printmaking/Paper	45	74
Sculpture/Installation/Environmental Art	72	32
Ceramics/Metals/Fiber	42	69
Photography	50	63
Art Education	33	56
Film/Video	39	55
Foundations	31	46

Similarly, job postings in art history has seen an overall decline of 36.9.

Art History	2009	2008
Any	234	329
Contemporary Art	34	77
Twentieth-Century Art	26	60
General Art History	38	56
Renaissance/Baroque Art	25	46
Japanese/Korean Art	28	47
Nineteenth-Century Art	21	42
Chinese Art	28	41
South/Southeast Asian Art	24	38
Art of the United States	22	24

Jobs by States and Provinces

All postings indexed by US state and Canadian province include the following top ten in the two previous fiscal years, and the first six months of the current year.

FY 2008 (July 1, 2007–June 30, 2008)

1. New York	196
2. California	139
3. Pennsylvania	107
4. Texas	100
5. Illinois	99
6. Michigan	87
7. Massachusetts	81
8. Georgia	70
9. Florida	62
10. Ohio	55

FY 2009 (July 1, 2008–June 30, 2009)

1. New York	119
2. California	92
3. Pennsylvania	78
4. Illinois	75
5. Georgia	72
6. Texas	64
7. Massachusetts	62
8. Ohio	58
9. Michigan	55
10. Indiana	33

First half of FY 2010 (July 1–December 31, 2009)

1. New York	66
2. Illinois	50
3. Pennsylvania	42
4. Texas	36
5. California	31
6. Florida	28
7. Georgia and Missouri	27
8. Massachusetts	26
9. Michigan	25
10. Ohio	23

2010 CAA Annual Conference in Chicago

As of February 2, 54 employers have indicated they are interviewing at the 2010 Annual Conference in Chicago: 16 booths and 31 tables in the Interview Hall have been rented, and 7 employers have told CAA about plans to interview offsite. Additional employers, which do not always inform CAA of their presence, are expected.

These numbers are similar to those for last year’s conference, when 59 institutions came to Los Angeles. CAA rented 9 booths and 37 tables in the Interview Hall; 13 employers interviewed offsite.

In comparison, at the 2008 Annual Conference in Dallas–Fort Worth—held before the recession had emerged—CAA rented 40 booths and 64 tables in the Interview Hall. Thirty institutions made interview arrangements elsewhere, bringing the total for that year to 134.

That’s a 56 percent drop in the number of institutions between the 2008 and 2009 conferences, and nearly the same decrease (60 percent) when comparing 2008 to the early totals for 2010.

Interviews at the Annual Conference, however, are just one part of Career Services offered by CAA in Chicago. Schools and institutions also meet informally with job seekers in the tables section of the Interview Hall. CAA offers professional-development workshops and roundtable discussions on a variety of career-related topics at the conference, and networking is encouraged in the Student and Emerging Professionals Lounge, which is host to special events throughout the 2010 conference.

Contact

You may request statistical information in other specializations for studio art and art history from Eugenia Lewis, CAA controller.

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: Features —

Two More Days to Vote in the 2010–14 Board of Directors Election

posted by Vanessa Jalet — February 11, 2010

CAA invites all members to cast their vote in the current Board of Directors election. Voting ends on Friday, February 12, at 5:00 PM CST. The following six candidates have been chosen by the 2009 Nominating Committee for the current slate:

Peter Barnet, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Roger Crum, University of Dayton
Conrad Gleber, La Salle University
Arthur F. Jones, University of North Dakota
Jean M. K. Miller, Towson University
Sabina Ott, Columbia College Chicago

Please click on each candidate’s name above to read his or her statement and biography—and to watch their special video introductions—before casting your vote for up to four candidates.

About the Election

CAA members may vote for no more than four candidates or may cast votes for write-in candidates (who must be CAA members). The four candidates receiving the most votes will be elected to the board. CAA members may cast their votes and submit their proxies by mail or electronically.

Election results are announced at the close of the Annual Members’ Business Meeting at the Chicago conference, and new board members take office in the spring.

If you have requested your ballot on paper, a ballot and proxy were mailed to you in mid-December. Return them via post by Friday, February 12, 2010, at 5:00 PM CST.

If you have elected to vote online, you have received email notices since mid-December with instructions for voting online. This emails include a PIN for you to vote and to return your proxy. All online voting must be completed by Friday, February 12, 2010, at 5:00 PM CST. If you wish to vote during the conference, CAA is providing a computer for online voting in the registration area.

If you are still receiving your ballot and proxy by postal mail, kindly change your email communication status to “vote online” in the Account Log In section of the CAA website. Voting online is considerably less expensive, and in these difficult economic times it is critical for CAA to save costs where it can.

About the Board

The CAA Board of Directors is responsible for all financial and policy matters related to the organization. It promotes excellence in scholarship and teaching in the history and criticism of the visual arts, and it encourages creativity and technical skill in the teaching and practice of art. CAA’s board is also charged with representing the membership on issues affecting the visual arts and humanities.

2009 Nominating Committee

Members of the 2009 Nominating Committee are: Mary-Ann Milford-Lutzker, Mills College, vice president for committees and committee chair (ex officio without vote); Jacki Apple, Art Center College of Design; Linda Downs, CAA executive director (ex officio, without vote); Ken Gonzales-Day, Scripps College and CAA board; James Hopfensperger, Western Michigan University; Suzanne McCullagh, Art Institute of Chicago; Edward M. Noriega, Troy University and CAA board; William Wallace, Washington University in St. Louis and CAA board; and Charles A. Wright, Western Illinois University.

Filed under: Board of Directors, Governance —

New Members of CAA’s Professional Interests, Practices, and Standards Committees

posted by Christopher Howard — February 10, 2010

The following individuals have been appointed to serve on CAA’s nine Professional Interests, Practices, and Standards Committees for 2010–13. New committee members begin their terms this week at the 2010 Annual Conference in Chicago.

Committee on Diversity Practices: Kevin Concannon, University of Akron; and Zoya Kocur, New York University. Renée Ater of the University of Maryland, College Park, was appointed chair, taking over Jacqueline Francis’s term.

Committee on Intellectual Property: Scott Contreras-Koterbay, East Tennessee State University; Karen Kelly, Dia Art Foundation; Doralynn Pines, Metropolitan Museum of Art (retired); Caitlin Shey, lawyer and consultant, New York; and Christine Sundt, University of Oregon. Kenneth Cavalier, a lawyer based in British Columbia, becomes committee chair.

Committee on Women in the Arts: Richard Meyer, University of Southern California; and Maura Reilly, independent curator, New York.

Education Committee: Teresa Lenihan, Loyola Marymount University; Cindy Maguire, Adelphi University; and Brian Seymour, Community College of Philadelphia.

International Committee: Richmond Ackam, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology; and Beth Steffel, California State University, San Bernadino.

Museum Committee: Janet Marstine, Seton Hall University; and Nancy Mowll Mathews, Williams College Museum of Art.

Professional Practices Committee: James Hopfensperger, Western Michigan University; Morgan T. Paine, Florida Gulf Coast University; and Susan Waller, University of Missouri, St. Louis. Charles Wright of Western Illinois University has been appointed committee chair.

Services to Artists Committee: Sharon Louden, artist; Vesna Pavlovic, Vanderbilt University; and Cindy Smith, artist and independent scholar. Brian Bishop of Framingham State College has accepted a one-year extension as committee chair.

Student and Emerging Professionals Committee: Amelia Winger-Bearskin, Vanderbilt University.

A call for nominations to serve on these committees appears annually in the July and September issues of CAA News and on the CAA website. CAA’s president, vice president for committees, and executive director review nominations in December and make appointments that take effect the following February.

For more information about the Professional Interests, Practices, and Standards Committees, please write to Vanessa Jalet, CAA executive assistant.

Filed under: Committees, People in the News —

Annual Conference Blog by Columbia College Chicago Students

posted by Christopher Howard — February 09, 2010

The official blog of the 2010 Annual Conference, which began publishing last week, is offering a unique, exciting perspective of this year’s meeting. In place of the usual mix of CAA member artists and art historians, fifteen graduate and undergraduate students from Columbia College Chicago will be giving an hour-by-hour account—in words, pictures, and video—of all things CAA.

Look not only for discussions on sessions, the Book and Trade Fair, and other CAA-sponsored events (bloggers have listed their must-sees), but also for postings from late-night conversations and sunrise coffee talks, as well as buzz from the evening receptions and gallery openings.

Recruited by professors Paul Catanese and Terence Hannum of Columbia College Chicago, the fifteen bloggers include several artists working in the MFA program in interdisciplinary art and media, as well as one art historian in training. Students from other diverse disciplines—public relations, documentary filmmaking, arts and media management, journalism, interactive media, and graphic design—have also joined the blogging team.

Nearly all these young writers have never attended a CAA conference, so their fresh approach to our venerable event is highly anticipated. Your thoughts are also welcome: the conference blog’s comments section is open to everyone.

Filed under: Annual Conference, Blogs, Students —

Donate to Help Save Haitian Libraries and Archives

posted by Christopher Howard — February 08, 2010

The Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC), an international collaboration of educational, research, governmental, and nongovernmental institutions that provides access to electronic collections about the Caribbean, is seeking donations and technical assistance for the recovery and protection of Haiti’s libraries and their valuable historical, governmental, and cultural resources.

The Digital Library of the Caribbean has initiated the Protecting Haitian Patrimony Initiative, the goal of which is to help the country’s three largest heritage libraries and the National Archives, all of which were damaged in the January 12 earthquake. While the main structures remain standing, one library must be evacuated and most likely demolished and the others suffered significant damage, leaving their collections extremely vulnerable. As a result, significant resources will be needed to protect the already brittle, rare books and documents, now left in piles and covered with debris.

The damaged institutions have indicated they need gloves, masks, archival boxes, and temporary staff to assist in the clean-up. Later, they will need to replace broken shelving, repair or replace damaged electronic equipment, and provide more advanced restoration for many of the rarest books and documents.

Laura Probst, dean of FIU Libraries and a dLOC executive committee member, said protecting the historical documents is crucial in the earthquake’s aftermath.

“The collections in these archives represent the collective memory of the Haitian people, their culture, and Haiti’s role in the history of the western hemisphere and the world,” Probst said. “With this initiative we seek to preserve these invaluable resources for Haiti’s future, and for our own.”

FIU has a longstanding partnership with Haiti’s libraries and the National Archives through the Digital Library of the Caribbean and is one of the founding partners and administrators of dLOC, along with the University of Florida and the University of the Virgin Islands.

The Digital Library of the Caribbean’s operations are run out of the Latin American and Caribbean Center at FIU. Brooke Wooldridge, coordinator of dLOC at FIU, will be traveling to Haiti this week to assist the libraries and archives in documenting their needs and planning for the next phases of their recovery.

The Protecting Haitian Patrimony Initiative at first will channel resources to four institutions in Port-au-Prince:

Archives Nationales d’Haïti houses both civil and state records, including births, marriage and death certificates, documentation of social works, civil governance and records of the Office of the President, and most government ministries
Bibliothèque haïtienne des Pères du Saint-Esprit was founded in 1873 by the Fathers of the Holy Spirit. The library holds resources documenting the history of Haiti, French colonization, slavery, and emancipation, and 20th Century records, as well as newspapers and periodicals
Bibliothèque haïtienne des Frères de l’Instruction Chrétienne was founded in 1912 by the Christian Brothers. It served as depository-library for Haitian imprints and holds titles not even available in the National Library. It also holds one of the most significant collections of Haitian newspapers
Bibliothèque National d’Haïti was established in 1940 and also serves as a public library providing resources, study space, and research support. It has a small but significant collection of rare books, manuscripts, and newspapers

For more information or to contribute to the Protecting Haitian Patrimony Initiative, please visit the dLOC website or call dLOC at 305-348-3008.

The text was published earlier today on the website of Florida International University (FIU) and is reprinted here with permission by news.FIU.edu.

Filed under: Advocacy, Cultural Heritage, Libraries — Tags: Haiti —