CAA News Today
RAAMP—A Digital Resource for Academic Museum Professionals
posted by CAA — October 06, 2016
Guy Laramée, The Grand Library, 2004. Altered book, pigment, metal stand, 96 x 21 x 44 inches. Courtesy of the artist and JHB Gallery. Courtesy of University of Richmond Museums, Virginia. Photo: Gordon Schmidt/University of Richmond Communications.RAAMP (Resources for Academic Art Museum Professionals) is an online repository and forum that collects, stores, and shares resources to promote scholarship, advocacy, and discussion related to the role of academic art museums and their contribution to the educational mission of their parent institutions. RAAMP aims to strengthen the educational mission of academic museums and their parent organizations, and is oriented toward colleagues at academic art museums as well as university and other museum colleagues. RAAMP is a project of CAA made possible with a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
The principal investigators for RAAMP are N. Elizabeth Schlatter, deputy director and curator of exhibitions at the University of Richmond Museums in Virginia and an officer of CAA’s Board of Directors; and Celka Straughn, Andrew W. Mellon Director of Academic Programs at the University of Kansas’s Spencer Museum of Art and a member of CAA’s Museum Committee. Schlatter says, “Art museums at colleges and universities today are creating some of the most dynamic connections to their academic communities. RAAMP creates a virtual place to share these accomplishments and gain inspiration from colleagues. Academic museums can use examples created by their peers and posted on RAAMP to enhance their offerings to faculty and students.”
Straughn adds, “They can find curricular materials utilizing museum resources to emphasize critical thinking skills or sample reports that demonstrate and quantify how a campus museum contributes to its parent institution. RAAMP is also a place to promote professional development activities, to find research related to academic museums, and to engage in discussions with fellow professionals.”
RAAMP was created in response to a 2013 CAA Annual Conference session organized by the organization’s Museum Committee. Attendees at the session expressed a need to have a digital space where they could easily share information and strategies for communicating how their academic museums contribute to the educational mission of their parent institutions.
RAAMP would not be possible without the help of its partner organizations: Association of American Museum Curators (AAMC), Association of American Museum Director (AAMD), and Association of Academic Museums & Galleries (AAMG), and representatives from the following US-based academic museum stakeholders:
The Art Galleries at Lafayette College, Bowdoin College Museum of Art, The Fowler Museum at the UCLA, Galleries of Contemporary Art at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs; The Hood Museum at Dartmouth University, Lowe Art Museum at the University of Miami, Neuberger Museum at SUNY Purchase College, Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida, Schnitzer Museum at the University of Oregon, Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago, Spelman College Museum of Art, Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas, University of Iowa Museum of Art, University of Richmond Museums
Visit the RAAMP website to learn more.
Visit the RAAMP submissions page to submit materials.
CAA Local College Tour
posted by CAA — September 30, 2016
Students are crucial to CAA and the work we do. Support and interest from student members allows us to provide fellowships, professional development, mentorships, and job placement services to those very same students. In the coming months, CAA is visiting several local New York colleges and universities in order to connect with our youngest and one of our most vital constituencies. Below is our upcoming schedule. We hope to see you there.
Monday Oct. 10, 10AM-12PM at Parsons Fine Arts
Tuesday Nov. 1st at Pratt Institute (Time TBD)
Wednesday Nov. 2nd at Pratt Institute (Time TBD)
Friday Nov. 18th, 12PM-4PM at School of Visual Arts
New in caa.reviews
posted by CAA — September 30, 2016
Alessia Frassani reviews The Lienzo of Tlapiltepec: A Painted History from the Northern Mixteca, a collection of multidisciplinary studies edited by Arni Brownstone. Focusing on lienzos, “large painted cloths produced after the Spanish invasion of Mexico,” the book makes “a difficult but important aspect of indigenous Mexican history and culture available to a wide audience.” Read the full review at caa.reviews.
Jennifer W. Olmsted discusses Delacroix and the Matter of Finish, an exhibition catalogue edited by curator Eik Kahng for the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. The painting The Last Words of Marcus Aurelius was the impetus for the show and publication, which “build a case” for the attribution of the artwork to Delacroix while addressing issues of “authorship, pedagogy, and inheritance.” Read the full reviews at caa.reviews.
John A. Tyson examines Krista A. Thompson’s Shine: The Visual Economy of Light in African Diasporic Aesthetic Practice. The “multifaceted,” “generally excellent” volume “explores the ways in which bling aesthetics and shining can be forms of resistance,” and “shows that non-elite culture holds up to serious academic scrutiny.”
John Szostak reads Imaging Disaster: Tokyo and the Visual Culture of Japan’s Great Earthquake of 1923 by Gennifer Weisenfeld. A “comprehensive, fascinating, and informative” contribution to the subject of “disaster culture,” the book examines a “historic catastrophe through the visual-culture lens of image production and consumption.” Read the full review at caa.reviews.
Caa.reviews publishes over 150 reviews each year. Founded in 1998, the site publishes timely scholarly and critical reviews of studies and projects in all areas and periods of art history, visual studies, and the fine arts, providing peer review for the disciplines served by the College Art Association. Publications and projects reviewed include books, articles, exhibitions, conferences, digital scholarship, and other works as appropriate. Read more reviews at caa.reviews.
CAA Seeks Mock Interviewers
posted by CAA — September 26, 2016
Participants in the Interview Hall at the 2016 Annual Conference (photograph by Bradley Marks)CAA’s Student and Emerging Professionals Committee seeks established professionals to volunteer as practice job interviewers for the Mock Interview Sessions at the 2017 Annual Conference in New York. Participating as an interviewer is an excellent way to serve the field and to assist with the professional development of the next generation of artists and scholars.
In these sessions, interviewers pose as a prospective employer, speaking with individuals in a scenario similar to the Interview Hall at the conference. Each session comprises approximately 10–15 minutes of interview questions and a quick review of the application packet, followed by 5–10 minutes of candid feedback. Whenever possible, the committee matches interviewers and interviewees based on medium or discipline.
Interested candidates must be current CAA members and prepared to give six successive twenty-minute interviews with feedback in a two-hour period during one of the following times:
Thursday, February 16: 11:30AM–1:30 PM
Thursday, February 16: 3:00–5:00 PM
Friday, February 17: 9:00–11:00 AM
Friday, February 17: 2:00–4:00 PM
Interviewers should be art historians, art educators, designers, museum-studies professionals, critics, curators, and studio artists with significant experience in their fields or experience on a search committee.
You may volunteer for one, two, three, or all four Mock Interview Sessions. All sessions occur in the SEPC Lounge. Please send your name, affiliation, position, contact information, and the days and times that you are available to Megan Koza Mitchell, chair of the Student and Emerging Professionals Committee. Deadline: January 31, 2017.
The Mock Interview Sessions are not intended as a screening process by institutions seeking new hires.
Fall CAA Meet and Greets
posted by CAA — September 23, 2016
This fall, CAA will visit local New York colleges and universities and host a number of wine and cheese receptions throughout the country, connecting professionals in the visual arts within their communities. Taking place at many art institutions in major U.S. cities, these meet-and-greets are a great opportunity to join arts scholars and art makers in your area. Whether you are an existing or former CAA member, work in some capacity in the arts, or are just curious about what we do, we hope you will be able to join us.
CAA’s new executive director, Hunter O’Hanian, will attend many of the receptions and will discuss his ideas and vision for the future of CAA. Come meet new CAA members and reconnect with fellow members.
Upcoming Receptions and Meet and Greets
Brunswick, ME Sept. 24, 3:30PM Bowdoin College Museum of Art
Please RSVP to the Brunswick, ME event here.
Boston, MA Sept 26, 5:30PM Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Paine & Bakalar Galleries
Please RSVP to the Boston, MA event here.
Nashville, TN Sept. 26, 6:30PM Vanderbilt University, Sarratt Center Gallery
Please RSVP to the Nashville, TN event here.
Portland, OR Oct. 5, 6:00PM Yale Union
Please RSVP to the Portland, OR event here.
2017 Annual Conference Registration is Now Open!
posted by CAA — September 23, 2016
 Artwork by Julia Oldham, The Loneliest Place, 2015. Art Journal Spring 2016. Our very busy September at CAA rolls on. Earlier this month we launched CAA Connect, our new digital discussion and resource library platform. This week, we open registration for the 2017 Annual Conference in New York, February 15–18, 2017 at the New York Hilton Midtown. With the opening of registration we also launch myCAA, a new campaign aimed at making CAA the best organization for its members. MyCAA is designed to encourage participation in and ownership of CAA. You will hear more about myCAA in the coming months, but contributing to the myCAA discussion community on CAA Connect is a great start! There is also an Annual Conference discussion community that will help us build a better conference with your feedback. For the 2017 Annual Conference we kept registration rates the same as the 2016 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. and we managed to secure the lowest hotel rates for New York City since 2011. This is all part of our effort to create an Annual Conference our members will return to year after year. Single session tickets are also now at the lowest rate since 2001. Early and online registration is available through December 19, 2016.
The 2017 Annual Conference will have more sessions than ever, an astounding 270-plus, due to the changes we made to the conference structure last year. We are thrilled to welcome two leading scholars as our Convocation Speaker and our Distinguished Scholar for 2017. Convocation Keynote Speaker Mary Miller, Sterling Professor of History of Art, and recently appointed the senior director of the Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage at Yale University Distinguished Scholar Kaja Silverman, Katherine Stein Sachs CW’69 and Keith L. Sachs W’67 Professor of Art History at the University of Pennsylvania Also new for the 2017 Annual Conference:
For more information on travel discounts, car rentals, and booking your hotel room, visit the conference website, email CAA Member Services at membership@collegeart.org, or call 212-691-1051, ext. 1. We look forward to seeing you in New York! |
New in caa.reviews
posted by CAA — September 23, 2016
Alison C. Fleming reads Federico Barocci and the Oratorians: Corporate Patronage and Style in the Counter-Reformation by Ian F. Verstegen. The book “efficiently tackles the subject” of “the interior decoration of the Chiesa Nuova in Rome,” with a focus on Federico Barocci “and how his style corresponded so well to the tenets of the Oratorians that they repeatedly sought his paintings.” Read the full review at caa.reviews.
Claudia Swan reviews Benjamin Schmidt’s Inventing Exoticism: Geography, Globalism, and Europe’s Early Modern World. Merging historical and art-historical elements, this “formidable study” examines artworks and luxury goods “produced in Dutch ateliers between 1670 and 1730 under the rubric of ‘exotic geography,’” which the author views as “a new rhetorical and artistic mode.” Read the full review at caa.reviews.
Carol Damian discusses two books centered on the questions of what is a Latino and what is Latino art: Thirteen Way of Looking at Latino Art, by Ilan Stavans and Jorge J. E. Gracia, and Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, an exhibition catalogue from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Both books evidence how “the entire Latino issue is a construct, complicated, and imperfect” and “make valuable contributions to this ongoing discussion.” Read the full review at caa.reviews.
Caa.reviews publishes over 150 reviews each year. Founded in 1998, the site publishes timely scholarly and critical reviews of studies and projects in all areas and periods of art history, visual studies, and the fine arts, providing peer review for the disciplines served by the College Art Association. Publications and projects reviewed include books, articles, exhibitions, conferences, digital scholarship, and other works as appropriate. Read more reviews at caa.reviews.
Practice Your Interviewing Technique at the New York Conference
posted by CAA — September 22, 2016
In a competitive job market, everyone could use the opportunity to get feedback on interviewing and presentation. Take advantage of this opportunity to have a twenty-minute interview/mentoring session from a seasoned professional.
Students and emerging professionals have the opportunity to sign up for a twenty-minute practice interview at the 2017 Annual Conference in New York. Organized by the Student and Emerging Professionals Committee, the Mock Interview Sessions give participants the chance to practice their interview skills one on one with a seasoned professional, improve their effectiveness during interviews, and hone their elevator speech. Interviewers also provide candid feedback on application packets. Mock Interview Sessions are offered free of charge, but you must be a CAA member to participate. Sessions are filled by appointment only and scheduled within the SEPC Lounge for the following times:
Thursday, February 16: 11:30 AM–1:30 PM
Thursday, February 16: 3:00–5:00 PM
Friday, February 17: 9:00–11:00 AM
Friday, February 17: 2:00–4:00 PM
Conference registration, while encouraged, is not necessary to participate. To apply, fill out the Google Registration Form. You may enroll in one twenty-minute session. The deadline to register is February 6, 2017. You will be notified of your appointment day and time by email. Please bring your application packet, including cover letter, CV, and other materials related to jobs in your field. The Student and Emerging Professionals Committee will make every effort to accommodate all applicants; however, space is limited. There will be VERY limited registration onsite. If you have any questions, please email the Student and Emerging Professionals Committee.
Receive Career Advice or Feedback on Your Art
posted by CAA — September 20, 2016
An interview at the 2016 Annual Conference in Washington, DC (photograph by Bradley Marks)CAA is committed to supporting and advancing the careers of professionals in the visual arts. As a CAA member, you have free access to a diverse range of mentors at Career Services during the 105th Annual Conference, taking place February 15–18, 2017, in New York.
All emerging, midcareer, and even advanced art professionals can benefit from one-on-one discussions with dedicated mentors about artists’ portfolios, career-management skills, and professional strategies. You may enroll in either the Artists’ Portfolio Review or Career Development Mentoring. Participants are chosen by a lottery of applications received by the deadline; all applicants are notified of their scheduled date and time slot via email in January 2017. Conference registration, while encouraged, is not necessary to participate; appointments are offered free of charge. Deadline: December 16, 2016.
Artists’ Portfolio Review
The Artists’ Portfolio Review offers CAA members the opportunity to have images of their work reviewed by artists, critics, curators, and educators in personal twenty-minute consultations. Whenever possible, CAA matches artists and mentors based on medium or discipline. You must bring a charged battery-powered laptop or hard copy of your portfolio to review your work. Sessions are filled by appointment only and scheduled for 8:30 AM–noon and 1:30–5:00 PM each day.
To apply, complete and submit the Artists’ Portfolio Review Enrollment Form. Contact Katie Apsey, CAA manager of programs, if you have any questions. Deadline: December 16, 2016.
Career Development Mentoring
Artists, art historians, art educators, and museum professionals at all stages of their careers may apply for one-on-one consultations with veterans in their fields. Through personal twenty-minute consultations, Career Development Mentoring offers a unique opportunity for participants to receive candid advice on how to conduct a thorough job search; present cover letters, CVs, and digital images; and prepare for interviews. Whenever possible, CAA matches participants and mentors based on their career area or discipline. You must bring your résumé or CV, your other job-search materials, and your specific career goals to discuss during these appointments. Sessions are filled by appointment only and scheduled for 8:30 AM–noon and 1:30–5:00 PM each day.
To apply, complete and submit the Career Development Mentoring Enrollment Form. Contact Katie Apsey, CAA manager of programs, if you have any questions. Deadline: December 16, 2016.
New in caa.reviews
posted by CAA — September 16, 2016
Annie Borneuf reviews Kurt Schwitters: Space, Image, and Exile by Megan R. Luke. This “compelling study” of the German artist’s “largely neglected works of the 1930s and 1940s” draws on unpublished archival material to demonstrate how the artist arrived “at a new sculptural theory of space that pivots on the interchange between work and beholder.” Read the full review at caa.reviews.
Trevor Stark discusses the Museum of Modern Art’s first digital-only publication, Picasso: The Making of Cubism, 1912–1914. The volume focuses on “the artist’s use of unorthodox materials and his development of new and still little-understood techniques for manipulating them,” and the “interactive hyperlink architecture” within the book opens up new possibilities for encountering Picasso’s work. Read the full review at caa.reviews.
Amy R. Bloch reads Stefanie Solum’s Women, Patronage, and Salvation in Renaissance Florence: Lucrezia Tornabuoni and the Chapel of the Medici Palace. In this “stimulating book,” the author asks “whether or not laywomen commissioned significant paintings, sculptures, or buildings in the city during the fifteenth century” by focusing on a Fra Filippo Lippi altarpiece possibly commissioned by Lucrezia Tornabuoni. Read the full review at caa.reviews.
Caa.reviews publishes over 150 reviews each year. Founded in 1998, the site publishes timely scholarly and critical reviews of studies and projects in all areas and periods of art history, visual studies, and the fine arts, providing peer review for the disciplines served by the College Art Association. Publications and projects reviewed include books, articles, exhibitions, conferences, digital scholarship, and other works as appropriate. Read more reviews at caa.reviews.