CAA News Today
Announcing N. Elizabeth Schlatter as President-Elect of CAA
posted by CAA — November 11, 2019
We’re delighted to announce that N. Elizabeth Schlatter was elected at our October Board meeting as the new President of the CAA Board of Directors. She will succeed Jim Hopfensperger and serve a two-year term beginning May 1, 2020.
N. Elizabeth Schlatter is Deputy Director and Curator of Exhibitions at the University of Richmond Museums, Virginia. A museum administrator, curator, and writer, she focuses on modern and contemporary art and on topics related to curating and issues specific to university museums. At UR, she has curated more than 20 exhibitions, including recent group exhibitions of contemporary art such as “Crooked Data: (Mis)Information in Contemporary Art,” “Anti-Grand: Contemporary Perspectives on Landscape,” and “Art=Text=Art: Works by Contemporary Artists,” She also serves on and chairs various University and School of Arts & Sciences committees. Prior to the University of Richmond, she worked with exhibitions at the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) in Washington, D.C, and in fundraising at the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston. She is author of Museum Careers: A Practical Guide for Novices and Students (Left Coast Press, Inc.) and a contributor to A Life in Museums: Managing Your Museum Career (American Association of Museums). She has a B.A. in art history from Southwestern University in Texas, and an M.A. in art history from George Washington University.
Prior to this elected position, Schlatter was completing a 4-year term as a CAA board member, elected in February 2016. During that time, she served as Vice President for Annual Conference for two years, and in 2019 she served on the Nominating Committee and the Strategic Plan Task Force. She jointly initiated and assisted with the development of CAA’s Resources for Academic Art Museums Professionals (RAAMP), and prior to joining CAA’s board, she was chair of the Museum Committee.
CAA Announces David Raizman as Interim Executive Director
posted by CAA — May 20, 2019
Photo by Michael Froio
On Sunday, May 5, the Board of Directors of CAA voted to appoint David Raizman as the Interim Executive Director of the organization. David has served as Treasurer of CAA since October 2018 and has held a number of administrative and faculty roles in higher education over a long career.
David’s term will begin July 1, 2019, at the close of the term of Hunter O’Hanian, the current Executive Director.
“I’ve been a member of CAA since 1992 and have attended and participated in CAA Annual Conferences since the early 1980s. CAA’s many programs and publications have contributed much to my development as a scholar and teacher. As a board member I’ve enjoyed seeing how CAA serves its broader membership to meet needs and challenges in academe and the arts,” said David Raizman.
“As interim Executive Director I look forward to learning more about the organization and the staff and facilitating the good work they do. I also look forward to continuing the work of Hunter O’Hanian, who created an environment of diversity and inclusion and shifted the direction of CAA toward these important ideas.”
David’s term as Interim Executive Director will span from July 1, 2019 through the appointment of a new Executive Director. The Executive Director search is currently underway, with the board of directors interviewing placement firms. The goal is to have a new executive director to lead CAA by the end of 2019.
“The Board of Directors is pleased that an experienced administrator and accomplished academic with David Raizman’s qualifications will lead CAA through this transition,” said Jim Hopfensperger, President of the CAA Board of Directors. “We have full confidence David is the right person to advance CAA’s strengths as a learned society and a professional association, while positioning the organization for long-term success under the next Executive Director.”
David Raizman biography
David Raizman is Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Art & Art History in the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the author of History of Modern Design (London, Laurence King and New Jersey, Pearson, 2nd edition 2010) as well as several articles and reviews on design history, including subjects ranging from American furniture to the history of world’s fairs. He earned his PhD at the University of Pittsburgh under John Williams and earlier in his career published articles and reviews on the medieval art of Spain. Prior to being appointed CAA Treasurer he was Treasurer of the International Center of Medieval Art (ICMA) and a member of its Finance Committee. During his academic career Dr. Raizman served in several administrative roles, as department head, associate dean, and interim dean in the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, and his College’s representative to the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD).
During the summer 2015 he directed a four-week NEH-funded summer institute entitled “Teaching the History of Modern Design: The Canon and Beyond” at Drexel University. He was a guest lecturer at Tsinghua University in Beijing in 2014, and a fellow and guest lecturer at the Wolfsonian/FIU Museum in Miami Beach, Florida (2009; 2010). He is the co-editor of two books, with (current CAA board member) Carma Gorman, of Objects, Audiences, and Literature: Alternative Narratives in the History of Design
(Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2007), and most recently, with Ethan Robey, of Expanding Nationalisms at World’s Fairs: Identity, Diversity and Exchange, 1851-1915 (Routledge, 2017). His latest book, Reading Graphic Design: Image, Text, Context is scheduled for publication with Bloomsbury in 2019.
Announcing New CAA Board Appointments
posted by CAA — May 14, 2019
We’re delighted to announce new officer appointments for the following individuals on CAA’s Board of Directors.
Left to right: Alice Ming Wai Jim, Melissa Potter, Peter Lukehart, Audrey G. Bennett, and Colin Blakely.
Alice Ming Wai Jim, Vice President for External Relations
Professor, Concordia University Research Chair, Montreal
Melissa Potter, Vice President for Annual Conference & Programs
Associate Professor, MFA, Columbia College Chicago
Peter Lukehart, Vice President for Publications
Associate Dean, Center for Advanced Study in Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art
Audrey G. Bennett, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
Professor, University of Michigan
Colin Blakely, Secretary
Director and Professor, School of Art, University of Arizona
About the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is charged with CAA’s long-term financial stability and strategic direction; it is also the Association’s governing body. The board sets policy regarding all aspects of CAA’s activities, including publishing, the Annual Conference, awards and fellowships, advocacy, and committee procedures.
Lynne Allen, Niku Kashef, Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi, and Jennifer Rissler were elected to the board earlier this year.
CAA Announces Departure of Executive Director Hunter O’Hanian at End of Contract
posted by CAA — March 19, 2019
College Art Association Board President Jim Hopfensperger and Executive Director/CEO Hunter O’Hanian announced last Friday to staff and internal constituents that O’Hanian will be leaving CAA upon conclusion of his current three-year contract in June.
During his time as executive director, O’Hanian oversaw numerous organizational changes including a successful rebranding, a streamlining of membership structures, and improvements to staffing and financial reporting. In addition, he supervised significant changes to programs including increases to the number of CAA Annual Conference sessions and awards, renewed engagement with CAA Affiliated Societies, a new contract with CAA’s co-publisher (Routledge, Taylor & Francis), and plans for launching year-round programs.
“Hunter has led CAA with great intelligence, empathy, energy, and passion, and the association has enjoyed many successes these past three years,” said Hopfensperger. “In particular, the board of directors is grateful for his commitment to diversity and inclusion, and his efforts to better position CAA for success as both a learned society and a professional association.”
“For me, it’s been an exciting and fulfilling experience,” said O’Hanian. “I have enjoyed meeting and working with the members, staff and board, while strengthening our programs. Making change is never easy, especially for an association with an 107-year history. But I could not be prouder of the staff at CAA, the board of directors, the committees and editorial boards, and the members of this organization for their work ethic and feedback. I believe we have made a stronger association.”
As O’Hanian concludes his service, the board of directors will begin a search for its next executive director this spring with the hopes of bringing on a new leader by year’s end. In addition, an announcement concerning plans for interim leadership through the transition will be forthcoming.
Meet the New CAA Board Members
posted by CAA — February 21, 2019
The results of the 2019 CAA Board of Directors Election and Proposed Changes to CAA’s By-Laws were presented at the CAA Annual Business Meeting, Part II on Friday, February 15 at 2:00 PM at the 107th CAA Annual Conference in New York.
We are grateful to all the candidates who put forward their names for consideration this year. Six candidates were selected for election by the 2018-19 Nominating Committee for a four-year term running from 2019–23.
CAA Board of Directors Election
We congratulate Lynne Allen, Niku Kashef, Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi, and Jennifer Rissler on their election by CAA membership to the CAA Board of Directors.
Read more about the new board members:
Lynne Allen statement and resume
Niku Kashef statement and resume
Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi statement and resume
Jennifer Rissler statement and resume
About the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is charged with CAA’s long-term financial stability and strategic direction; it is also the Association’s governing body. The board sets policy regarding all aspects of CAA’s activities, including publishing, the Annual Conference, awards and fellowships, advocacy, and committee procedures.
Proposed Changes to CAA’s By-Laws
The proposed amendments to the bylaws were adopted by 81% of the voting membership, and those changes will go into effect immediately. Read more about the changes here.
Thank you to all those who voted!
Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi
posted by CAA — December 12, 2018
STATEMENT
I am an artist, art historian, and a museum curator, and active internationally. Although I have mostly been involved with the CAA annual conference as a participant, I am eager to contribute strongly to the activities of the Association. It is important that foreign-born minorities such as myself take on more active role. I came to the United States in 2007 for graduate studies and while I have since established myself as a museum curator, I know first-hand the indignity of being perceived as an outsider, the mental agony, physical and psychological struggle to fit-in in a new environment. I believe that several CAA members can relate to this experience.
The CAA has made significant strides in the last few years in expanding and creating a robust sense of belonging for different segments of its membership. I want to contribute in fulfilling and furthering its mission, goals, and priorities. Under these uncertain times of resurgent nativism and nationalism, the Association serves as a moral compass and a credible voice of advocacy on a range of critical issues impacting our world today. As a Green Card holder, it was heartening to note the CAA’s timely response to the presidential executive order in February 2018 preventing immigrants and visitors from selected countries from coming to the United States, as well as its sustained advocacy in the face of the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the travel ban in June 2018. This order not only restricts the movement of some of our members and the wider body of art professionals but that of regular folk.
If elected to the CAA Board, I will focus my attention on (but not limited to) mentoring emerging scholars, artists, and museum professionals. Based on my personal experience, the importance of guidance and mentorship especially at the beginning of one’s professional career cannot be overemphasized. As an artist myself, I will represent the interests of artists. In the last few years, the CAA has taken progressive steps in enhancing the participation of historically underrepresented groups in its membership and being a strong voice for diversity around the country. More can still be done. I will contribute to strengthening initiatives that eliminate structural barriers that impede diversity in our museums and similar institutions. In addition, I will contribute to actionable plans that can better serve the needs of our foreign-born colleagues and/or those who live outside of the United States whose experiences may not always be considered when developing strategies, creating content and programming for our esteemed Association.
The French-government recently released a report on the restitution of (African) objects in French museums. Based on the content and responses that this report has generated so far, it is apparent that it is a game-changer and portends ramifications beyond France and Europe. How CAA responds to this potential earthquake that could remarkably reshape art history and the museum world in near and far terms is yet to be seen. As an African-born museum professional working in an American institution, I hope to contribute in devising practical ideas and actionable plans that will take the interests of various stakeholders into account but which, ultimately, will address historical injustices wherever they are found.
Vote for CAA’s 2019 Board of Directors and Proposed By-Law Changes
posted by CAA — December 10, 2018
As a CAA member, voting is one of your most important responsibilities in shaping the future of the organization. Thank you for taking the time to vote.
For 2019, there are two items to vote on: the 2019 CAA Board of Directors Election and Proposed Changes to CAA’s By-Laws.
Scroll down to learn more and submit your online voting form.
2019 CAA Board of Directors Election
The CAA Board of Directors comprises professionals in the visual arts who are elected annually by the membership to serve four-year terms. The Board is charged with CAA’s long-term financial stability and strategic direction; it is also the Association’s governing body. The board sets policy regarding all aspects of CAA’s activities, including publishing, the Annual Conference, awards and fellowships, advocacy, and committee procedures. For more information, please read the CAA By-laws on Nominations, Elections, and Appointments.
Meet the Candidates
The 2018–19 Nominating Committee has selected a slate of six candidates for election to the CAA Board of Directors for the 2019–23 term. Click the names of the candidates below to read their statements and resumes before casting your vote. The candidates are:
CAA members may vote for up to four (4) candidates, including one write-in candidate (who must be a CAA member). The four candidates receiving the most votes will be elected to the board.
CAA members must cast their votes for board members and submit their proxies online using the form below; no paper ballots will be mailed. The deadline to vote for the board is 6:00 PM (Eastern Time) on Thursday, February 14, 2019.
Proposed Changes to CAA’s By-Laws
In addition, on November 16, 2018, the CAA Board of Directors voted to recommend that the membership amend the Association’s By-laws, as described here by Jim Hopfensperger, CAA president, and Hunter O’Hanian, CAA chief executive officer and executive director. Click here to review the proposed changes before voting.
To vote on the proposed changes, CAA members may either cast their votes online using the form below or in-person at the 2019 Annual Conference.
Submit Your Vote Below
You can use the form below to vote for both the 2019 CAA Board of Directors Election and Proposed Changes to CAA’s By-Laws. Please have your CAA user/member ID# and password handy when you are ready to vote.
Use the scroll bar on the right side of the form to scroll down, make your choices, and submit.
The election results will be announced at CAA’s 107th Annual Conference during the second segment of the Annual Business Meeting scheduled from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM on Friday, February 15, 2019 in the Hudson Suite at The New York Hilton Midtown.
Questions? Contact Vanessa Jalet, executive liaison, at (212) 392-4434 or vjalet@collegeart.org
Notice of CAA 107th Annual Business Meeting
posted by CAA — December 10, 2018
College Art Association
Notice of 107th Annual Business Meeting
New York, New York
Wednesday, February 13 and Friday, February 15, 2019
The 107th Annual Business Meeting of the members of the College Art Association will be called to order at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, February 13th, during Convocation at the 2019 Annual Conference, in the Grand Ballroom Foyer, 3rd Floor, New York Hilton Midtown Hotel, 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019.
CAA President, Jim Hopfensperger, will preside. The Annual Business Meeting will be held in two parts.
AGENDA
The Agenda for the first part of the Annual Business Meeting is as follows:
I. Welcome – Hunter O’Hanian, CAA Executive Director and CEO
II. Presentation by Jim Hopfensperger, CAA President
III. Executive Director’s Report – Hunter O’Hanian
IV. Presentation of CAA Awards for Distinction
V. 2019 Professional Development Fellowships in Visual Arts and Art History
VI. Keynote Address – Joyce Scott
After the Keynote Address, the Meeting will be recessed and will re-convene on Friday, February 15, 2019 from 2:00 – 3:30 PM in the Hudson Suite at the New York Hilton. The Agenda for the second part of the Annual Business Meeting is as follows:
VII. Approval of Minutes of 106th Annual Business Meeting, February 23, and 25, 2018 – see https://www.collegeart.org/news/2018/12/10/caa-106th-annual-business-meeting-minutes/
VIII. Financial Report: Teresa Lopez, CAA Chief Financial Officer
IX. Old Business
X. New Business
- Announcement of election results by Jim Hopfensperger
- Amendments to the By-laws: Jim Hopfensperger
The proposed changes, set out in red on the attached version of the By-Laws, are a result of the work of two Governance Task Forces (2015-2018) that examined CAA’s governance structure to make the Association more responsive to the needs of its members and the changing demographics in the field. The Board of Directors submits these changes to the membership with the recommendation that they approve them. Members may vote on-line or at the Annual Business Meeting.
XI. Open discussion with members, Board and staff
Proxies
If you are unable to attend the Annual Business Meeting, please complete a proxy online to appoint the individuals named thereon to (i) vote, as directed by you, for directors, and, at their discretion, on such other matters as may properly come before the Annual Business Meeting; and (ii) to vote in any and all adjournments thereof. CAA Members will be notified when the proxy for casting votes becomes available online in early January 2019. A proxy, with your vote for directors, must be received no later than 6:00 PM EST, Thursday, February 14, 2019.
Next Meeting – 2020
The 108th Annual Business Meeting of the College Art Association will be held in Chicago in 2020, and again will be divided into two parts – one at Convocation on Wednesday, February 12, and a second meeting and open discussion on Friday, February 14, 2020.
CAA 106th Annual Business Meeting Minutes
posted by CAA — December 10, 2018
MINUTES of
College Art Association 106th Annual Business Meeting
Part One – Room 502 A + B
Los Angeles Convention Center
1201 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA
Wednesday, February 21, 2018: Convocation, 6:00 PM
and
Part Two – Room 403B, Los Angeles Convention Center,
Friday, February 23, 2018: myCAA, 2:00 – 3:30 PM
Part One
CAA’s President, Suzanne Preston Blier, welcomed attendees to CAA’s Convocation and to the Association’s 106th Annual Business Meeting. The Annual Business Meeting will be held in two parts.
The Convocation proceeded with President Blier’s opening comments followed by the Annual Awards for Distinction ceremony. The Keynote Address was given by Charles Gaines of Cal Art, School of Art.
Part Two
I. Call to Order
President Suzanne Blier called to order Part Two of the Annual Business Meeting. With 400+ proxies, there was a quorum for reconvening the Annual Business Meeting.
II. President Blier called for approval of the minutes from the 2017 Annual Business Meeting. The approval of the minutes of the 2017 Annual Business Meeting was moved and second. The minutes were approved.
III. President Blier called on Teresa Lopez, CAA’s Chief Financial Officer, to give the financial report for fiscal year 2017.
Ms. Lopez noted that the Association ended fiscal year 2017 with a deficit of $176,152. The CAA staff, with Board participation, was developing a budget to eliminate deficits in future years. Reducing the full-time staff from 27 to 22 employees would assist in reducing deficits in future years.
As of June 30, 2017, the Association had 8,712 individual members and 1,229 institutional members (including 718 subscribers handled via Taylor & Francis), for a total of 9,941 members.
Lopez reported that the fair market value of CAA’s investment portfolio increased from $9,398,571 on July 1, 2016 to $9,838,150 on June 30, 2017.
Copies of the audited financial statement for FY 2017 were made available as handouts and a pdf was posted on CAA’s website.
IV. President Blier called for old business. There was none.
V. President Blier called for new business. There was none.
VI. Results of Board Election: President Blier announced the results of the election to the Board of Directors. The following were elected as directors:
Laura Anderson Barbata
Audrey Bennett
Dahlia Elsayed
Alice Ming Wai Jim.
President Blier congratulated all the candidates and thanked them for their willingness to serve CAA.
VII. President Blier and CAA Executive Director Hunter O’Hanian opened the discussion to all attendees. There was no discussion.
VIII. The meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Melissa Potter, Secretary
November 15, 2018
Next CAA Annual Business Meeting in 2019
The 107th Annual Meeting of the College Art Association will take place during Convocation on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 at 6:00 PM and on Friday, February 15, 2019 from 2:00 – 3:30 PM at the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel, in New York City.
Lynne Allen
posted by CAA — December 06, 2018
STATEMENT
As a member of CAA since 1987 and attending the conference nearly every year, I feel I understand and grow the continuing mission of the organization. I am a visual artist and have always found the annual conference to be influential for not only my own practice, but my teaching. The mission to “cultivate the ongoing understanding of art as a fundamental form of human expression” is necessary today more than ever. As scholars, reinforcing how art addresses human dignity and empathy is our greatest challenge.
What used to be 5-year strategic plans in higher education have grown to 20- 40-year strategic plans. Things change, and they change fast. Students change and we have to educate ourselves to their new natures. The workplace changes, and we have to educate ourselves to understand a changing higher administration. The country is changing faster than we thought possible, and the world itself is not the same as it was even five years ago. There are those that believe higher education has “peaked” and we are on the downward slide. Adam Harris in the Atlantic says, “we are living through the greatest time in history to be a learner, with the availability of so many high-quality free materials online. But at the same time, the institutions most affiliated with knowledge and learning are facing crisis.” That includes budget cuts, declining enrollments, student debt, declining research dollars, loss of faculty lines, etc. etc. None of this is new to any of us. Some programs take a proactive approach and innovate their way out of these problems, going on-line and increasing continuing education, building a wider audience. Will these approaches last? Are they the answer?
The basic issues that drives us, as art educators, have not changed. We value the arts and the humanity that comes with it. We feel they are more important now than they ever have been. The argument that you cannot get a job over-rides real data, which proves that there are more jobs out there for creative thinkers than ever before. The empathy we feel for our society turns out to be the major solution for our survival.
Yes, we can tackle some of the nuts and bolt issues, but our main goal is to tackle the perception that the arts don’t matter. This is where CAA comes in. We work not only in higher ed, but in communities in urban and rural areas, we partner, and we touch people. We don’t all come from the same place, yet we have everything in common.
Nearly 30 years in academia has shown me that hurtles can be surmounted, that compromise can take place, and we can retool education for the world our students live in. Working in both private and public universities has offered different kinds of experiences so the constraints we all feel are not new to me. It would be an honor to work alongside other scholars, artists, critics, and curators as a CAA board member.