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About the Program

CAA’s Professional-Development Fellowships program supports promising artists, designers, craftspersons, historians, curators, and critics who are enrolled in MFA, PhD, and other terminal-degree programs nationwide. Fellows are honored with $10,000 grants to help them with various aspects of their work, whether it be for job-search expenses or purchasing materials for the studio. CAA believes a grant of this kind, without contingencies, can best facilitate the transition between graduate studies and professional careers.

One award will be presented to a practitioner—an artist, designer, and/or craftsperson—and one award will be presented to an art, architecture, and/or design historian, curator, or critic. Fellows also receive a free one-year CAA membership and complimentary registration to the Annual Conference. Honorable mentions, given at the discretion of the jury, also earn a free one-year CAA membership and complimentary conference registration.

CAA initiated its fellowship program in 1993 to help student artists and art historians bridge the gap between their graduate studies and professional careers.

Are You Eligible?

CAA seeks applications from students who are current members; are citizens or permanent residents of the United States; will receive their MFA or PhD degree in the calendar year following the year of application (2017 for the next fellowship cycle); and have outstanding capabilities and demonstrate distinction in approach, technique, or perspective in their contribution to art history and the visual arts. A jury of artists, curators, and other professionals will review all applications in fall 2016 and announce the recipients in January 2017.

How to Apply

Please visit collegeartassociation.slideroom.com to submit applications to the 2016 MFA and PhD Professional-Development Fellowship programs. The deadline for applications for the PhD fellowships is Monday, October 3, 2016, and Friday, November 11, 2016, for the MFA fellowships. CAA will send notifications in January 2017.

Contact

For more information about the CAA fellowship program, please contact Roberta Lawson, CAA fellowships coordinator, at 212-392-4404.

Photograph: Derrick Woods-Morrow

CAA wishes to thank the many artists, scholars, curators, critics, educators, and other professionals in the visual arts who generously served as Career Services mentors—for the Artists’ Portfolio Review, Career Development Mentoring, the Mock Interviews, and the Professional Development Roundtable Discussions—during the 2016 Annual Conference in Washington DC. CAA also appreciates the work of the leaders of the Professional Development Workshops and the speakers at Orientation.

Orientation

Susan Altman, Middlesex County College; Michael Aurbach, Vanderbilt University; and Terri Weissman, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Artists’ Portfolio Review

Susan Canning, College of New Rochelle; Jill Conner, Independent Critic and Curator; Brian Curtis, University of Miami; Peter Kaniaris, Anderson University; Suzanne Lemakis, Citigroup (retired); Craig Lloyd, Mt. St. Joseph University; Judith Pratt, Judith Pratt Studio; and David Voros, University of South Carolina.

Career Development Mentoring

Susan Altman, Middlesex County College; Michael Aurbach, Vanderbilt University; Leda Cempellin, South Dakota State University; James Farmer, Virginia Commonwealth University; Toni Guglielmo, Getty Leadership Institute, Claremont Graduate University; Dennis Ichiyama, Purdue University; Mark O’Grady, Pratt Institute; Christopher Olszewski, Savannah College of Art and Design; Doralynn Pines, Metropolitan Museum of Art (retired); Judith Pratt, Judith Pratt Studio; Florence Quideau, Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York; Andrew Jay Svedlow, University of Northern Colorado; Ann Tsubota, Raritan Valley Community College; Philip Van Keuren, Southern Methodist University; and Chad Wesley Airhart, Carson-Newman University.

Professional Development Roundtable Discussions

Michael Aurbach, Vanderbilt University; Peter Kaniaris, Anderson University; Brian Curtis, University of Miami; Suzanne Lemakis, Citigroup (retired); and Leo Morrissey, Georgian Court University.

Mock Interview Sessions

Susan Altman, Middlesex County College; Maria Ann Conelli, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn; Erin C. Devine, Northern Virginia Community College; Carole Garmon, University of Mary Washington; Christian J. Gerstheimer, El Paso Museum of Art; Terence Hannum, Stevenson University; Kim Hartswick, City University of New York; David Howarth, Zayed University; Dennis Ichiyama , Purdue University; Matt King, Virginia Commonwealth University; Andrea Kirsh, Independent Scholar and Rutgers University; Jason Lahr, University of Notre Dame; David LaPalombara, Ohio University; Jo-Ann Morgan, Western Illinois University; Mark O’Grady, Pratt Institute; Arthur Blake Pierce, Valdosta State University; Thomas Post, Kendall College of Art and Design, Ferris State University; Patricia Joan Sarro, Youngstown State University; Mattie M. Schloetzer, National Gallery of Art; and Megan Koza Young, Prospect New Orleans.

Brown Bag Lunches and Sessions

Leda Cempellin, South Dakota State University; Rachel P. Kreiter, Spelman College; Sooyoun Lee, Cornell University; Brittany Lockard, Wichita State University; Tamryn McDermott, George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College; Lauren Puzier, Sotheby’s Institute of Art; Annie Storr, Montserrat College of Art; Jenny Tang, Yale University; and Amanda S. Wright, University of South Carolina; and Megan Koza Young, Prospect New Orleans.

Professional Development Workshops

Susan Altman, Middlesex County College; Barbara Bernstein, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and University of Virginia; Steven Bleicher, Coastal Carolina University; Mika Cho, California State University, Los Angeles; Chris Coleman, University of Denver; Curtis Fletcher, University of Southern California; Ronda Grizzle, Scholars’ Lab, University of Virginia Library; Sharon Leon, George Mason University; Lisa Reilly, University of Virginia; Gigi Rosenberg, Author and Artist; David Sokol, University of Illinois, Chicago (emeritus); and Blaise Tobia, Drexel University.

CAA has designed the Career Services Guide to inform job seekers and employers about placement activities at the 2016 Annual Conference in Washington, DC. The publication, available as a PDF, will help you navigate Career Services events and provides answers to frequently asked questions. Study this guide carefully so that you will know what to expect from conference interviewing and how best to prepare for a successful experience.

Job candidates can review the basics of the conference employment search. Read about the Candidate Center, your home base at the conference, as well as Orientation, an introduction to Career Services where you can ask questions. In addition, learn more about the Online Career Center, where you can search for position listings, post application materials, and arrange interviews. The publication includes tips for improving your CV, portfolio, and supplemental application materials.

Employers will find details in the guide for renting interview booths and tables as well as recommendations for posting jobs and conducting interviews at the conference. You can begin preparations now for Career Services through the Online Career Center or onsite at the Interviewer Center.

Printed copies of the Career Services Guide will be distributed onsite at Orientation and in the Candidate Center. All conference Career Services will take place at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. For more information about job searching, professional-development workshops, and more, visit the Career Services section of the conference website.

CAA has designed the Career Services Guide to inform job seekers and employers about placement activities at the 2016 Annual Conference in Washington, DC. The publication, available as a PDF, will help you navigate Career Services events and provides answers to frequently asked questions. Study this guide carefully so that you will know what to expect from conference interviewing and how best to prepare for a successful experience.

Job candidates can review the basics of the conference employment search. Read about the Candidate Center, your home base at the conference, as well as Orientation, an introduction to Career Services where you can ask questions. In addition, learn more about the Online Career Center, where you can search for position listings, post application materials, and arrange interviews. The publication includes tips for improving your CV, portfolio, and supplemental application materials.

Employers will find details in the guide for renting interview booths and tables as well as recommendations for posting jobs and conducting interviews at the conference. You can begin preparations now for Career Services through the Online Career Center or onsite at the Interviewer Center.

Printed copies of the Career Services Guide will be distributed onsite at Orientation and in the Candidate Center. All conference Career Services will take place at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. For more information about job searching, professional-development workshops, and more, visit the Career Services section of the conference website.

Students and emerging professionals have the opportunity to sign up for a twenty-minute practice job interview at the 2016 Annual Conference in Washington, DC. 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; you must be a CAA member to participate. Sessions are filled by appointment only and scheduled for Wednesday, February 3, 2:00–4:00 PM; Thursday, February 4, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM and 2:00–4:00 PM; and Friday, February 5, 9:00–11:00 AM.

To apply, complete the online Google Registration Form. You may enroll in one twenty-minute session. Conference registration, while encouraged, is not necessary to participate in the Mock Interview Sessions. Deadline: January 31, 2016.

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. Onsite enrollment will be limited and first-come, first-served.

If you have any questions, send an email to Megan Koza Young, chair of the Student and Emerging Professionals Committee.

CAA’s Student and Emerging Professionals Committee seeks established professionals to volunteer as practice job interviewers for the Mock Interview Sessions at the 2016 Annual Conference in Washington, DC. 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 is composed of 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 on one of three days: Wednesday, February 3, 2:00–4:00 PM; Thursday, February 4, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM and 2:00–4:00 PM; and Friday, February 5, 9:00–11:00 AM. 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.

Please send your name, affiliation, position, contact information, and the days and times that you are available to Megan Koza Young, chair of the Student and Emerging Professionals Committee. Deadline: January 31, 2016.

The Mock Interview Sessions are not intended as a screening process by institutions seeking new hires.

Mentoring at the 2016 Conference

posted by October 16, 2015

As a CAA member, you have free access to a diverse range of mentors at Career Services during the 104th Annual Conference, taking place February 3–6, 2016, in Washington, DC. 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—please choose one. Participants are chosen by a lottery of applications received by the deadline; all applicants are notified of their scheduled date and time slot by email in early 2016. Both sessions are offered free of charge. Conference registration, while encouraged, is not necessary to participate. All applicants must be current CAA members.

Artists’ Portfolio Review

The Artists’ Portfolio Review offers CAA members the opportunity to have digital images or DVDs 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 may bring battery-powered laptops; wireless internet, however, is not available in the room. Sessions are filled by appointment only and are scheduled for Thursday, February 4, and Friday, February 5, 2016, 8:00 AM–NOON and 1:00–5:00 PM each day.

To apply, download and complete the Career Development Enrollment Form. Send the completed form by email to Katie Apsey, CAA manager of programs; by fax to 212-627-2381; or by mail to: Artists’ Portfolio Review, College Art Association, 50 Broadway, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10004. Deadline: December 21, 2015.

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 medium or discipline. Sessions are filled by appointment only and are scheduled for Thursday, February 4, and Friday, February 6, 2016, 8:00 AM–NOON and 1:00–5:00 PM each day.

To apply, download and complete the Career Development Enrollment Form. Send the completed form by email to Katie Apsey, CAA manager of programs; by fax to 212-627-2381; or by mail to: Career Development Mentoring, College Art Association, 50 Broadway, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10004. Deadline: December 21, 2015.

Image: Two participants in Career Services programming at the 2015 Annual Conference in New York (photograph by Bradley Marks)

For the 104th Annual Conference, taking place February 3–6, 2016, in Washington, DC, CAA seeks established professionals in the visual arts to volunteer as mentors for two Career Services programs: the Artists’ Portfolio Review and Career Development Mentoring. Participating as a mentor is an excellent way to serve the field and to assist the professional growth of the next generation of artists and scholars.

Art historians and studio artists must demonstrate significant experience in their fields; critics, museum educators, and curators must have five years’ experience.

Artists’ Portfolio Review

CAA seeks artists, critics, curators, and educators to serve in the Artists’ Portfolio Review. In this program, mentors review and provide feedback on digital images or DVDs of work by artist members in personal twenty-minute consultations. Whenever possible, CAA matches artists and mentors based on medium or discipline. Mentors provide an important service to artists, enabling them to receive professional criticism of their work.

Interested candidates must be current CAA members and prepared to give five successive twenty-minute critiques in a two-hour period on one of two days: Thursday, February 4, and Friday, February 5, 2016, 8:00 AM–NOON and 1:00–5:00 PM each day. Conference registration, while encouraged, is not required to be a mentor. Please send a brief letter of interest and your CV to Katie Apsey, CAA manager of programs. Deadline: December 14, 2015.

Career Development Mentoring

CAA seeks mentors from all areas of studio art, art history, art education, film and video, graphic design, the museum professions, and other related fields to serve in Career Development Mentoring. In this program, mentors give valuable advice to emerging and midcareer professionals, reviewing cover letters, CVs, digital images, and other pertinent job-search materials in personal twenty-minute consultations. Whenever possible, CAA matches participants and mentors based on medium or discipline.

Interested candidates must be current CAA members and prepared to give five successive twenty-minute mentoring sessions in a two-hour period on one of two days: Thursday, February 4, and Friday, February 5, 2016, 8:00 AM–NOON and 1:00–5:00 PM each day. Conference registration, while encouraged, is not required to be a mentor. Please send a brief letter of interest and your CV to Katie Apsey, CAA manager of programs. Deadline: December 14, 2015.

Career Development Mentoring is not intended as a screening process by institutions seeking new hires. CAA does not accept applications from individuals whose departments are conducting a faculty search in the field in which they are mentoring. Mentors should not be attending the conference as candidates for positions in the same field in which mentees may be applying.

Image: CAA member Kendra Larson (right) participates in a mentoring session with Morgan Paine at the 2015 Annual Conference in New York (photograph by Bradley Marks)

Associate Director/Director of Conferences
College Art Association

Under the supervision of the Executive Director, is responsible for providing leadership for CAA’s conference programs, identifying content, content providers, and dissemination mechanisms that meet the needs of those working in academic visual arts fields. This position enables CAA to respond to a changing environment by planning and implementing conferences as well as special programs and activities that support the CAA Strategic Plan.

Responsibilities include all planning and administrative activities related to organizing CAA conferences and meetings, such as the selection and contracting of the conference hotels and preparing and publishing all conference information. Acts as ex officio liaison to the annual conference committee, which vets all session proposals, and schedules its meetings. In consultation with leaders in the visual arts fields, identifies workshop leaders, career services mentors, roundtable leaders, distinguished artists to be interviewed, and distinguished art historians to be honored. Oversees the organization of CAA’s Career Services and interview hall. Works in cooperation with a local community to organize exhibitions and receptions. Prepares the schedule of special events, including convocation, openings, and the annual business meeting. Works cooperatively with the staff and individuals from the hosting community and local universities and museums to prepare and coordinate all conference programs. Administers conference travel grant programs. Organizes other conferences and regional meetings as needed.

Prepares annual budget and forecasts and adheres to budgets.

Supervises Programs Department staff: Assistant Director for Annual Conference, Manager of Programs and Archivist, CAA-Getty International Program Manager and Programs Assistant (part-time).

Key Responsibilities

  • Schedules conference sites, contracts the hotels, and works with onsite hotel staff during the conferences
  • Selects and contracts all conference service providers, including AV provider and temp agencies
  • Schedules all sessions, meetings, and special events
  • Oversees the organization and content of the conference website
  • Organizes the convocation program in cooperation with the president and executive director
  • Oversees the organization of the book and trade fair exhibitors
  • Works cooperatively with the Board of Directors, staff, and standing committees to organize and schedule board sessions, professional development programs, mentoring, special events, tours, and receptions
  • Oversees the organization of the CAA Career Services, including the Interview Hall
  • Proposes the jurors for the awards of distinction, oversees the jury process, and organizes the awards presentation ceremony at Convocation
  • Works cooperatively with the IT staff on the session submission systems, database design, registration processing, financial management

Education and Experience

  • MA in art history or MFA in studio art; PhD in art history preferred with some studio coursework;
  • At least 3 years experience in academic administration such as department head or collaborative scholarly or creative projects
  • Experience in organizing national or international scholarly conferences
  • Academic committee experience
  • Familiarity with academic curriculum and tenure requirements, current trends in art history, critical theory, contemporary art, studio art and design and with leaders in the academic field of the visual arts
  • Familiarity with scholarly communications, streaming, and other types of real-time communications
  • Preference will be given to those with technical skills in areas that will enhance both the organizing of the meetings and with their success

Salary dependent on experience
EEOC Employer
Start date: September 1, 2015
Full-time with benefits

Please send letter of interest, CV and references to: nyoffice@collegeart.org

3-9-15

Filed under: Career Services

Associate Director/Director of External Communications
College Art Association
50 Broadway, Floor 21
New York, NY 10004

Under the supervision of the executive director, the associate director is responsible for developing scholarly communication strategies for CAA, and communicating with its members and to the international community of academic and museum visual arts faculty, students, and curators. The associate director will work to help CAA address the changing needs and demographics of the academic visual-arts field and to communicate the value of the Association to individuals in academia, in museums, and those who work independently. This position: 1) oversees strategic communications for social media and social communications regarding the annual conference, newsletter, website, directories of graduate programs, affiliated societies, fellowships and professional development programs; 2) stays current with issues related to communications in the visual arts in academia and art museums and recommends actions to be taken by the Association on behalf of the field; 3) represents CAA at meetings, conferences and events that promotes awareness of the Association.

Responsibilities

  • In cooperation with the executive director and the senior staff carries out market research in the visual arts field to develop an annual strategy for scholarly communications of CAA to the visual arts field and beyond;
  • In cooperation with the executive director and senior staff determines the strategies for all communications for the association including technologies that extend the conference, websites, programs, guidelines and activities of the association;
  • Oversees the publicity strategies in concert with the executive director, senior staff and Taylor & Francis for all publications including journals, newsletter, websites, directories of graduate programs, and electronic communications;
  • Develops a communications network with the CAA affiliated societies to promote cooperative programming and support;
  • Oversees all social communications and works with CAA staff to establish strategies for maximum participation among members and related associations and stakeholders;
  • Oversees Online Career Center;
  • Stays current with the visual arts advocacy issues;
  • Prepares yearly budget forecasts and manages the communications budget;
  • Supervises the full-time newsletter editor and a full-time staff assistant.

Education and Experience

  • Terminal degree or the equivalent in communications, new media, studio art, or art history;
  • At least five years experience in academic scholarly communications or educational association communications;
  • Expertise in scholarly communications, development and design of websites, streaming, webinars, electronic publications, databases, and social communications;
  • Experience managing a major website redesign and/or implementing new technology for programming or scholarly communication systems
  • Expertise in market research and analysis, and the use of statistical databases on the visual arts field;
  • Current with trends and critical issues in academic visual arts, art museums and professional visual art associations, and learned societies.

Salary dependent on experience
EEOC Employer
Start date: June 1, 2015
Full-time with benefits

Please send letter of interest, CV and references to: nyoffice@collegeart.org

3-3-15

Filed under: Career Services