College Art Association 103rd Annual Conference

1. Panel: Rethinking the Decorative Woman in Central Europe, 1850-1950
2. Panel: Truth Telling and Parafiction: Practice and Theory
3. Panel: Original Copies: Art and the Practice of Copying

1.
Panel: Rethinking the Decorative Woman in Central Europe, 1850-1950

Panel Co-Chairs: Megan Brandow-Faller, Kingsborough Community College, City University of New York; and Olivia Gruber Florek, independent scholar. Email: Megan.Brandow-Fallerkingsborough.edu and olivia.g.grubergmail.com

This panel examines how women artists used the concept of the decorative to shape visual culture in Central Europe. The nineteenth century witnessed a revival in Central European decorative arts manufacturing, a development that allowed for greater contributions by female artists. Yet, “decorative” became a means to further marginalize female production and patronage. Too often this dichotomy has led scholars to disregard the subversive potential of the decorative. In what ways did women artists and patrons mine the formulas surrounding the decorative? How did female artists define “decorative” within their work, and how did they respond to critical interpretations of their output? To what degree did female portraiture and self-portraiture critique discourses of “decorative women”? How did decorative women subvert emerging indexes of the decorative within modernism to engage questions of abstraction? We invite papers that con- sider the role of decorative women in painting, sculpture, architecture, and interior design.
Please email paper title, abstract (300-500 words), curriculum vitae, letter of interest, and CAA session participation proposal form (please see http://www.collegeart.org/pdf/2015CallforParticipation.pdf for detailed guidelines) to both Megan.Brandow-Faller (Megan.Brandow-Fallerkingsborough.edu) and Olivia Gruber Florek (olivia.g.grubergmail.com) by 9 May 2014.

Please note that potential candidates need not be members of CAA in order to submit their abstracts; however, if accepted, they will be need to join the CAA before the time of the conference.

For participation requirements and details of the conference, please see: http://www.collegeart.org/pdf/2015CallforParticipation.pdf

2.
Panel: Truth Telling and Parafiction: Practice and Theory

From Stephen Colbert’s notion of “truthiness” to what Carrie Lambert-Beatty has termed “parafiction,” works of art that function within, and call attention to, the gray area between fact and fiction have become increasingly prevalent. Recent exhibitions, including "More Real? Art in the Age of Truthiness" (2012), reflect the relevance of artistic strategies such as pranks, lies, deception, and impersonation. Still, the discursive space of parafiction remains in a nascent stage of analysis. We invite papers investigating the character, function, and implications of parafictional projects. We look to bring together practitioners and academics interested in analyzing the (art) history and politics of lies, falsehoods, and deception. Papers might address the relationship between contemporary projects and previous strategies of mimicry and détournement; whether parafictional strategies in art demonstrate a significant, ontological shift in daily life; or what methodological tools we might use to discuss contemporary notions of truthfulness and deception.

Please send application materials to Monica Steinberg (msteinberggc.cuny.edu) and Sarah Archino (saraharchinogmail.com)

3.
Panel: Original Copies: Art and the Practice of Copying

Technologies of copying - printing, casting, digital duplication - have always engendered debates about artistic authorship and invention. Copying can be viewed as a debasement and as creative praxis. Albrecht Dürer complained about copyists but also advised young artists learning to draw to “copy the work of good masters until you attain a free hand.” Copying can also produce originality. Andy Warhol’s copies of Brillo Boxes expose this paradox, asking (in Arthur Danto’s words), “What is the difference between two things, exactly alike, one of which is art and one is not?” This session seeks papers addressing techniques and functions of artworks that copy other objects (drawings, prints, casts, rubbings, photographs) produced from the early modern period to today, as well as the legal, ethical, philosophical, and ontological issues embedded in copying. Covering a wide temporal and material range, the session aims to encourage a broader dialogue about the problematic status of the copy in the history of art.

Proposals should be sent to Stephanie Porras (sporrastulane.edu) - please include a completed session participation proposal form, an abstract of one to two double spaced typed pages, CV with current contact information.