CfP: Exhibition Catalogues as Experimental Spaces

London, AAH Annual Conference, April 10 – 12, 2014
Association of Art Historians Annual conference,
Royal College of Arts, London

Lucy Bradnock, University of Nottingham, Lucy.Bradnock@nottingham.ac.uk
Christopher Griffin, Tate, Christopher.Griffin@tate.org.uk

This session explores the role of the exhibition catalogue as an active space of expression and experimentation. The exhibition catalogue occupies a distinct position at the intersection of exhibition display, curatorial practice, critical reflection, artistic manifesto and art object. Throughout the twentieth century, artists, critics, curators and groups have sought to augment, complement, or even undermine an exhibition by presenting supplementary, alternative, or oppositional ideas in the accompanying catalogue. This session thus seeks to examine the practices and politics specific to exhibition catalogues, generated by the productive distance between the temporary exhibition and the more permanent printed manifestation that the catalogue represents. The conception of the catalogue as fulfilling a function beyond that of documentation parallels the growth in artists’ books and self-published magazines in the second half of the twentieth century, yet the distinct role of the exhibition catalogue in experimental practice remains under-acknowledged.

Papers are sought that explore the exhibition catalogue as an active mode of avant-garde or experimental endeavour in any geographical region during the twentieth century, or that seek to develop productive theoretical models by which to account for such practices. Topics might include, but are not limited to: the exhibition catalogue as manifesto, a tool of counterculture, or a means of political protest; its relationship to anthropology, ethnography, or performance; analyses of the exhibition catalogue in terms of collage, bricolage, assemblage or the flatbed picture plane; collective or alternative modes of authorship; the catalogue’s negotiation of temporality, ephemerality, and (im)permanence.

 

CFP: The Future of Holocaust Studies

The Future of Holocaust Studies
Southampton and Winchester
29-31 July 2013
http://thefutureofholocauststudies.wordpress.com/

As we approach the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the camps in 2014 and 2015, the era of the living witnesses to the events of the Holocaust is drawing to a close. This conference will explore current and future trends in Holocaust studies, assessing the discipline after 70 years of historical research and its popular dissemination, and 70 years of cultural production, Holocaust education and musealisation. What is the current relationship between the Holocaust in history, memory and culture? How is this being informed and problematised by other genocides, past and present? What will be the future of Holocaust studies?

This major international conference is organised in conjunction with Holocaust Studies: A Journal of Culture and History, the Universities of Southampton, Winchester, Edinburgh, Chester and London (the Institute of Education’s Centre for Holocaust Education), the Holocaust Educational Trust and the Higher Education Academy. We invite contributions that address the production, exhibition, and reception of all forms of Holocaust representation, from history writing through museums, films and television to classical and popular music, internet and videogames, literature, fine and performing arts. Moreover, the conference aims to debate and discuss these issues as challenges that we all face as educators and researchers, and to encourage engagement with these provocative questions through exchange between academics and practitioners, scholars and teachers, being aware that the questions, challenges and roles listed here often also coincide. Are the demands of the classroom reflected in the questions posed by researchers – and vice versa? How and to what extent can recent cultural approaches to the Holocaust be used by educators? What are their strengths and limitations as teaching tools?

This will be a residential conference over three days. There will be some funding available for bursaries for postgraduates and other scholars whose home institutions cannot meet conference costs.

We welcome individual paper and panel proposals which address the future of Holocaust studies in any relevant discipline. We envisage focusing particularly on the areas of historiography, museums and public history and, broadly defined, culture.

Individual proposals of no more than 300 words, and brief biographies of no more than 100 words, should be sent to:
thefutureofholocauststudies@gmail.com by 16 November 2012.

Organising Committee:
Dr James Jordan (University of Southampton)
Professor Tom Lawson (University of Winchester)
Dr Emiliano Perra (University of Winchester)
Dr Hannah Holtschneider (University of Edinburgh)
Dr Tim Grady (University of Chester)
Kay Andrews (Centre for Holocaust Education, University of London)
Peter D’Sena (Higher Education Academy)
Alex Maws (Holocaust Education Trust)

CfP: Museums and Human Rights

Museums and Human Rights
FIHRM 2012 – 3rd International Conference
International Slavery Museum, Liverpool, UK
8-10 October 2012

The Federation of International Human Rights Museums (FIHRM) is delighted to invite you to its third international conference taking place at the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool, UK under the theme of: Museums and Human Rights

It is five years since the opening of the International Slavery Museum. In that time, the view has become more widespread that museums should play an active role in fighting for human rights, and there are now many museums around the world that are active in this field. In this conference we want to consider the ways in which museums have – or  have not – made progress. We wish to look at recent and current examples of progressive work, in terms of combating gender and ethnic inequalities, discrimination and other human rights abuses.

When?
8-10 October 2012

Where?
International Slavery Museum, Liverpool, UK

Proposals
We invite you to submit proposals for case studies, presentations on the above theme. For more information, please see visit the FIHRM website at www.fihrm.org

Registration
Information on registration will be available soon on the FIHRM website at http://www.fihrm.org

Bursary Scheme
FIHRM runs a bursary scheme with the aim to allow a number of museum professionals to participate in the conference that would otherwise not be able to due to lack of funding. More information can be found at http://www.fihrm.org.