Expanding Our Vision: New Approaches to Art History Symposium

Call for Proposals

The Art Department at Davidson College invites emerging scholars in the field of art history to visit our campus and participate in a symposium titled Expanding Our Vision: New Approaches to Art History. The college’s mission statement places questions of global thinking, diversity, social justice and the development of humane instincts and mutual obligations at the center of our educational endeavor. We seek scholars with shared commitments who are members of groups historically under-represented in the academy. The goal of this symposium is to highlight the work of emerging scholars (recent Ph.D. or ABD). We especially welcome applications from individuals of Black/African American, Latinx and Native American descent. Members of other under-represented groups should also apply.

Art history is a rapidly changing field with groundbreaking studies in new geographical areas, topics and methodologies. The Art Department at Davidson College welcomes emerging scholars with new approaches to understanding art historical questions, especially those challenging the existing canons. Papers might consider (but are not restricted to):

• New art historical approaches to gender, sexual orientation, race, or ethnic groups which have been historically marginalized in the USA
• New art historical approaches to various global cultures
• New media and its implications for new approaches
• New collaborations between art history and other disciplines (e.g. pre-medical studies, environmental studies, gender studies, museum studies, Latin American Studies, and Africana Studies) 

The Expanding Our Vision: New Approaches to Art History symposium will take place on Saturday, March 28, 2020. Invited speakers will be guests of the college from the evening of March 27 through breakfast on March 29. Travel expenses are covered, and an honorarium will be provided. The format will be 40-minute paper presentation followed by Q and A, and a concluding panel discussion. Scholars will have the opportunity to explore faculty life at a selective liberal-arts college, and if interested, receive feedback that might be helpful for them as they prepare for tenure-track searches.

To apply please submit the following in PDF format to expandingourvision@davidson.edu:

• The title of your presentation,
• a 300-word abstract outlining the argument, critical context and significance,
• a current CV,
• a one-sentence statement confirming self-identification as a member of a historically underrepresented group.

Application Deadline: December 22, 2019. 

Speakers will be notified of acceptance by January 17, 2020.