Call for Proposals for Design History Society Panel at College Art Association Conference, New York City, February 10-13 202.

22 April 2020

The Design History Society (DHS), as Affiliate Society of the College Art Association (CAA), invites DHS members to propose chairs and panel themes to be put forward as our contribution to the CAA’s 2021 conference, due to be held in New York City, February 10-13. Panels will be 90-minutes long and may be framed as a set line-up of speakers or as a theme with a Call for Papers (CFP), to be inserted in the CAA’s general CFP.

An abstract with the proposed panel theme and its intended structure (set speakers, or a call) no longer than 250 words, accompanied by short biographies for each proposed panel chair should be sent to Jenna Allsopp designhistorysociety@gmail.com no later than Monday May 4 2020. If you would like to discuss a potential theme please email Trustee Harriet Atkinson: h.atkinson2@brighton.ac.uk. The selection of the successful DHS-Affiliate Society panel theme will be made by the Society's Trustees by peer-review. The chosen chairs can expect to submit a final panel proposal to CAA by Wednesday May 13 2020 (in advance of the CAA deadline of Tuesday May 19 2020).

The CAA’s annual conference provides an opportunity for professionals in the arts, design, culture and its histories to debate current issues in research, education and creative practice. In 2017, the Design History Society facilitated its first panel as Affiliate Society at the CAA conference in New York City on the subject of ‘Art and Design Exhibitions as Transnational Exchange from 1945’; in 2018, at the Los Angeles conference the DHS panel theme was ‘Imagining the International: Repositioning Peripheral Narratives in Global Design Histories’; in 2019, at the New York conference the DHS panel theme was ‘Building the Box of Useful Things: Contemporary Artists and Design History’; in 2020, at the Chicago conference the DHS panel theme was ‘Decolonising Design History’.

An affiliation with the CAA reflects the ongoing intention of the DHS to broaden the audience, remit and work of design history: by hosting a panel at the annual conference, the DHS can bring such conversations to the attention of thousands of international colleagues from across disciplines, institutions and geographies. As sponsors of the panel, the DHS is in the position to support chairs with up to two CAA membership annual fees (required for chairs) and two CAA conference registration fees (required as chairs). Further information on deadlines and guidelines leading up to the conference can be found the CAA website here.