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CALL FOR PAPERS: Art History and Sound, three workshops to be held on 6 December 2012, 14 March and 30 May 2013 (10.00 – 12.00) at the Courtauld Institute of Art (Research Forum, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN). Workshop series: The Listening Art Historian. Organised by Irene Noy and Michaela Zöschg with Dr Katie Scott (The Courtauld Institute of Art).

Art historians constantly encounter traces of sound. These can take the form of notes in an illuminated manuscript, a textual echo of past noise and lost voices, or depictions of instruments, singers and dancers, captured on panel, canvas, paper, film or in wood, marble and bronze or spaces that have been specifically designed and built to embrace and amplify sound: pulpits, choir stalls, opera houses, the floor of the stock exchange. The aural is continuously intertwined with visual arts as content or context. In the 20th and 21st centuries especially artists have variously incorporated sounds, live and recorded, in their performances, happenings and multi-media installations putting into question the silence and fixity of visual art.

As a result of the collapse in the Enlightenment of the Renaissance notion of the unity of the arts and the substitution of a modern division of temporal from spatial art forms, art historians have generally limited their research and interpretation exclusively to the visual aspects of art and have disregarded the existence, never mind the significance, of the aural. Despite the recent broadening of art history’s disciplinary boundaries to include ‘non-traditional’ media as well as related fields, art historians are primarily trained to analyse and explain the non-ephemeral dimensions of art. When the visual approaches the transient qualities of the aural it raises problems of methodology and terminology.

This workshop series aims to explore both historical and contemporary instances of sound in art history, as well as some of the theoretical and methodological questions arising from this preoccupation. It is designed to provide an open platform for all art historians concerned with collecting, analysing, interpreting and describing sound(s) to meet and discuss ways of hearing visual art.

Topics for discussion may include, but are not limited to:
- In what kind of media do art historians encounter notions of sound such as music, voice or noise and with what methods do they explore these traces of the aural?
- How do art historians, with their specific background in the analysis of visual arts, collect, listen to, ‘process’ and write about sound?
- In regards to aurality, can research fields such as soundscape, Klangkunst, acousmatic voice, developed by neighbouring disciplines, be fruitfully used in and adapted for art history?
- How does our preoccupation with the aural inform or perhaps change our understanding of the visual, and vice versa?

Each workshop will consist of four papers that will function as catalysts for a subsequent round table discussion, and each workshop will address the dynamics existing between aurality and art historical material, tools and methods from a different angle, generated around the proposals we receive.

We welcome proposals of 20 minutes long papers in all periods, media and regions that deal either with case studies or broader methodological questions. Please send your abstracts of 250-300 words and a short biography to Irene Noy and Michaela Zöschg. For organisational purposes, we also kindly ask you to indicate on which of the dates (indicated above) you would like to present and whether you will be able to attend all three workshops.

Deadline: 28 September 2012.

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CALL FOR PAPERS: The Construction of Identity in Medieval and Early Modern Times: Reflections on a Problem in Art History, University of Zurich, Kunsthistorisches Institut, 17 November 2012. Organizers: Peter Scholz (University of Zurich), Tristan Weddigen (University of Zurich) and Lars Zieke (Freie University Berlin).

The one-day conference is organized by the Zurich section of the SNF Sinergia project “Constructing Identity: Visual, Spatial, and Literary Cultures in Lombardy, 14th to 16th Centuries” (click here).

In recent years, studies on identity have noticeably increased, not only in formerly core disciplines such as sociology, gender studies or cultural sciences, but in art history as well. Concerning the application of the term “identity” to art historical studies, however, either the adoption of theoretical deductions from those disciplines is rarely connected stringently to the objects of art or the usage of “identity” occurs without consideration of its methodological and theoretical implications. This is especially the case for the art of the medieval and early modern times. Therefore, this international conference seeks to reflect fundamentally upon the usage of the term “identity” in art history, to possibly revise established opinions, and to problematize the possibilities for methodological orientation.

However, the term “identity” itself is elusive. In light of the transdisciplinary heterogeneity of the term and the great variety of identity theories, it might prove to be difficult to find a definition, which could do justice to all different approaches. Yet, one common denominator might be that “identity” presupposes that something can only be identical with something, i.e. that the identified is situated within a network, that it constitutes itself through relations. In doing so, it has to be differentiated between personal and collective identity, which stand in tension towards each other. This is demonstrated with regard to research on medieval and early modern times especially by the controversial term of the “individual”, underlining the foundation on processes of social interaction that are marked by or are in opposition to class and rank. The social status, the confessional commitment as well as the sexual attribution in this connection are considered formative parameters. Yet, none of these parameters was unalterable. Identity affiliations were convertible and under certain circumstances arbitrary.

How can we apply the disparate identity theories on art history? What kinds of problems appeared in previous research and will occupy us in the future? What are the possibilities and limits of the transposition of such a term like “identity” in art history? And, finally: which disciplines are particularly apt for transmitting the notion of identity to art historical studies? For example, art historians have committed themselves to engage in these issues for quite some time within the scope of gender studies through questions on the relation between body and representation and by breaking up traditional male-dominated canons of works, etc. Art historians with a postcolonial approach, on the other hand, attempt to deconstruct the identity-generating patriarchal and Eurocentric image policy.

And, in the end, more traditional art historical research also contributes to questions of identity: such as in the case of studies on court culture and patronage, on political iconography and symbolism, etc. Ultimately, even one of the fundamental categories of art history, “style”, is part of a larger identity discourse. “Style” refers itself mostly to the art production and art theory of a specific region or group, to the single personality of an artist or a workshop. The assumed characteristic relates to similarity in terms of formal criteria, which is ascribed as a common feature to the majority of manifestations of an epoch, a region, a person, etc. Style develops out of the not always conscious, but presumably coherent selection, evaluation and application of certain aesthetic properties. This manifestation of identity-constructing affiliation takes place via dissociation from something different. And, in the end, it is the very suppression of this affiliation that, in turn, enables a personal style and identity.

As to analyze this set of general questions about the art historical construction of identity, by reflecting once again fundamentally on the relation between identity research and art history, the conference will invite an interdisciplinary group of scholars, with focus on art history.

Submission of 30-minute presentation proposals. Abstracts should not exceed 500 words. Papers will be delivered preferably in English. Please send your abstract and CV to Peter Scholz.

Deadline: 1 May 2012.

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JOB: Lecturer in Byzantine Art History,  University of Sussex, School of History, Art History & Philosophy. Fixed term for 3 years, full time. Salary range: starting at £30,122 and rising to £35,938 per annum. It is normal to appoint at the first point of the salary scale.

The Department of Art History at Sussex enjoys an international reputation for excellence in research and teaching.  Placed third in the 2008 RAE, and consistently ranked among the top departments by the Independent and Times, it is one of the most distinguished and innovative research-led art history departments in the UK.

Following Professor Liz James’ award of a 3-year Leverhulme Senior Fellowship, the Department now wishes to appoint a lecturer with expertise in Byzantine art. An additional teaching knowledge of art of the classical era and/or the mediaeval era would be particularly welcome. This will be a full-time temporary post for three years.

Alongside an excellent publications record, you will have clear plans for future research, and will be able to contribute to the Department’s REF submission in 2014. Experience of, or contacts in, the museums, galleries or the heritage sector may also be an advantage.

The successful applicant will be expected to teach on the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Art History and in other related academic areas, through courses that reflect their areas of research interest within the School of History, Art History and Philosophy, as well as undertaking the whole range of departmental duties.

Applications should include a full Curriculum Vitae, details of research & teaching interests and experience, a list of publications and a sample of recent written work.

Closing date for applications: 22 May 2012. Expected start date: 1 September 2012.

For an informal discussion please contact Geoff Quilley, Acting Head of Department.

Source: H-ArtHist

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JOB: Pilkington Chair in History of Art (Manchester, UK).

The University of Manchester is looking to appoint a leading art historian to this prestigious Chair.

Originally endowed in 1956, the Pilkington Chair has been the beacon for History of Art at Manchester for nearly fifty years. In the recent past, the Chair has been held by distinguished art historians at the forefront of the discipline. The next Pilkington Chair we hope will be similarly influential in shaping the future direction of art history.

Art History & Visual Studies is part of a large Faculty of Humanities offering exciting opportunities for collaboration with other disciplines and research centres. AHVS was ranked fourth out of 30 art history departments in the UK in the Research Assessment Exercise of 2008. This new appointment is aimed at maintaining our strongly competitive position.

The person appointed may have expertise in any area of art history. You will have an outstanding research and publication record and will be expected to make a distinctive contribution to AHVS’s innovative teaching and thriving research culture, as well as provide intellectual leadership for the subject area and more broadly.

Application deadline: 9 February 2012. The post is available from 1 September 2012 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Salary is negotiable within the professorial range.

Click here for further particulars and information about how to apply for this vacancy (Ref: HUM – 00425).

Informal inquiries may be made to Professor David Lomas, Head of Subject, Art History & Visual Studies.

Source: H-ArtHist

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JOB: Art Historian, Southern Europe 1300-1700. Assistant professor, tenure track.

Candidates will be expected to sustain an active research and publication agenda while teaching in both the undergraduate and graduate programs. Applications must be filled online and should include a cover letter, a current CV, a writing sample of no more than twenty-five pages, and three letters of recommendation. The department will begin screening files on December 15th, 2011 and will hold interviews at CAA in February.

Deadline: 16 January 2012.

Source: H-ArtHist

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The Department of Art History at the University of Delaware announces a new Curatorial Track Ph.D. Program in Art History.

The aim of the program is to train graduate students in art history who seek to become curators in museums or other institutions dealing with the fine arts.

Open to students who have been accepted into the department’s doctoral program, the Curatorial Track PhD combines intensive, specialized training in graduate-level art historical studies with an interdisciplinary component consisting of coursework in the following fields: Art Conservation and Preservation Studies; Museum Studies; Technical Art History; Material Culture Studies; and Business and Non-Profit Management.

Training also provides students with a minimum of two semesters of museum internship experience. Our program partner institutions include: the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Delaware Art Museum, and the Walters Art Museum.

The Curatorial Track Ph.D. program is made possible by a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

For information on curriculum, fellowships, and application procedures, please consult our website.

Application deadline: 2 January 2012.

Contact: David M. Stone, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Art History, University of Delaware, 318 Old College, Newark, DE 19716, USA; tel. (office): 302-831-8415/8416.

Source: H-ArtHist

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