The 2011 Universities Art Association of Canada (UAAC) Conference Call for Papers is out, and there are two craft-themed panels planned for the conference (happening in Ottawa October 27-29, 2011). More information about the conference and how to submit is available on the UAAC website.
Intimate Objects/Transitional Craft
Objets intimes /L’artisanat transitoire
This session provides a forum for those interested in current scholarship promoting new and interdisciplinary ways to assess the role of Craft in contemporary society. As noted by Howard Risatti (2007), craft objects arise in response to physiological needs, yet as “concrete expressions of human subjectivity’s worlding capacity, of human subjectivity’s potential to create a world of culture out of the realm of nature” (57), they transcend mere usefulness. Papers exploring the capacity of craft to negotiate psychological, political or other dimensions of culture might focus on such issues as craft as an intimate art that stands against the art of the spectacle; craft and “enactive touch” as complement rather than challenge to the human body; the process behind selective historical amnesia in recent definitions of craftivism; craft as the dialectical enemy of reification or the place of craft in global labour.Following but not restricting possible investigations to these leads, we would like to offer Craft Culture as transitional, as a way to validate, transform, and better understand our participation in a material world. (Session Chairs: Mireille Perron and Jennifer Salahub, Alberta College of Art & Design)
Post-disciplinarity and Sloppy Craft – A Critical Engagement
Post-disciplinarité et je-m’en-foutisme de l’art – Un engagement critique
Is “sloppy craft” fine art or hopeless amateurism? Does post-disciplinarity exist “in the ruins of outmoded disciplinary structures” – mediating between nostalgia for disciplinary boundaries and excitement at the intellectual freedom their demise might offer – or could interdisciplinarity still offer much to illuminate issues attached to “sloppy craft”? And importantly, what are the historical antecedents to this recent turn in craft discourse? This panel seeks to critically assess the value of the post-disciplinary method proposed as a way forward for the making of craft and its discourse (advocated most prominently by craft theorist Glenn Adamson). We invite speakers to consider ways the following terms/concepts might interact with “sloppy craft” and the post-disciplinarity advocated for it: DIY, amateur, traditional, conceptual art, intentionality, materiality, function, community, skillful, historical, design. Speakers may also consider the advantages of an interdisciplinary approach to these terms/concepts in their application to “sloppy craft.” (Session Chairs: Elaine Cheasley Paterson and Susan Surette, Concordia University).
