Sexing Sculpture: New Approaches to Theorizing the Object

Jillian Hernandez, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; and Susan Richmond, Georgia State University. Email: jillian. hernandezgmail.com and srichmondgsu.edu

A number of contemporary art historians have posited provoca- tive analyses of the sexual and gendered dimensions of modern and contemporary sculptural production. Notably, their scholar- ship acknowledges a pressing need to formulate new interpre- tive frameworks for contemporary sculpture. This panel invites proposals that interrogate contemporary sculptural practices through the lens of interdisciplinary gender and sexuality stud- ies. In a contemporary moment in which queer suicide, gay marriage, and the gendered ramifications of economic down- turns, riots, and war are pressing realities, what is the cultural relevance of sculptural practices today and how can theories of gender and sexuality (and corresponding examinations of race and class) continue to expand the possibilities of interpreta- tion? How do current sculptural practices uphold, or conversely, equivocate the certainties of gendered and sexual embodiment? Papers may range from appraisals of an individual artist’s work to explorations of methodology and contemporary cultural and subcultural politics. We encourage submissions addressing post- 1960s sculptural practices, but will also consider proposals that reevaluate historical narrations of twentieth-century sculpture in light of more recent feminist and queer scholarship.

Every proposal should be emailed to both chairs and include the following items:

1. Completed session participation proposal form - http://www.collegeart.org/pdf/2013CallforParticipation.pdf.
2. Preliminary abstract of one to two double-spaced, typed pages.
3. Letter explaining speaker’s interest, expertise in the topic, and CAA membership status.
4. CV with home and office mailing addresses, email address, and phone and fax numbers. Include summer address and telephone number, if applicable.