CALL FOR PAPERS

The 34th Annual Boston University Graduate Symposium in the History of Art and Architecture

Submissions Due: December 1, 2017
Symposium Dates: March 2-3, 2018

Excess

Excess conjures the idea of the extractable, left over, too much, or "extra." Looking closely at perceptions of the extraneous reveals excess to be a historically constructed category that marks shifting notions of cultural values. Deemed peripheral, abject, deviant, and tertiary due to factors such as geographic relationships or conceptions of power at a particular moment, excess is the focal point of the 34th Annual Boston University Graduate Symposium in the History of Art & Architecture.

We invite submissions that explore themes of excess. Topics may include but are not limited to the following: opulence; decoration; the grotesque; the carnivalesque; caricature; exuberance; indulgence; exaggeration; extremes of religious or social practice and ritual; extravagant lifestyle; expressions and critiques of abundance; so-called “luxury arts”; the overbuilt.

Papers must be original and previously unpublished. Please send an abstract (300 words or less), a paper title, and a CV to bugraduatesymposiumhaagmail.com. The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2017. Selected speakers will be notified by December 23, 2017, and are expected to accept or decline the offer within a week of notification. Papers should be 20 minutes in length and will be followed by a question and answer session.

The Symposium will be held Friday, March 2 – Saturday, March 3, 2018, with a keynote lecture (TBD) on Friday evening at the Boston University Art Gallery at the Stone Gallery and graduate presentations on Saturday at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

This event is generously sponsored by the Boston University Center for the Humanities; the Boston University Department of History of Art & Architecture; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Boston University Graduate Student History of Art & Architecture Association; and the Boston University Art Gallery at the Stone Gallery.

For additional information, please visit:
http://www.bu.edu/ah/students/graduate-student-history-of-art-architecture-association/the-symposium/

Boston University College of Arts & Sciences,
Department of History of Art & Architecture
725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215
bu.edu/ah