04)

Call For Papers

The Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and
Culture presents:

Accumulative Effects: The Psychology, Aesthetic and Display of Collections

April 17, 2004

(CFP Deadline: February 6)

The Bard Graduate Center invites proposals by graduate students for its
third
annual Graduate Student Symposium that will examine notions of collection
in
creative, critical and interdisciplinary ways. Topics could address:

· What is a collection and what drives the desire to collect?
· How are collections tied to heritage, nostalgia and notions of personal,
cultural and national identity?
· How do collections constitute paradigms of taste as a result of
provenance, accessibility, dissemination, publicity and/or intrinsic
qualities?
· What is the significance of gender, power and ownership in the
history of collecting?
· How is collecting subject to ethical considerations?
· How do the grouping and display of objects in different contexts (such
as gardens, libraries, the domestic sphere, or public exhibitions) shape
perceptions of their value?
· How does time affect the assemblage and viewing of collections?
· Are there distinctions between accumulating and collecting or between
"high" and "low" collections?
· What are the roles of artists, designers, dealers, advisers, auction
houses and business consultants in the world of collecting?
· How are notions of collecting processed within different creative
fields, such as literature, the fine and decorative arts and design?

To apply, please submit a one to two page abstract for a 20-minute
presentation and a CV to the BGC Graduate Student Symposium Committee at
the address below. In addition, applications can be submitted to:
gradsympbgc.bard.edu.

Deadline February 6, 2004.
Notifications will be sent by February 13, 2004.

The Bard Graduate Center
for Studies in the Decorative Arts,
Design, and Culture
18 W. 86th Street, New York, NY 10024
www.bgc.bard.edu
Phone 212-501-3000