Toys as (Material and Visual) Culture Design Studies Forum Short Session,
College Art Association Annual Meeting, New York, 2011Chair: Amy F. Ogata,
Bard Graduate Center:
Decorative Arts, Design History, Material CultureAs the material embodiment
of attitudes about play and work, as well as experimental aesthetics,
national and personal identity, toys are a productive site for exploring the
social and cultural implications of design, and material and visual culture.
Marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of Brian Sutton-Smith’s influential
book Toys as Culture, this session will explore how toys (broadly defined)
constitute a unique aspect of historical and contemporary human culture. In
addition to educators and psychologists concerned with play, writers as
diverse as Roland Barthes, Johan Huizinga, Gary Cross, and Daniel Tiffany
have explored the implications of toys. This session invites scholars and
designers in all fields to play with toys. Antique toys, handmade toys,
artists’ toys, automata, mass-produced objects, designer toys, collectibles,
toy advertising and graphics, websites and digital toys, and the
representation and practice of toy culture are all possible areas of inquiry.
Papers might address aesthetics, materials, production, use and disposal, in
addition to questions about the role of pedagogy, fantasy, historical
memory, and globalization.

Send abstracts to: Amy F. Ogata, Bard Graduate Center, 18 West 86th Street,
New York, NY 10024 or ogatabgc.bard.edu

Proposals should include the following:
1. Completed session participation proposal form, available as a pdf on page
23 of the Call for Participation: http://www.collegeart.org/proposals/
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.
5. Documentation of work when appropriate, especially for sessions in which
artists might discuss their own work.
6. If mailing internationally, it is recommended that proposals be sent via
certified mail.DEADLINE: May 3, 2010. All applicants will be notified by June
1, 2010.
_________________
Amy F. Ogata
Associate Professor
Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture
18 West 86th Street, New York, NY 10024
tel. 212/501.3087 fax 212/501.3093