New Journal: University of Chicago Press and Bard Graduate
Center Announce West 86th

The University of Chicago Press and the Bard Graduate Center
(BGC) have announced a partnership to publish West 86th: A
Journal of Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture.

The new biannual journal, which takes its name from the BGC's
New York City address, will be an international forum for research
exploring the content, meaning, and significance of objects in
their cultural and historical frameworks. It replaces Studies in
the Decorative Arts, which the BGC had published for 17 years.

As with its predecessor, West 86th will maintain the highest
standards of scholarship and technical production. It will present
an open and interdisciplinary approach, seeking the valuable input
of design, art, and architecture historians; scholars of film,
fashion, and material culture; as well as archaeologists,
sociologists, and anthropologists. The aim is to analyze objects
from a wide variety of perspectives in a forum where shared and
differing approaches are respected. Content will include scholarly
articles, review articles, and primary source translations,
along with book, catalogue, and exhibition reviews.

"The visual and material history of all cultures has never been
more prominent in academic life, yet this field of study remains
fragmented and problematic," said Dr. Paul Stirton, Associate
Professor at the BGC, who will serve as the journal's
editor-in-chief. "It is the aim of West 86th to be an inclusive
forum that encourages scholarship from across disciplines of
objects from all cultures and all time periods."

West 86th will publish in print and online twice yearly,
beginning in spring 2011 with volume 18:1 (picking up where
Studies in the Decorative Arts terminated). The online edition
will incorporate supplemental digital material integral to the
articles. Online subscriptions will include recent back issues
of Studies in the Decorative Arts.

For subscription information, please visit the West 86th Web
site at
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/wes/current.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Scholars interested in the decorative arts, design history
and material culture are invited to submit material that explores
the content, meaning, and significance of objects in their
cultural and historical frameworks. The journal embraces all
aspects of design, including engagement with:

-Designers, artists, craftworkers, and makers
-Style, taste, and consumption
-Design, technology, and industry
-Dress and fashion
-Customs, manners, and rituals
-Architecture and landscape design
-The vernacular and popular culture

There are no restrictions as to media, culture, era, or
geographic location.

West 86th has an international advisory board of consulting
editors and a rigorous double-blind review system. For more
submission information,
visit: www.bgc.bard.edu/west86th or
www.journals.uchicago.edu/page/wes/instruct.html.

Contact: Kevin Stacey / 773-834-0386 / kstaceypress.uchicago.edu