Graduate Student Call for Papers/Proposals: Ekphrasis: An Art History Graduate Journal.
Department of the History of Art and Architecture at Tufts University.

Inaugural issue to be published Spring 2026.

All submissions are due by January 20, 2026 to tufts.ekphrasis.journalgmail.com. Please include the relevant section title (Academic Essay, Book Review, or Exhibition Highlight) in the subject line of your email submission.

Ekphrasis is an online scholarly journal produced by the graduate students of the Department of the History of Art and Architecture at Tufts University. Published annually in partnership with Tisch Library, the journal will provide a platform for art historical exploration and analysis to fulfill its essential objective of foregrounding critical, diverse, and innovative perspectives both within and beyond Tufts University.

Academic Essays
For the inaugural issue of Ekphrasis, we welcome academic essay submissions from current graduate students or those who have recently (within the past three years) completed a graduate program at the master’s or PhD level in or related to the field of art history. Academic essays should be approximately 2,500-3,000 words (excluding footnotes) and written on any topic broadly pertaining to art history. Essays should be previously unpublished and submitted in full, with correctly formatted Chicago-style citations.

Images should be integrated into the text (rather than as a list of figures at the end), and authors whose submissions are selected for publication will be responsible for securing reproduction permissions from the copyright owner of any included images. Selected authors will work with the Ekphrasis Image and Copyright Editor to ensure that proper permissions are obtained.

While future issues may be centered around a designated theme, the call for papers for the Spring 2026 issue does not have a thematic guideline. As such, we welcome academic essays on any topics relevant to the field of art history, across all time periods and geographical contexts.

Selected submissions will be edited by the Ekphrasis faculty-supplemented editorial board. Interested graduate students should submit, along with the academic essay in full, a CV and short professional and academic biography compiled into a single document.

If you have any questions regarding academic essays or the journal at large, please contact kristen.lauritzentufts.edu or kate.haggartytufts.edu.

Book Reviews
Ekphrasis welcomes book review submissions from current graduate students or those who have recently (within the past three years) completed a graduate program at the master’s or PhD level in or related to the field of art history. Book reviews should be between 500-1,000 words and focus on scholarly publications regarding art historical topics published within the last three years, employing a descriptive as well as analytical approach to the text at hand.

We request that proposals be no more than 100 words and contain publication information for the proposed book (author, editor, book title, publishing information, and ISBN). Please also include a CV and a short professional and academic biography compiled into a single document and submit all items to tufts.ekphrasis.journalgmail.com.

If you have any questions regarding book reviews, please contact Maria Wuerker at maria.wuerkertufts.edu.

Exhibition Highlights
Ekphrasis invites current graduate students or those who have recently (within the past three years) completed a graduate program at the master’s or PhD level in or related to the field of art history to submit short pieces (no longer than 500 words) that highlight art exhibitions taking place throughout the greater New England area. These submissions are not intended as full reviews, but as concise features that capture the essence of an exhibition, offering readers a broad view of the region’s art scene. Each highlight should provide an overview of the relevant artist or artists and explore the major themes presented in the exhibition.

Preference will be given to exhibitions that remain on view during the journal’s publication period (April-June 2026). Interested graduate students are asked to submit a 100-word proposal to tufts.ekphrasis.journalgmail.com, describing the exhibition they wish to feature, along with a CV and a short professional and academic biography, compiled into a single document.

If you have any questions regarding exhibition highlights, please contact Kendall Murphy at kendall.murphytufts.edu.