Call for Papers

International Symposium: The Territories of Artists’ Periodicals

This symposium seeks to provide a venue for dialogue between researchers, artists, publishers, librarians and others interested in artists’ periodicals in order to bring into focus the many issues and themes that constitute the terrain of these publications. We have chosen the 1950s as the starting date for this symposium as we believe this decade is the crucial moment in which artists’ periodicals develop as a distinct and identifiable medium.

The key development that defines the periodicals under discussion is the observation that artists’ periodicals move beyond their predecessors’ roles as sites for the reproduction of texts and images, to one in which they begin to function as primary sites for the production of artworks.

Over the span of this 3-day symposium, coupled with hands-on access to a substantial collection of artists’ periodicals, we hope to engage with a number of different questions related to why artists choose the medium of the periodical for their creative expression, what are the constituent features of this medium and how these issues relate to the larger field of artists’ printed matter, the contemporary art scene, and the broader publishing world. Other topics include the nature and mode of reception of these publications, the activation of the reader’s role as participant/collaborator, the questioning of the institution of the editor, the different strategies through which the contents of artists’ periodicals are generated, and finally the influence of the new digital environment on the production, distribution, conservation and archiving of these periodicals.

We are accepting proposals on the following topics that investigate artists’ periodicals at a general and/or theoretical level as well as those focusing on specific publications. The presentations will need to be short and concise (up to 15 minutes each). We will select three or four proposals to serve as the basis for discussion for each of the topics listed below and then open up each 2-hour session to the audience.

Please note: We are open to considering proposals on other relevant topics not listed below.

Deadline for Proposals: January 20, 2014. Authors of accepted proposals will be contacted in mid-February.

Please send to conference organizers, Dr. Marie Boivent, Université Rennes 2 Haute Bretagne, France, and Dr. Stephen Perkins, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, USA, at: symposium.artistsperiodicalsgmail.com

Looking back and looking ahead: Histories
· Artists’ periodicals and the larger historical picture.
· Why choose the 1950s as our starting point? (break/rupture with what has gone before? Distinction between “little magazines”, “little reviews”, etc.)
· Looking at the bibliographic literature, scholarly writings, research, etc.
· Important periodicals? (Why do some periodicals stand out as exemplary artists’ periodicals? Are there some periodicals that have more influence on today’s practices and why?).
· Artists’ periodicals and the larger context (artists’ periodicals as part of the larger field of printed matter: relationship to artists’ books, zines, ephemera, multiples...).
· Periodicals in the digital age: digital periodicals, web sites, blogs, etc.
· What does the future hold for artists’ periodicals? What changes might we anticipate in the years to come? Do artists’ periodicals have a future?

Temporality/Periodicity of the artists’ periodicals
· Periodicals, periodicity, aperiodicity, works-in-progress.
· Time the 4th dimension: the unique aspect to artists’ periodicals.
· Artists’ periodicals as time specific, as time capsule (artists’ periodicals are of their moment, their time, and over time they document changes and developments, their crucial difference from books).
· Artists’ periodicals that play, manipulate, integrate time as a concrete element.
· Phases in the “life” of a periodical (beginnings and endings).
· The particular case of one offs, single issues, and interrupted publications.

Artists’ periodicals: Collective or Individual Practices?
· Editorial models from traditional editor to compiler and others in-between, and “open” and “closed” editorial strategies.
· Are collective issues different in our post-modern moment (or post-post-modern period) as compared to previous eras, and if so in what way and why?
· The different strategies and implications of how the materials for artists’ periodicals are gathered (appropriation, recycling, plagiarizing, etc.).
· Are mail art and networking periodicals a special subset of artists’ periodicals or are they paradigmatic of periodical practices?
· Where is the reader in all of this?

The Economics of artists’ periodicals
· Costs and the reality of publishing and its implication for artists’ periodicals.
· How economics impacts and shapes the final form/project of the periodical?
· Do advertisements interfere in artists’ periodicals and in what way? (Network supporting, parody, détournement, conceptual ads, etc.).
· Economics systems for distribution/dissemination.
· Printing technologies, accessible printing technologies, etc.

Artists’ periodicals as Alternatives
· Periodicals as a part of the larger history of “alternatives” from the 1960s onwards and their links to artists’ books and ephemera, artists’ spaces and all the other alternative artists’ initiatives of this and later periods.
· Alternative publishing strategies, distribution systems, editorial models, alternative exhibition models (artists’ periodicals as exhibition site) and alternative printed matter.
· Questioning roles/authority of editor and challenges to the reader.
· Artists’ periodicals as critical/discussion sites.
· Can we consider today’s artists’ periodicals as alternative venues for art or have they become just another conventionalized institutional site amongst others?

Artists’ periodicals and other Territories
· International partnerships: how do artists’ periodicals overstep their boundaries? (international publishing committees, international call for contributions, international networks and communities etc.).
· How do artists’ periodicals respond to, and how are they shaped by, different international and political contexts such as censorship, dictatorships, repressive political institutions and exile?
· How have artists’ periodicals responded to, and been influenced by globalization (local/global issues)?

Exhibiting and Preserving artists’ periodicals
· Reprinting, digitalization.
· Issues related to artists’ periodicals in libraries and archives.
· The problems related to exhibiting artists’ periodicals.

Proposals of no more than 200 words, together with the title, the topic the proposal addresses (or proposed new topic) and a short CV, should be submitted by January 20, 2014 (symposium.artistsperiodicalsgmail.com).

We also welcome specific proposals from artists and publishers that fit the symposium’s themes for evening events (artists or periodical publishers who would like to present their work, live spoken periodicals, screenings, etc.).

During the symposium we will be making available to symposium participants a substantial collection of artists’ periodicals for hands-on access within the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s Lawton Gallery symposium site. Publishers who want their periodicals to be exhibited (and potentially used as support for the discussions) are welcome to send copies to the organizers, please contact us for further information.

Travel and accommodation: please note that those attending the symposium will need to make their own arrangements for travel and accommodation. The airport for Green Bay is Austin Straubel International Airport. Exceptionally economical on campus student housing has been arranged for symposium attendees (circa $15 per night).

Conference fee: A $25 fee will be required to register for the symposium.

For further information regarding the conference please contact the organizers below. To register or to arrange accommodation please use the links below:

Registration: https://outreach.uwgb.edu/ei/getdemo.ei?id=37&s=_3JK0IF8TU.

On-campus housing: For registering for on-campus housing please follow this link:
www.uwgb.edu/ housing/guest-housing/reservations.asp
Hotels in the Green Bay area: Expedia.com has a useful listing of hotels. Please be aware that the UWGB campus is 6 miles from downtown Green Bay.

Contact Information: To contact both Marie Boivent and Stephen Perkins please use this email: symposium.artistsperiodicalsgmail.com