Academic Sessions: Manchester 2009
Intersections
Manchester Metropolitan University, MIRIAD
2 - 4 April 2009
The Artwriter Revisited
Simon Faulkner, Department of History of Art and Design, Manchester Metropolitan University S.Faulkner@mmu.ac.uk
Amanda Ravetz, MIRIAD, Manchester Metropolitan University A.Ravetz@mmu.ac.uk
In 1987 David Carrier grouped art historical and art critical writing under the heading ‘artwriting’ – a term also adopted by anthropologists George Marcus and Fred Myers in their 1995 collection The Traffic in Culture to refer to the symbiotic relationship between art and words in the context of the art world. Writing about art is a form of discursive attention that more often than not adds to the cultural status and market value of the artwork. This legitimizing function places limitations on the role of the writer. Under such conditions the value of ‘being critical’ is perhaps put into question. This session invites papers from art historians, anthropologists of art, artist writers and other cultural theorists seeking to examine the contemporary role of the writer in the art world. We are interested in papers that map the contemporary contours of artwriting and/or suggest alternatives to existing strategies. How might artwriting undertaken by academics be more than an alternative form of RAE submission or CV packing? What different positions have academics writing about contemporary art adopted, involving for example, prescription, and forms of ethical and political engagement? How might these practices be further developed? What new intersections can be opened up between writers and artists?
To submit a paper proposal for this session please click, download and return the AAH09 Paper Proposal Form (word) or AAH09 Paper Proposal Form (pdf)
Amanda Ravetz, MIRIAD, Manchester Metropolitan University A.Ravetz@mmu.ac.uk
In 1987 David Carrier grouped art historical and art critical writing under the heading ‘artwriting’ – a term also adopted by anthropologists George Marcus and Fred Myers in their 1995 collection The Traffic in Culture to refer to the symbiotic relationship between art and words in the context of the art world. Writing about art is a form of discursive attention that more often than not adds to the cultural status and market value of the artwork. This legitimizing function places limitations on the role of the writer. Under such conditions the value of ‘being critical’ is perhaps put into question. This session invites papers from art historians, anthropologists of art, artist writers and other cultural theorists seeking to examine the contemporary role of the writer in the art world. We are interested in papers that map the contemporary contours of artwriting and/or suggest alternatives to existing strategies. How might artwriting undertaken by academics be more than an alternative form of RAE submission or CV packing? What different positions have academics writing about contemporary art adopted, involving for example, prescription, and forms of ethical and political engagement? How might these practices be further developed? What new intersections can be opened up between writers and artists?
To submit a paper proposal for this session please click, download and return the AAH09 Paper Proposal Form (word) or AAH09 Paper Proposal Form (pdf)