Call for Papers

Location and time: Medienhaus UdK, June 23/24, 2023

Deadline: April 17, 2023

There is a kind of authoritarian conception of what art is and how it is made and communicated as a practice that overlooks the ways in which forms of knowledge and production of art that deviate from this have been developed in non-authoritarian, resistant or anarchist contexts. In order to counter traditional, academic art pedagogical forms of teaching that are fraught with power structures, we want to look at alternative forms of teaching. This workshop invites scholars to explore lesser-known models of teaching artistic practices with an open-ended approach between 1900 and the present. In addition to art and design schools that distanced themselves from authoritarian academic institutions or formations that intervened in the academy, artistic collectives that established their own teaching concepts outside the institution will also be considered. The aim is to demonstrate within art history how the place where artists are trained has an impact on the forms and meanings they produce. Historical case studies and contemporary examples will be used to formulate an art historical narrative at the intersection of practice knowledge and art practice. We are particularly interested in contributions that address lesser-known and marginalized models outside of Europe and the United States.

Possible studies or areas of interest:

–– anti-traditional art education and design education in art, workshop, craft, and design schools, artist colonies, and life reform and women's movement communities (e.g. Debschitz School, Krefeld Workshop School, Reiman School Berlin, KNUST Ghana, Black Mountain College)

–– non-Western art education models outside Europe and the U.S.; especially marginalized transcultural forms of art education mediation in the context of 20th century anti-colonial and anti-racist liberation movements (e.g. Flávio de Carvalho, Shantiniketan, Paulo Freire, bell hooks); current examples of transculturation of art education concepts in political contexts, for example anti-racist alliances

–– institution-critical, anti-authoritarian educational concepts that responded to Western academic situations since the 1960s/70s, some of which established a practice of socially engaged art with knowledge transfer as a process involving one's own body and senses as well as materials in an active way (e.g. critical pedagogy of Michael Asher, Adrian Piper, Mary Kelly, Alan Kaprow, Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, California Institute of the Arts, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design)

–– examples of non-directed learning models incorporating feminist educational theory into art practice (Charles Groin, Suzanne Lacy). Pedagogical forms of LGBTQ+ and BAME artists, designers, and artisans as counter to traditional forms of art education practice

–– other spaces where teaching formats have been fractured.

We welcome proposals for a case study to work on during the workshop. The presentation format is open, with a 5-10 minute impulse presentation followed by discussion. Scholars of various statuses in art history and related disciplines are invited to apply.

The workshop language is English. The workshop implements laboratory formats, such as artistic interventions and discussion formats, in which the sciences and the arts collaborate. The organizers will provide accommodation, if necessary, and will reimburse travel costs incurred (Deutsche Bahn 2nd class).

Please send your abstract (max. 350 words) together with a short CV to Sandra Neugärtner (sandra.neugaertner@leuphana.de) and Anna Brus (abrus@uni-koeln.de) by April 17, 2023, subject: "art thinking doing art". You will receive a response by mid-May.

The format is organized and conceived by Sandra Neugärtner in collaboration with Anna Brus, with support of CRC 1512 "Intervening Arts" in cooperation with the Berlin University of the Arts, the University of Cologne, and Leuphana University Lüneburg.