Call for Papers! Parallel: A Roundtable on the History and Archiving of Artist Run Centres in Canada

The FMS community are invited to propose a presentation for a session at the annual University Art Association Conference (UAAC), entitled “Parallel: A Roundtable on the History and Archiving of Artist Run Centres in Canada” which is taking place in Banff, October 19-21, 2023. Please see below for the Call For Papers. To submit a proposal, fill out the Call for Papers form and send it to devon.smither@uleth.ca or amber.berson@gmail.com by June 1st, 2023. Conference regulations and the full list of sessions can be found here.

 

Artist-run centres (ARCs) have undoubtedly helped to shape Canadian culture, yet their histories have been understudied in both art history and museum studies. This roundtable invites participants to dialogue about how we can better account for ARCs in Canadian art history and why–against a backdrop of increasing equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility throughout the art world–the history of ARCs is so pressing right now. If ARCs truly were, and continue to be, parallel institutions, how have they challenged hegemonic discourses of authority, artistic agency, equity, and accessibility and how do these challenges contribute to a richer understanding of cultural history in Canada? We invite participants to apply to this roundtable whose professional experience and/or research takes up these concerns at both a practical and theoretical level.

 

Keywords: artist-run-centre, Canadian art, art institutions, gallery, art history