College Art Association
Encyclopedia
The College Art Association of America (usually referred to as simply CAA) is the principal professional association in the United States
for practitioners and scholars of art
, art history
, and art criticism
. Founded in 1911, it aims to "cultivate the ongoing understanding of art as a fundamental form of human expression." CAA currently has 13,000 members, primarily academics, professors, and graduate students who study and/or teach art practice, history, or theory, including visual arts
, visual culture
, and aesthetics
. Although the organization was founded in the United States and its offices are located in New York City, its membership, concerns, reputation, and influence are international in scope. The five-year strategic plan for 2010-15 includes a focus on artists and designers, developing student and emerging scholars, affiliated societies, and international memberships while continuing to serve members involved in related and interdisciplinary fields in the visual arts, including curatorial practice, scholarship, and education.
s, including The Art Bulletin, one of the foremost journals for art historians in English, and Art Journal
, a quarterly devoted to twentieth- and twenty-first-century art and visual culture. The association also publishes caa.reviews, an online publication devoted to the peer review of new books and exhibitions relevant to the fields of art, art history, and architecture.
and many smaller college
art and art-history departments interview candidates for teaching positions at the convention, although hiring occurs all year long. In addition to such job-placement activities, several hundred programs including presentations of papers and panel discussions on diverse topics (special sessions, forums, exhibitions, media presentations, governance meetings) and social events such as receptions and dinners hosted by academic art and art history departments and allied or affiliated organizations, as well as massive book exhibits located in one of the main hotel or convention center exhibition areas, fill the convention's four days from early morning through late evening. The name CAA is often used colloquially among academics to refer to this convention (as in "Are you planning to attend CAA this year?"). Previous presenters to the conference include George Anastasios Magalios
, Barry Schwabsky, and Elaine King.
The College Art Association recognizes nearly seventy Affiliated Societies. Some of these originated and largely operate outside the arena of CAA and its annual conference, like the International Association of Art Critics
and the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts
. Others originated within CAA and generally operate at or in parallel to the annual conference, chief examples being the Visual Culture Caucus
and the New Media Caucus
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for practitioners and scholars of art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
, and art criticism
Art criticism
Art criticism is the discussion or evaluation of visual art.Art critics usually criticize art in the context of aesthetics or the theory of beauty...
. Founded in 1911, it aims to "cultivate the ongoing understanding of art as a fundamental form of human expression." CAA currently has 13,000 members, primarily academics, professors, and graduate students who study and/or teach art practice, history, or theory, including visual arts
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
, visual culture
Visual culture
Visual Culture as an academic subject is a field of study that generally includes some combination of cultural studies, art history, critical theory, philosophy, and anthropology, by focusing on aspects of culture that rely on visual images.- Overview :...
, and aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
. Although the organization was founded in the United States and its offices are located in New York City, its membership, concerns, reputation, and influence are international in scope. The five-year strategic plan for 2010-15 includes a focus on artists and designers, developing student and emerging scholars, affiliated societies, and international memberships while continuing to serve members involved in related and interdisciplinary fields in the visual arts, including curatorial practice, scholarship, and education.
Activities of CAA
CAA publishes several academic journalAcademic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
s, including The Art Bulletin, one of the foremost journals for art historians in English, and Art Journal
Art Journal (CAA)
Art Journal, established in New York in 1941, is a publication of the College Art Association of America . As a peer-reviewed, professionally moderated scholarly journal, its concentrations include:...
, a quarterly devoted to twentieth- and twenty-first-century art and visual culture. The association also publishes caa.reviews, an online publication devoted to the peer review of new books and exhibitions relevant to the fields of art, art history, and architecture.
The CAA Annual Conference
The College Art Association holds an international conference in February every year. Special events and speakers are planned for the two conferences spanning CAA's centennial year in New York in 2011 and in Los Angeles in 2012. Approximately four to six thousand members attend, depending on the location, which alternates among major cities in various regions of the United States. The convention is the largest and most important of the year for makers and interpreters of visual art and visual culture; major universityUniversity
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
and many smaller college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
art and art-history departments interview candidates for teaching positions at the convention, although hiring occurs all year long. In addition to such job-placement activities, several hundred programs including presentations of papers and panel discussions on diverse topics (special sessions, forums, exhibitions, media presentations, governance meetings) and social events such as receptions and dinners hosted by academic art and art history departments and allied or affiliated organizations, as well as massive book exhibits located in one of the main hotel or convention center exhibition areas, fill the convention's four days from early morning through late evening. The name CAA is often used colloquially among academics to refer to this convention (as in "Are you planning to attend CAA this year?"). Previous presenters to the conference include George Anastasios Magalios
George Anastasios Magalios
George Anastasios Magalios is a contemporary artist, philosopher, and founder of George Magalios Studios who was born in 1967 in Montreal, Canada. George Anastasios Magalios is a multi-disciplinary visual artist who makes work in fields such as painting, photography, sculpture, and performance art...
, Barry Schwabsky, and Elaine King.
The College Art Association recognizes nearly seventy Affiliated Societies. Some of these originated and largely operate outside the arena of CAA and its annual conference, like the International Association of Art Critics
International Association of Art Critics
The International Association of Art Critics was founded in 1950 to revitalize critical discourse, which suffered under Fascism during World War II. AICA was initially affiliated with UNESCO as a non-governmental organization...
and the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts
National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts
Founded in 1966, the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts is an organization in the United States promoting ceramics as an art form for several decades...
. Others originated within CAA and generally operate at or in parallel to the annual conference, chief examples being the Visual Culture Caucus
Visual Culture Caucus
The Visual Culture Caucus is a membership organization formed to promote and advance the discussion of visual culture in both critical and artistic practice and interdisciplinary contact with those working to similar ends in other visual media. The caucus represents academics and artists in the...
and the New Media Caucus
New Media Caucus
The New Media Caucus is a non-profit, international membership organization formed to advance the conceptual and artistic use of digital media, and it is an affiliated society of the College Art Association...
.