5th Annual  International Undergraduate Student Symposium
Call for Papers: The Destruction of Art (Past and Present)
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth – Art History Department

Please send a 200-word abstract (along with essay title and a short resume) to the president, Rea Bethel, The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (rbethel@umassd.edu and arthistoryclubcvpa@gmail.com) by March 15, 2016. Those whose proposals are accepted will be contacted soon thereafter and requested to submit full papers and PowerPoint presentations by April 1, 2016.

Subject Fields: Architectural History, Cultural Studies, Heritage and Museum studies, Art History, Media & Visual Culture Studies, Censorship Studies, and studio art practices with focus on issues of destruction and eradication of material culture

Works of art can be damaged or destroyed via natural processes, accidents, or intentional human action. The deliberate destruction of art and architecture and cultural heritage is an old practice, going as far back as the time of the Byzantine Empire when iconoclastic practices took place. In addition to religious drives, ideological persuasions have led to the destruction or obliteration of art. For example, the destruction and censorship of avant-garde art by the Nazis was a political response to progressive thinking. Paintings by Gustave Courbet and Gustav Klimt were inadvertently destroyed during WWII aerial bombings. In addition to state-sponsored defacing of art, in recent years works by Leonardo, Mark Rothko and others have been stabbed, shot, tagged and otherwise vandalized by everyday museum goers.

Recently, we have also seen many precious historic sites obliterated by radical groups. The destruction of cultural heritage of the Middle East by ISIS has become a pressing issue amongst scholars worldwide. More than ever before scholars have begun to consider ways to prevent art and artifacts from being destroyed.

It is in light of such developments that this year’s Art History undergraduate symposium at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is focused on the theme of the destruction of art. We invite undergraduate students from across various disciplines to share their thoughts about the destruction of art. Papers may draw on specific historical or contemporary examples, but may also take on bigger questions such as

1. How have works of art been concealed or hidden from view throughout history?
2. Iconoclasm is a controversial subject and spans across many cultures and time periods. What can we learn from historic examples of iconoclastic practices?
3. What role does documenting the destruction of art play in contemporary art practices and/or the way we write (art) history?
4. How has the destruction of art by ISIS or the events of 9/11 affected contemporary art practices and/or theories of art and material culture.

Dr. Holloway served on the panel Gender in the Golden ’80s II: Masculinity in the 1980s. She presented a paper entitled, Nice Guys: Masculinity in Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct.

Film & History Conference –  Golden Ages, Styles & Personalities, Genres & Histories, 2014 Sponsored by Film and History: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI