Bard Graduate Center, the Center for Craft, and the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) are pleased to announce the symposium “Shared Ground: Cross-Disciplinary Approaches to Craft Studies.”
Craft studies is at a critical moment as more disciplines turn their research towards craft and more scholars expand the geographic and temporal boundaries of the field. The 2018 symposium will explore cross-disciplinary approaches to craft studies, with an eye towards intersecting and divergent theories, methodologies, and approaches in this emerging area of study.
The Symposium is being organized by Elissa Auther, Windgate Research and Collections Curator at Bard Graduate Center, the Center for Craft, and the Museum of Arts and Design; Catherine Whalen, Associate Professor, Bard Graduate Center; and Marilyn Zapf, Assistant Director and Curator, the Center for Craft.
“As more scholars begin to study craft, it is important to take stock of why craft matters and what it can reveal about our cultural histories,” said the Organizing Committee. “This symposium provides the opportunity for academics interested in craft to talk across disciplines.”
The symposium will feature a Thursday evening keynote discussion at the Museum of Arts and Design led by the renowned decorative arts historian Edward S. Cooke Jr., Yale University, with leading scholars from the fields of anthropology, science and technology studies, and design studies, among others.
Panels on Friday at Bard Graduate Center will feature a broad array of subjects, ranging from the economic, social, and cultural status of urban craftsmen in early modern northern Europe to the histories of Black Indian tribes and African American masquing clubs in New Orleans to the frameworks of authenticity marshaled by Costa Rican artisans in newly formed craft communities. Friday’s proceedings will be live streamed. Details will be posted on www.cccdnow.org/sharedground leading up to the event.
Saturday activities at the Museum of Arts and Design will address cross-disciplinary craft education and curatorial practices, including a working session on implementing new models for intersectional teaching as well as curator-led exhibition tours at the Museum. A full schedule of the symposium proceedings can be found at www.cccdnow.org/sharedground.
In 2014 Bard Graduate Center, the Center for Craft, and the Museum of Arts and Design partnered to create the first dedicated position for craft research and scholarship in the United States. The position of the Windgate Research and Collections Curator is the culmination of this partnership, linking America’s flagship museum devoted to the skilled maker, the leading graduate program for the study of the history of design and material culture, and the foremost national granting organization devoted to advancing the study of craft history, theory, and practice in the United States.
Drawing on the successful foundation laid by the Windgate Research and Collections Curator and the shared goal to develop scholarship in the fields of decorative arts, design history, material culture, and craft studies, Bard Graduate Center, the Center for Craft, and the Museum of Arts and Design are partnering on the interdisciplinary symposium, ‘Shared Ground: Cross-Disciplinary Approaches to Craft Studies.’
“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Bard Graduate Center and the Museum of Arts and Design to further the study of craft by focusing attention on its relevance in other fields,” said Center for Craft Executive Director, Stephanie Moore.
Tickets will be released on June 20, 2018 at 12 p.m. EST. $45 tickets will be available to attend the Thursday night keynote and reception. $75 tickets will be available to attend the full three-day event. Limited seating is available and tickets are expected to sell out. To purchase tickets please visit: https://sharedground.eventbrite.com.