CALL FOR PAPERS

NO LONGER ACCEPTING PAPERS

NO LONGER ACCEPTING PAPERS
We invite submissions for the 2026 Graduate Art History Conference, hosted by Rice University’s Department of Art History. Centered on the theme Materiality and the Making of Art, the conference foregrounds processes of artistic creation and the role of materials in shaping visual culture. Inspired by Prof. Pamela H. Smith’s call for renewed attention to materials and techniques in The Body of the Artisan (2004), it aims to foster an interdisciplinary forum that brings art history into dialogue with allied fields such as archaeology, anthropology, history of science, chemistry, conservation, and studio practice, bridging the humanities and STEM disciplines.

We welcome submissions from MA and PhD students as well as early-career researchers across disciplines whose research engages with art and materiality from any geographic area or time period. ​Papers should be no longer than 20 minutes, and might address, but are not limited to, the following themes:
  • Scarcity and Substitution
    How do artists respond to limited access to materials?
  • Knowledge Transmission
    How are techniques taught, preserved, or lost across time and place?
  • Experiment and Innovation
    When do trial, error, or accident lead to new artistic practices?
  • Sensory Engagement
    How do materials affect the ways artworks are seen, touched, heard, or even smelled?
  • Symbolism and Value
    What cultural meanings are attached to specific material substances or making processes?
  • Labor and Craftsmanship
    Whose hands and skills shape the making of objects, and how is that labor valued?
  • Trade and Circulation
    How do global networks of exchange shape access to pigments, stones, or technologies?
  • Ephemerality and Conservation
    How do fragile or time-sensitive materials challenge our ability to preserve and study art?
  • Environment and Ecology
    How do ecological constraints or climate shape what can be made and how?
  • Margins and Minor Media
    What can we learn by focusing on overlooked or “low” materials like clay, paper, or synthetic plastics?
  • Methods of Inquiry
    How do different disciplines, archaeology, chemistry, conservation, digital humanities, open new ways of studying materials?
 Submission Guidelines
Please submit an abstract of no more than 300 words and a brief bio to 
[email protected] by October 31, 2025. Your abstract should indicate clearly which field(s) your paper engages with, outline your main argument or method of inquiry, and explain what other scholars or practitioners can learn from your work to foster interdisciplinary conversation. This information will help the organizers create well-balanced panels across disciplines. Up to two images can be included in the abstract file. Ensure that the file can be sent as a regular attachment. Notifications of acceptance will be sent by November 15, 2025.
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For questions or additional information, please contact the organizers at [email protected].

We look forward to your proposals and to building an exciting interdisciplinary conversation about Materiality and the Making of Art.