CALL FOR PAPERS

“ART AND IDENTITY”

The Journal of Art History and Museum Studies, Issue No. 2

In these times where identity seems to be held under a microscope, dissected and codified, contested and deconstructed, the need for art to embrace and examine the vast all-encompassing definitions of the term “identity” has never been greater. Throughout time, identities have been consistently molded by artists’ hands, as much by their own as by the hands of others, and by the institutions that house their work. Works of art are often inseparable from their makers and can even be said to be physical versions of their — and our own — identities. Across history, people have shown that there is a seemingly urgent need to understand and construct our sense of selves, whether by spoken word, performance, ritual, or the manufacture of art. 

From group identity and ethnic identity to nationalistic identity and individual identity, defining ourselves and others can be as empowering as it is rife with complexity. Many artists and arts institutions traverse the intricacies of identity exploration explicitly, while others do so more subtly — but, the question remains: who has the agency and right to validate and ascribe identity to themselves or others?

In this call for papers, The Journal of Art History and Museum Studies (JAHMS) seeks essays related to the theme of “Art and Identity,” as examined widely across art historical periods, geographic regions, and types of media. The breadth of topics applicable to this theme is indefinite, as art and arts institutions have consistently created and perpetuated identities (for better or worse) since their inception. 

Suggested topics and approaches include but are not limited to: 

  • Processing identity — or the construct of identity — through art 

  • Questioning identity — or subverting identity — through art

  • The politics of identity in museums and other arts institutions 

  • Investigating the idea of hidden, suppressed, marginalized, or underrepresented identities in art and art world institutions

  • Shedding light on identities that have been left largely out of art historical narratives or institutions and questioning what is at stake in the erasure or underexposure of these identities 

  • Identity through the lens of individual experience/collective diaspora

  • Material culture or cultural history as an expression of identity through art

  • Discussing the dangers in and of exploring identity through art and art history

Submissions for the Summer/Fall 2022 issue of Journal of Art History and Museum Studies may be submitted online using the email address through Monday, October 24, 2022, at 11:59 pm EST. JAHMS welcomes papers written in (or translated into) English from any student in the United States or abroad who is or has been enrolled in an undergraduate institution of higher education in the preceding 18 months, including recent graduates. The Journal welcomes and celebrates diverse voices from across disciplines, perspectives, and lived experiences.

Please submit manuscripts to:

JAHMS Editorial Board

jahms.editors@gmail.com

Deadline for submissions is Monday, October 24th, 2022 at 11:59 pm EST

Submission Guidelines:

JAHMS publishes articles between 2,000-5,000 words in length, including notes. Submissions should be accompanied by a list of illustrations, a Microsoft Word file containing all illustrations, and a 250-word abstract.

All article submissions should include a cover page with applicant’s name, institutional affiliation, anticipated year of graduation or graduation date, degree being pursued or completed within 18 months of submission, and email address. All manuscripts should include a title and must be formatted in Microsoft Word, 12-point Times New Roman font, double spaced, and with numbered pages. Spelling should be in American English, and submissions must abide by The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017). 

If the manuscript is accepted, and the author wishes to include images in the final publication, it is their responsibility to obtain permission for third-party works or to determine whether works are in the public domain.

About JAHMS:

The Journal for Art History and Museum Studies is a student-edited, peer-reviewed undergraduate journal housed at Florida Southern College. JAHMS is dedicated to promoting and fostering outstanding undergraduate scholarship within the artistic and academic communities in the United States and abroad; to publishing the most comprehensive and scholarly work in the fields; to allow student artists, historians, and writers to voice their perspectives on artistic styles and movements ranging from prehistoric art to art of the present moment across all geographic boundaries and media; and to promote academic dialogue and debate. The Journal is committed to providing a platform for a multiplicity of voices representing a diverse coalition of undergraduate students studying and working in the arts disciplines.

For more information, please visit:

https://polkmuseumofart.org/jahms-about