Wednesday 2 April 2008, 17.00–19.00
Thursday 3 April 2008, 09.00–22.00
Friday 4 April 2008, 09.00–22.00

Tate Britain & Tate Modern, London

The annual AAH conference will take place at Tate Britain and Tate Modern this year bringing together over 200 international and national academics, critics, curators and other arts professionals to address the conference theme in relation to art from the Renaissance to the present day. Conference delegates will also have the unique opportunity to attend both a Private View and Reception at Tate Britain on 2 April and again at Tate Modern on 3 April.

This year the theme of the conference is Location: the museum, the academy and the studio and will focus on the shifts - historical, modern and contemporary - in the location of the museum, the artist’s studio and the academy in relation to the concepts, values and practices of art history. Location is understood to embrace physical, geographical and virtual sites, social and political ideologies; values and aesthetics, academic and practice-led relationships.

With the ever-increasing changes that post-disciplinary practice and studies, digital culture and globalisation are bringing to bear on the roles and practices of the museum, the artist and the academy, what are the issues and implications involved in the locating of value and meaning, ownership and identity, concept and experience for each? Historically, the academy has been set in opposition to the museum, but what is the nature of this relationship today, in light of the expanded ambitions of major museums and the rise of curatorial and museum studies?

What has been and should be the relationship between curator, artist and academic? How does art history engage with the museum and the artist and vice versa, within the UK and abroad? The professionalisation of the artist and the new research status awarded to both art and curatorial practice moves the art college and museum nearer to the academy – but what consequences does this have for the discourses of history and practice? What will be the impact of globalisation on all these spheres? Will art history be invigorated by this closer relationship or diminished in status?

Conference Sessions:

All sessions will take place at Tate Britain. For the full conference programme please see the AAH website

Conference Convener	Victoria Walsh
Conveners	Session
Colin Trodd Alison Smith	Victorian Art Since 1901
Mark Broughton Katarina Loukopoulou	The Museum Unbound: Works of Art and Film
Samuel Bibby Noélle Streeton	Locating the Renaissance: the Position and Meaning of Renaissance Studies within Art-Historical Scholarship
Michael Belshaw Andrew Warstat	The Teaching Studio
Gavin Parkinson	On Art History and Bullshit
Hannah Williams Mary Roberts	Self-Portraiture and Inscriptions of the Artist
Christiana Payne Catherine Whistler	Displaced Objects: Perspectives from the Museum and the Academy
Antigoni Memou Alexandra Moschovi	Relocations: Photography Within, Across, and Outside the Museum since the 1970s
Elsa Chen Royce Smith	Multiculturalism, Migration and the Mega-Exhibition: Considering the Impacts of Contemporary Festivals, Bienniales, and Documentas
Anne Helmreich	Circuits of Exchange and Valuation: the London art market in an International Network 1850-1950
Margaret Iversen Darmuid Costello	Photography after Conceptual Art
Dan Smith	Archival Impulse: Location and No-Place
Jo Applin Richard Taws	The Politics of the Provisional
Louise M Bourdua Tom Nichols	Family values Locating Relatives in the Italian Workshop
Claire Walsh Matt Lodder	Art, Museums and the changing location of visual culture
Rosemary Betterton Dorothy Rowe	Dis-Locations: movements and Migrations
Griselda Pollock Alison Rowley	The Year was 2007: Historical Understanding, Difference and the Contemporary Exhibition Effect
Matthew Poole Michaela Giebelhausen	Pluralisms and The Museum Effect
Wouter Davidts Hans de Wolf	Incredible Inventions On discoveries in Art and Science
Martin Myrone	Museums, the Academy and The Studio
Deborah Cherry Sutapa Biswas	Monuments and Memorials
Veronika Sekules Felicity Allen	Situating Gallery Education
Laura Jacobus	Art, Performance and Place, c.1200-1500

Receptions:

Tate Britain
Wednesday 2 April 2008
19.00 – 21.00

Delegates are invited to a reception and private view of Tate Britain’s exhibitions.

Tate Modern
Thursday 3 April 2008
19.00 - 21.30

Delegates will have a choice of attending either the conference Lecture, the conference panel discussion on the exhibition 'Duchamp, Man Ray, Picabia', a unique tour of Tate Modern's hidden oil tanks or a curatorial tour of the displays.

In addition to the events programme delegates will also have the exclusive opportunity of visiting the current exhibitions for the duration of the evening, between 19.00 and 21.30.

Access to the plenary and events are only available to delegates who have already booked for the conference and are allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please ring 020 7887 8888 to book for one of the events.

Events
19.00 - 20.00

Lecture
Turner Prize winner in 2004 Jeremy Deller studied at the Courtauld Institute of Art before becoming an artist and now acts as a curator, producer or director of a broad range of projects, including orchestrated events, films and publications. Much of his work involves collaboration with individuals and groups, often taking folk culture as its raw material, with the aim of drawing attention to activity taking place outside what is conventionally thought of as the contemporary art world. As a student of art history, a practising artist working both within and outside of the confines of the museum, and an exhibition curator, Deller will present his personal reflections on the different experiences he has encountered in his negotiation of the museum, the academy and the studio.

Tate Modern Phase 2, Architectural Tour and Oil Tank Visit
Delegates will have the unique opportunity to visit the concealed Tate Modern Oil Tanks which will become a key part of the next major development of Tate Modern which will open in 2012. The visit will also combine a talk on Tate Modern Phase 2 and a look behind the scenes of the Tate Modern building.
NB. Hard hats will be provided, but for safety reasons please wear sensible footwear.

Duchamp, Man Ray and Picabia
George Baker, Professor of Art History at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of The Artwork Caught by The Tail: Francis Picabia and Dada in Paris will join Professor Dawn Ades, author of Marcel Duchamp (1999) and Dada and Surrealism Reviewed(1978) to discuss the 'Duchamp, Man Ray, Picabia' exhibition.

Tour of Tate Modern Displays
Matthew Gale, Head of Displays, Curator at Tate Modern, will take delegates on a tour of the displays, discussing how they are hung and what curatorial decisions and approaches are taken into consideration in the process.

Access to Tate Exhibitions
All conference delegates will have free access to all exhibitions at Tate Britain and Tate Modern for the duration of the conference on presentation of their conference pass.

Exhibitions at Tate Britain:

Modern Painters: The Camden Town Group
13 February – 5 May 2008

Return of the Gods: Neoclassical Sculpture on Britain
28 January – 8 June 2008

Peter Doig
5 February – 27 April 2008

Exhibitions at Tate Modern:

Juan Muñoz A Retrospective
24 January – 27 April 2008

Duchamp, Man Ray, Picabia
21 February – 26 May 2008

The Unilever Series: Doris Salcedo: Shibboleth
9 October 2007 – 6 April 2008

Bookfair
Take time to see what some of the leading academic and arts publishers have recently brought out and talk at first hand to publishers about book proposals and future programmes. The Bookfair will take place on the Clore Lawn at Tate Britain, overlooking the River Thames. Bookfair will run concurrently to the conference and will be open 14.00-19.00 on Wednesday 2 April and 9.00-18.00 on Thursday 3 and Friday 4 April.

Booking:

To book to attend the AAH conference 2008 please visit the AAH website.

Ticket price includes access to all sessions, an invitation to both Tate Britain and Tate Modern receptions. Delegates will be provided with a packed lunch and refreshments on Thursday 3 April and Friday 4 April.

Dinner at Tate Modern's Restaurant with panoramic view across St Pauls and the City

Delegates can book for a three-course dinner on Thursday 3 April at the Tate Modern Restaurant which is located at the top of the gallery with spectacular panoramic views across London including St Paul's and the City. For a special price of £26.50 per head (excluding drinks), tables can be booked for 20.15, 20.45 or 21.15.

Delegates must arrange and book for dinner themselves by telephoning + 44 (0)20 7887 8888 and quoting reference: 'AAH Conference'. Dinner cannot be booked via the AAH. A 50% deposit (£13.25 per head) via credit card will be required when booking for this dinner to ensure your reservation. This offer is for conference delegates only (proof will be required).

Members Room

The Tate Modern members room will offer a full bar service, as well as a selection of cold tapas between 20.00 and 22.00.

Tate Britain and Tate Modern