• 12 January 2017, 08:34

Theme:

"These Times to Us Are Worth Savin’: Documenting the Art of Social Transformation since 1960"

Translations: [Español] [Français] [Português] [Русский] [Japanese]

Over the last half century, artists worldwide have leveraged visual culture to effect social change.  Art’s ability to provoke discussion and transform cultural attitudes has been palpable. Historically important and of intense, interdisciplinary interest, this controversial area of art production presents difficulties for libraries. By its nature anti-establishment, activist art challenges social norms, aesthetic canons, and also traditional documentation practices. Social issues like race relations, fair labor, HIV/AIDS, and gender and sexuality arouse strong opinions and feelings. Intentionally provocative art that tackles these issues is certain to offend and can be difficult for institutions to prioritize. Non-traditional or fragile media used by activist artists, like graffiti, interventions, performance, and Web art, can be especially resistant to traditional collecting methods.

At the 2017 IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Wrocław, Poland, the IFLA Art Libraries and Social Science Libraries Sections are sponsoring a session that will give an international perspective on documenting modern and contemporary visual art that lies at the intersection of artistic practice and social activism. We are seeking speakers who will discuss important repositories of social activist art, innovative documentation methods, and related collecting concerns ranging from censorship and copyright to cross-border cultural patrimony. The term activist art is conceived of broadly and is meant to encompass art in any medium, traditional or non. Papers that speak to the topic from a non-European or North American viewpoint are especially encouraged.

Approximately twenty-five minutes will be allowed for a summary delivery of the paper at the conference; the full written paper is not to be read. The full text of the final paper should be no more than twenty pages, double-spaced. Final papers and presentations must be in one of the official IFLA languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Russian, or Spanish.

Important dates

1 March 2017	Proposals due
7 March 2017	Acceptance notices sent to authors
1 June 2017	Full text of papers due
19-24 August 2017	WLIC 2017 Wrocław

Submissions

Proposals must be submitted by email and must contain:

• Email subject line “IFLA Wrocław Paper Proposal”
• Title of the paper
• Author(s) of the paper
• Paper abstract (500 words maximum)
• Speaker’s name, professional affiliation, postal address, and email address
• Biographical note on the speaker (150 words maximum)
• Language of the paper
• Language of the presentation
• Papers must be original and not have been published or presented elsewhere

Please submit your proposal no later than 1 March 2017 to:

Sandra Ludig Brooke, Chair of the IFLA Art Libraries Section
Email: sbrooke@princeton.edu

Please note

At least one of the paper’s authors must be present to deliver a summary of the paper during the program in Wrocław, Poland. Abstracts should only be submitted with the understanding that the expenses of attending the conference will be the responsibility of the author(s)/presenter(s) of accepted papers.

All papers that are presented at the WLIC 2017 will be made available online via the IFLA Library under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Authors of accepted papers must complete the IFLA Authors’ Permission Form.

All expenses, including registration for the conference, travel, accommodation etc., are the responsibility of the authors/presenters. No financial support can be provided by IFLA, but a special invitation letter can be issued to authors.

Congress Participation Grants

List of opportunities for support is available on our Conference Participation Grants webpage.