ANN: Report from the 112th College Art Association on TIAMSA’s representation at the annual conference (Thursday, February 15, 2024)

The College Art Association Annual Conference is a major opportunity for TIAMSA to connect with its US members but also with the larger museum and academic communities.  As an affiliates society of CAA, TIAMSA has a dedicated session every year and a business meeting, which has become a way for TIAMSA to showcase the work of emerging scholars, recent PhD or graduate students.

This year was a first for TIAMSA, as we collaborated with the Society for the History of Collecting to host a joint session chaired by TIAMSA Board Member, Natasha Degen and Blair Brooks on the intersection between Art Market Studies and the History of Collecting. I encourage all of you to read the comprehensive report written by the co-chair of the S.H.C., Dr. Elizabeth Pergam. 

I found the session to be a great success, with stimulating and well-informed papers, moving forward to have agreed to continue collaborating and for our respective New York chapter, to organize event together. So, keep your eyes open for future announcements.

This year TIAMSA had selected the proposal of Dr. Joshua Jenkins, which asked the presenters to consider how artists interact with the market. Joshua selected two very different papers, which covered a wide chronological range but connected extremely well because both addressed the issue of artistic fame and taste.  Anna Myer presented on “Before you buy, be sure to understand : Robert Smirke and A Scene from Samuel Foote’s Play ‘Taste,”and Anne Gerleib on “At the Table with Ultra-Contemporary Artists: Contemporary Strategies,” Both presentations were followed by an engaging conversation with the audience.

It is time now to think about CAA 2025, we hope you will consider submitting a proposal for next year’s dedicated TIAMSA session. We encourage any theme related to the art market that address broad methodological issues and cross-cultural topics. Please email (by April 13th) your 250 words abstract along with a CV to veroniqueburke79@gmail.com