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Today, scholars working in even the most rural, seemingly isolated, communities recognize that they must take into account global flows of exchange—both into and out of the local sphere—within their analyses of a particular community’s art, culture and social life. Operating on economic, aesthetic, and social levels these flows are part of artists’ lives, whether they reside in urban, peri-urban, suburban or rural environments. This panel seeks to foreground the ways that artists incorporate and modify localized aesthetics within this “global” reality to give their creations specific relevance and meaning, both at home and in international art contexts. Members of this panel will be asked to address and discuss the ways in which “local” aesthetics, knowledge systems, and philosophies are valued, conceptualized and represented in artworks. A particular emphasis will be placed on examining individual artists’ methods of managing and maintaining their “voice” in local and global spheres.
Thus, papers that emphasize debates surrounding issues of authorship, responsibility, creativity and the contribution of individuals and communities to artistic practice will be given top priority. All participants will be asked to address how scholarship should/could include the “voice of the artist;” artists’ social, artistic, or professional roles; and/or the impact of these individuals on their communities, both local and global.
Within the scope of the major theme of local aesthetics, knowledge systems, and philosophies outlined above, authors are invited to critique and evaluate their research experiences with any of the following sub-topics:
• Address how artists communicate—to reinforce or challenge—social values and ideals, notions of identity and other aspects of “cultural logic” in their productions.
• Speak to the ways in which art historians and artists utilize or critique the concept of “Indigenous Knowledge Systems” and related ideas: “cultural logic” and “local knowledge.”
• Unpack the impact(both unintentional and intentional) that collectors, dealers, researchers and institutions have: locally--(how they affect the lives and work of individual artists as well as the artistic, social and political dynamics of their communities and/or nation) and globally--(how as mediators they frame, decontextualize, recontextualize and influence the interpretation and understanding of African arts and artists by "western" or "global" audiences).
• Explore the ways artists internalize and transform global issues and imagery locally.
• Any other foci relevant to the overarching theme.
Please contact kitjohns@indiana.edu, or pardavis@indiana.edu by June 5 if you are interested in contributing to the panel.
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