Certified Authentic? Counterfeits, Copies, &
Constructions of Culture
April 25, 2008

Copying, whether as imitation or forgery, tribute or revival, is central to the production, consumption, and reception of decorative arts and design. From the banal to the illicit, the act of copying both defines and complicates our understanding of the real or the original. For its Seventh Annual Graduate Student Symposium, the Bard Graduate Center invites proposals for papers discussing notions of authenticity as they play into cultural perceptions of copies, past and present. Papers may address topics such as authorship, heritage, connoisseurship, appropriation, ethics, and legality.

Methods and Disciplines We welcome submissions from a variety of disciplines, and encourage scholarship that challenges traditional boundaries and methods. Fields may include, but are not limited to: Anthropology, Archaeology, Architectural History, Art History, Design History, Garden History, History of Science, Literature Studies, Material Culture Studies, Museum Studies, Sociology, and Urban Planning.

Deadlines Applications are due by Tuesday, January 22, 2008. Please send a curriculum vitae and a 300-word abstract describing your proposal for a 20-minute presentation to channon@certifiedauthentic.info. Participants will be notified by Monday, February 11, 2008. For more information, visit www.certifiedauthentic.info.

The Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture 38 West 86th Street, New York, N.Y. 10024