Pleasing Truths: Framing Identity, A Symposium
Friday, November 3, 2023
1776 D Street NW, Washington, DC 20006
Submission Deadline: Friday, May 19, 2023
The DAR Museum in Washington, DC, invites proposals for our annual symposium on Friday, November 3, 2023. This year’s theme will explore the concept of identity and how it is conveyed as introduced in the DAR Museum’s exhibit, Pleasing Truths: Power and Portraits in the American Home. This exhibition takes a deeper dive into the context and symbolism of early portraits to better understand the transmission of ideas and their impact on people over time. Session proposals should focus on American identity and does not need to be tied to a specific historical timeframe. Proposals should incorporate an element of decorative arts or material history. This symposium is open to all mediums, including but not limited to: photography, painting, sculpture, and textiles.
Each session will be 45 minutes in length: 30-minute presentation with 15-minute Q&A.
Previous symposia have brought in speakers and attendees from across the country and included museum professionals, academic professors, graduate students, and independent researchers. We look forward to an equally diverse group of presenters for this symposium.
Topics of interest
- Decorative arts
- Indigenous Studies
- Gender Studies
- Art History
- Photography
- …and related topics
Guide for Submission
The deadline to submit proposals is Friday, May 19, 2023
To submit your proposal, fill out the online form here
The submission should include:
- Your name, phone, email, and mailing address
- Your title and organizational affiliation (if applicable)
- Title of session
- 300-500 word abstract that states the topic of the session, summarizes the content, and emphasizes the relevance to symposium attendees. Include the types of sources used in your research.
- Indicate any speaker fees or travel accommodations you are requesting (if any)
Proposals will be juried and accepted based on their relevance to the symposium theme, usefulness to the attendees, and strength of the written abstract. The museum aims to welcome a diverse group of speakers with a variety of experiences and areas of expertise.
We look forward to seeing you on November 3!
Any questions please email [email protected]
