CASE Conference 2008 - Art and War: Reading, Representing and Resisting Conflict

Leon Golub. Combat, 1964. Courtesy of the Art Institute.

Save the date!

The Council for American Studies Education (CASE) Conference -- "Art and War: Reading, Representing and Resisting Conflict" -- is coming soon: Friday, February 29, 2008 (yep, leap year), at the Art Institute of Chicago at 111 S. Michigan Avenue.

For more information on this year's theme, see below.  We are presently accepting proposals for break-out sessions related to the theme or to American Studies in general.  Submit your own proposal.

We are presently accepting registration online (pay by credit card or check).  The conference fee is $75.

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We live in a time of war, no matter how distant Afghanistan and Iraq might feel to many of us. As students of American culture, moreover, we realize that the costs and the casualties of war always extend well beyond the battlefield. From the abridgment of fundamental freedoms to a sharp, divisive partisanship that deadens political possibilities, war changes us both personally and communally – and usually not for the better.

The question becomes, then, how do we respond to that change. While critics and champions of war always are ready with plenty of policy suggestions, we must look to the artists – painters, writers, filmmakers, cartoonists, musicians, etc – to see a more radical intervention into the social and political discourse of conflict. As much as war seems to be an all-too-common nationalistic response to any threat, real or imagined, the creative response to it is just as consistent and just as fervent.

While nationalistic forces frequently co-opt art for propaganda purposes, other art has always been an important source of rebellion and resistance. While these critical responses often force us to face the deathly realities of war, as courageous and ultimately humane acts, they become, paradoxically, life-affirming.

As teachers of American Literature, American History and American Studies, tapping into the constructive creative energy of this radical art – whether as observers or participants – allows our students to see the importance of their voice in the contemporary world. And it also enables them to recognize the importance other, often marginalized and dissenting, voices throughout American history. And on a purely logistical level, the variety of artistic responses to war gives us a dynamic way to connect disparate eras and movements by comparing their perspectives on a common theme.

The 2008 CASE Conference will take place at the Art Institute of Chicago. We can’t imagine a more appropriate site from which to explore this theme – and for a broader celebration of the power of American art. Besides hearing a dynamic keynote speaker and a variety of panels and presentations, conference participants will be able to explore the new American wing, which will be featuring exhibits on Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper, as well as interact with the coordinators of teacher programs.

Comments

[Jason Yu]

I don't like to link art with war, just as I don't like to link beauty with evil.