CFS | ASSOCIATION FOR ART HISTORY 2025 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Call for Sessions

Call for Sessions | Association for Art History 2025 Annual Conference
9-11 April, 2025
University of York
Session proposal deadline: Friday 5 July 2024

We are delighted to announce that next year’s conference will be held in collaboration with the History of Art department at the University of York, who will be celebrating their jubilee year.

The Association for Art History’s Annual Conference brings together international research and critical debate about art history and visual culture. A key annual event, the conference is an opportunity to keep up to date with new research, hear leading keynotes, broaden networks and exchange ideas.

The Annual Conference attracts around 400 attendees each year and is popular with academics, curators, practitioners, PhD students, early career researchers and anyone engaged with art history research. Members of the Association get reduced conference rates, but non-members are welcome to attend and propose sessions and papers. Convenors are limited to convening one session.

We actively encourage applications from candidates who are Black, Asian, minority ethnic or from other groups traditionally underrepresented within art historical roles in the UK, as well as new partnerships from those representing these groups.

Scope/Provocation

The Annual Conference reflects the Association for Art History’s commitment to a broad and inclusive art history. We therefore strive for sessions, across all areas of research and practice, from the ancient to the contemporary and on all forms of artistic media and including those which focus on practice outside of Europe and North America. In a 21^st century facing multiple global challenges, the recognition and support of inter-sectional arts histories are of critical importance, and we welcome submissions that engage with race and gender, the environment, AI, and social activism.

A word from our hosts

History of Art has been taught at the University of York since it was founded in 1963. It was initially available as part of a joint degree with either English or History before those departments together launched a single subject degree in the early 1990s, the rapid success of which led to the formal constitution of the History of Art Department in the year 2000. Since then, History of Art at York has continued to grow and to transform, while sustaining many of its original commitments to the study of a highly diverse range of artistic media, across broad chronologies, from multiple disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives, often involving external partners. As we look to extend the forms of material culture we study and the range of people and organisations with whom we work, it is a great privilege to host the AAH conference in our jubilee year, where collectively we can assess opportunities for art history in current and emerging forms of collaboration, interdisciplinarity and co-production.

Session Proposals

The 2024 Annual Conference is open to all, members and non-members of the Association for Art History. Anyone can submit a session proposal. Please include in your session proposal:

Title of your session proposals
Brief abstract (max 250 words)
Description of proposed format (session structure) – see session proposal form for more information
Name of session convenor(s)
Affiliations (or if independent/freelance)
Email of session convenors
Social media accounts

Please use the 2025 Session Proposal Form and email it to: conference2025@forarthistory.org.uk

Key Dates

Date	Activity
5 July 2024	Sessions proposal deadline
19 July	Sessions confirmed and convenors notified
September	Sessions announced on AAH website and social media. Call for Papers
1 November	Call for papers deadline
1 November – 6 December	Session convenors select papers and contact speakers
6 December	Session and paper abstracts sent to AAH
December	Tickets/registration opens
9-11 April 2025	AAH Conference

Image: University of York; Campus West photo by Mark Woodward.