Happy Break! Some News and Updates from AHTR
With the last gasps of the Fall semester, we all may be feeling a bit overwhelmed with year-end obligations. Rather than our usual post, we thought it would be a good moment to take a breath and tell you about some of the exciting things on the horizon for AHTR in the Spring. We begin by thanking all of you for following us on social media and contributing to a productive crowd-sourced dialogue. It is daily that we add people to the private Facebook group and note new followers of the public site. Both pages have seen lively exchanges on pedagogy and other issues, and allowed us to interact with colleagues at Appreciating Art Appreciation, Material Collective, and Art History That. Together, we are creating a great collective of shared resources and support within academia and museum education communities.
Seeking feedback
As AHTR continues to grow, we want to learn more about how resources on the website are being used and adapted by different members of the teaching community. We would appreciate your time in participating in this very brief survey!
Coming in 2016
At AHTR, we would not be what we are without the contribution of scholars who populate the site’s growing resources. The popularity and success of the AHTR Weekly has given rise to the Art History Pedagogy and Practice initiative, which is moving forward in anticipation of the first issue’s publication in Fall 2016. (Be on the lookout for a CFP and guidelines for submission in the Spring!) Likewise, we have almost completed the lesson plans for the chronological art history survey–the last few will be uploaded during semester break. We are also pleased to have so many great thematic lessons. In the next few months, we will be adding new lectures that provide ways to expand traditional lecture content by incorporating poster art, magazine and book illustration, modernist and postmodern graphic design, countercultural and subcultural graphics, and comics. Plans are also underway to greatly expand AHTR’s resources on writing about art. AHTR’s newest Contributing Editor, Naraelle Hohensee, will launch this initiative with a series of posts from a diverse range of authors, including some from Centers for Teaching and Learning and University Writing Centers.
Getting involved
[The next big thing will be a lot of small things, Thomas Lommée (2015). Lommée’s piece was part of an initiative held at the University of Ghent in solidarity with the Climate Summit in Paris, December 21015. The climate trail included 14 works, called points. Lommée’s work was Point 7 at the Universiteitsforum (student building) St. Pietersnieuwstraat 33]
If you are interested in contributing thematic lessons or posts on pedagogical topics for the AHTR Weekly, please contact us via Facebook message or email at teachingarthistorysurvey@
AHTR at CAA
Although on-line communities are awesome, it’s always nice to talk face to face! If you’re planning to attend CAA in Washington, D.C. this February, be sure to look for details about the informational meet-ups AHTR will be hosting at the conference. These will be opportunities to talk with AHTR team and other community members, learn more about current and upcoming projects, and offer feedback on the site. AHTR will also participate in two CAA sessions. On Thursday 4 February (2:30pm), AHTR Advisory Board member Renee McGarry will speak on “Crowdsourcing the Art History Survey: How Communities and Conversations Might Help Shape the Global Survey 3.0,” in the session Re-Examining the Art History Survey: What do we Retain; What do we Transform? chaired by Anne R. Norcross and Suzanne M. Eberle, both of Kendall College of Art and Design, and on Saturday 6 February (9:30am), AHTR Contributing Editors, Parme Giuntini and Virginia B. Spivey will present “Closing the Loop with ArtHistoryTeachingResources.
We look forward to more great collaborations in 2016!