CAA 2021

By Aly Meloche and Francesca Albrezzi

February 10th marks the beginning of a CAA annual meeting that promises to be unlike any other. Normally, many of us look forward to the annual meeting as an opportunity to catch up with colleagues from around the world and hear new ideas for research and teaching. It’s strange to think that just last year many of us were gathered doing just that. It’s even more strange to think that CAA 2020 was the last time many of us went anywhere. However, much like FATE, SECAC, NAEA, etc, the programming professionals at CAA have attempted to recreate much of what we know and love about the annual conference using a virtual format. 

CAA’s website boasts virtual options for many of the in-person things that we loved. The general format for typical sessions allows viewers to watch pre-recorded sessions and then attend short, live, virtual discussions with chairs, panelists and speakers. For most of these sessions it is likely advisable that viewers watch the pre-recorded sessions before the live discussions take place. We are in awe of the many presenters who were able to create content for this conference in addition to the myriad of other stressors and responsibilities falling on the plate of art and design faculty and professionals. 

There will still be keynote speakers, gallery tours, exhibitors, and even book sales, which are linked in the 2021 meeting app. There are also many free and open sessions that may be of particular interest. We want to take this opportunity to bring your attention to a list of pedagogy-related sessions published courtesy of the CAA’s education committee’s session website below. 

Of particular note is this year’s Education Committee’s session, “Assess the Unexpected: Remote Assessment During Crisis,” co-chaired by Jenna Altomonte and AHTR’s own Aly Meloche. The session will address the challenges faced by many studio instructors and share how some have reimagined this work under remote learning conditions. 

Sohee Koo, Assistant Professor and Art Education Program Coordinator at University of Massachusetts Amherst, will provide a keynote presentation, while three pre-recorded break out sessions delve deeper into key areas of discussion. Led by Susan Altman, Robin Cass, Jenna Altomote, and Laura Aloha You, these recordings focus on the topics of discussion boards, engagement metrics, and critique.

Participants are being asked to review the group materials on the session website and join the Live Q&A session held on Thursday, February 11, 2021 for an engaged discussion and brainstorming where collaborative notes will be produced.

We hope to “see” many of you in the Q&A zooms. For more information about other sessions, see the CAA 2021 schedule.