The Work of American Art

How have shifting institutional hiring priorities and labor conditions informed the work of American art? The expanded narrative of American art that has taken shape over recent decades is impossible to separate from a parallel contraction and compression of employment opportunities in museums and academia. Every three years, the AHAA-sponsored CAA panel assesses the state of the field for practitioners of American art history. In 2024, we are soliciting perspectives that will take stock of funding and hiring patterns across the venues and institutions in which American art is studied and interpreted. This panel asks how the state of the job market is shaping the state of the field.

We invite contributions that will directly engage current efforts to re-conceive AHAA's mission, vision, and values to better serve a diverse community in the present and future. A limited amount of funding is available to offset barriers to participation in the CAA component of this project, which will also be paired with virtual and open-access platforms for dialogue and feedback. Contingent and tenure-line academics, museum workers, editors, independent practitioners, and other cultural interpreters are encouraged to submit proposals for short provocations that will foster a robust roundtable discussion.