Open Call for presentation proposals at Snag's 2019 Conference, The Loop: Coming Full Circle.

SNAG is seeking presentation proposals for the 48th Annual SNAG conference to be held in Chicago, Illinois from May 22nd - May 25th, 2019. The theme is The Loop: Coming Full Circle. SNAG is celebrating 50 years as an organization. To talk about where we are going, we must talk about where we have have been.

SNAG’s 48th Annual Conference, The Loop: Coming Full Circle will celebrate SNAG’s first 50 years by focusing on the history of our field and SNAG’s vital place within that history, as both are inextricably intertwined through the collective pivotal moments that have brought the makers, educators, artists, and students in this field together and to where we are today. Along with presentations that look backward to explore significant moments and concepts in our history, both personal and collective, we will emphasize space for critical discourse, concepts/ideas, and technical presentations that speak to current questions and issues that exist in the field today.

The 2019 Conference will launch SNAG into a year-long 50th Anniversary celebration culminating with the 2020 conference, which will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the spark lit at our first conference. By gathering to explore where we have been, celebrate what we’ve accomplished, and look at where we are going, we can build a strong foundation for SNAG’s next 50 years -- and beyond! 

 

Presentation Format

The Conference Program Committee is seeking proposals under the theme The Loop: Coming Full Circle. Presentation topics that focus on the history of SNAG; the field as a whole; and the makers, educators, artists, and students that are exploring concepts, critical discourse, and technical aspects of the field  including, but not limited to:

-The presenter’s work and practice
-Techniques and processes
-The history and critical theory of jewelry, metalworking, and related subjects
-Jewelry and metalsmithing as a professional practice
-Critical discourse discussions that offer opposing opinions to further the conversation of the issue being discussed.
-Collectors and collections
-Looking for intergenerational collaborative proposals.
-Emphasis on various artists/curators/historians/etc for a panel presentation, rapid fires, or other unique presentation styles. (For example a curated group of three artists creating a theme and rapid-fire presentation proposal with representation from an established artist, a mid-career artist, and an emerging artist)
-Proposals that push the boundaries of a typical presentation style. (For example, a presentation not focused on the work you make, but rather your perspective on what others create and how it informs your work).


There are three types of presentations we are seeking:

-Mainstage Presentations: Thematically focused, traditional presentations lasting between 45 minutes and an hour.
-Rapid Fire Presentations: 15-minute, fast-paced, thematic presentations by leaders in the field. They deliver information in a short, but memorable way. Each Rapid Fire session will feature three presentations grouped by theme.
-Emerging Artists: 10-minute, fast-paced, presentations given by Early Career Artists surrounding their work and process. An emerging artist is defined as being out of school 5 years or less, whether graduate or undergraduate school or are within 5 years of the beginning of their career.

The Programming Committee has the right to create a new type of presentation format if the proposals or timeline of the conference allows.