22nd Australasian Irish Studies Conference
1916 – 2016: Change, Commemoration and Community
Flinders University of South Australia (City Premises, 182 Victoria Square), Adelaide, South Australia
29 November-2 December, 2016

Under the umbrella of “Change” we envisage subthemes of creativity, rebirth, revolution, renewal, new departures, innovation and economics; “Commemoration” encompasses all the significant events in political, social and economic life and is particularly significant in 2016 when there is a spotlight on commemorating and celebrating the centenary of the Easter Rising, equally important are the events of the Great War; “Community” may include the diaspora, Irish language, religion, volunteerism, immigration, emigration, sport, cultural studies, literature, music, dance and drama. Papers can address one or more of these themes but those which do not will be considered.

Guest speakers include Professor Melanie Oppenheimer, Flinders School of History and International Relations, and Professor David Fitzpatrick, Trinity College, Dublin. There will be a publication in 2017 of selected papers from the conference.

Abstracts and expressions of interest should be emailed to Dr Dymphna Lonergan: dymphna.lonergan@flinders.edu.au and should be no more than 200 words in length. Please also provide your full name and that of your affiliated institution. The closing date for abstracts has been extended to 24 June, 2016.

Further information may be found on the Flinders Institute for Research in the Humanities (FIRtH) webpage: http://www.flinders.edu.au/ehl/firth/firth-conferences/22nd-australasian-irish-studies-conference/about.cfm

Art and War: New Perspectives
The Frick Collection, New York
16 September, 2016

The Frick Collection is pleased to invite submissions for Art and War, a symposium that will accompany the special exhibition Watteau’s Soldiers: Scenes of Military Life in Eighteenth-Century France. On view from July 12 to October 2, 2016, the exhibition presents a selection of Jean-Antoine Watteau’s little-known drawings and paintings of military life. In these works, Watteau eschews martial glory in favor of depicting more mundane aspects of life on the front: fatigue, boredom, simple diversions. Prompted by Watteau’s singular vision of war, The Frick Collection solicits 25-minute papers that consider the relationship between art and war in ways both direct and oblique, across all media, geographic regions, and time periods. We welcome a range of approaches that engage critically with the historical and theoretical problems posed by the relationship between art and war.

Questions to be addressed include, but are not limited to:

• What representational pressures and aesthetic challenges has war created?
• Where have artists located themselves in, away from, or after ‘the fight’?
• How can art convey the experience of war—not only the violence of battle, but also its impact on everyday life?
• How has art glorified, condemned, or otherwise commented on war?

What can we learn from examining this relationship in an age of perpetual war?

Please send a 250-word abstract and CV by Thursday, June 16, 2016, to Caitlin Henningsen (henningsen@frick.org) and Aaron Wile (wile@frick.org). Proposals from emerging scholars are particularly encouraged.