“Eco-Optics: Climate Change & Visual Culture” Undergraduate Conference

Conference date: Friday, March 27, 2020

Deadline for abstracts: Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Hosted by the McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College

Co-sponsored by the Department of Art, Art History, and Film

Keynote Speaker: Robin Kelsey, Dean of Arts and Humanities and Shirley Carter Burden Professor of Photography, Harvard University

In conjunction with its current exhibition, Indian Ocean Current: Six Artistic Narratives (January 27–May 31, 2020), featuring videos, collages, paintings, sculptures, interactive installations, and photographs by renowned artists Shiraz Bayjoo, Nicholas Hlobo, Shilpa Gupta, Wangechi Mutu, Penny Siopis, and Hajra Waheed, the McMullen Museum of Art, with the Department of Art, Art History, and Film at Boston College, invite undergraduates from all disciplines to submit papers for fifteen-minute illustrated presentations at its spring conference, Eco-Optics: Climate Change & Visual Culture.

Eco-Optics: Climate Change & Visual Culture seeks to promote new research pertaining to the intersection of art, science, media, and activism on climate change. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Visualizing climate change data
  • Advertising for activism on climate change
  • The role of art in environmental crises
  • Documenting the effects of climate change
  • Critical reflections on artists responding to climate change
  • Displaying climate change in museum exhibitions
  • Green design for the future

Deadline for abstracts: Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Abstracts should be 150–250 words in length and sent to the McMullen Museum at McMullenMuseumConference@gmail.com. This conference is interdisciplinary; undergraduates of all majors and colleges are encouraged to submit.

Please send all questions to Rachel Chamberlain, Manager of Education, Outreach & Digital Resources at rachel.chamberlain@bc.edu. Telephone: 617.552.1427.

The McMullen Museum aims to cultivate learning, celebrate artistic excellence, explore the visual traditions of diverse cultures, and inspire transdisciplinary faculty and student research based on the visual arts.