International Conference on Opportunities in the Arts: Create the Future 

Location/academic host: Boston’s Colleges of the Fenway (a collaborative of five neighboring Boston-based colleges in the Fenway area—home also to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston—including Emmanuel College, MCPHS University, Simmons University, Wentworth Institute of Technology and the nation’s only free-standing, publicly funded art college, Massachusetts College of Art and Design).

Art is radically different than it was in the past. New subjects, forms, processes and materials keep appearing. More artists are working collaboratively than ever before—sometimes embedded in labs, sometimes expanding technologies and, often, willingly engaging the public in ways never-before imagined. In the arts, as in many fields, sustainability, diversity and social/political injustices are a frequent rallying cry. How can we best support these initiatives and others? Especially, at a time, when much of the world is changing at a faster pace than ever before, cultural exchange is on the wane, climate change is real, many countries are looking inward, and pandemics are limiting our interactions with others.

TransCultural Exchange takes up this challenge with its 2022 International Conference on Opportunities in the Arts: Create the Future.

During three inspiring days, the conference will provide a global forum for exploring ways to support the working practices of artists today—their pressing needs and challenges. Innovative strategies will be presented and discussed; international programs will showcase their opportunities; promising technologies and working methods will be unveiled. Attendees will be encouraged to meet each other during roundtable discussions, workshops, Pecha Kucha pitches, portfolio reviews, receptions, and tours of local attractions.

Note: This conference will not take place virtually. If another pandemic or similar situation occurs that restricts people from attending, an announcement will be made that the Conference will be postponed to 2023 no later than April 30, 2022. All accepted proposals for 2022 will then also be considered accepted for 2023, unless a speaker prefers to withdraw.

Submission guidelines
Proposals need not conform to traditional panel formats. Papers can be submitted for consideration as individual (15–20 minute) presentations or panel discussions. They can also be submitted as Pecha Kucha sessions, small workshops, demonstrations or round table sessions, such as ones that encourage participants to share best practices, new  opportunities or professional development skills. The guidelines for each format are available at transculturalexchange.org.

Each proposal must include:
–The title of the proposal.
–The proposal type (single paper, panel discussion, workshop, demonstration or Pecha Kucha presentation).
–A one-sentence proposal summary (30-word limit).
–A 200-word (maximum) proposal description. This description will serve as the presentation abstract.
–A short biography for each speaker (150-word limit).
–A photo(s) of the presenter(s) submitted as a jpeg (300 dpi).

These materials will be used to judge the proposal and—if the proposal is accepted—serve as the Conference brochure content and online abstract for the proposal’s presentation.

All proposals must be submitted in English.

Relevant deadlines
Deadline for proposal submissions: December 1, 2021
Conference committee decisions emailed: December 30, 2021
Presenters’ final confirmations due: February 15, 2022
Online schedule and conference registration announced: late March 2022

Registration
Conference registration, reception costs and the cost of the gala dinner are waived for all conference presenters.