Dear CADE Members and Friends,
CADE is at a crossroads. There are decisions to be made about our future on
which we wish to consult you. We also want to invite you to join the
committee which will shape the future of CADE - and to spread this
invitation to anybody else who you think might be interested.
CADE began in 1995, at a time when the use of IT within art and design was
still new, exciting and challenging. Our primary aim has been to promote
the creative and innovative use of computers in art and design in higher
education and over the years we feel we have made a significant
contribution to this objective. We have done this through our biennial
conferences, our annual postgraduate forums, our contributions to national
bodies such as the RCA and AHRB, and a variety of other activities.
However, the situation has changed dramatically since we first formed CADE.
The use of computers is now ubiquitous in both practice and education in
art and design and we feel that CADE in its original form may no longer be
needed. Can we re-focus our energies and our activities in such a way as to
remain useful to our original constituency - those working at the coalface
of art and design education?
Here are some initial thoughts:
International expansion has been a long-standing aim of ours, and there has
been significant overseas involvement in our conferences - but we have very
few overseas members and activities between conferences have been entirely
UK-based. However, in 2004 there will be a European CADE conference in
Copenhagen. We would like this to act as a springboard to a new
international existence for CADE.
Should we therefore make changes in our aims and structure to accommodate
potential new international members?
There is currently no other major conference which covers such a wide range
of art and design disciplines as CADE - from industrial design to
performance art, and from architecture to textile design. Conferences have
dealt with the impact of IT on all of these, and their emphasis has usually
been issue-based rather than 'techy'.
Should we refocus the work of CADE to retain the cross-disciplinary
approach while moving away from the emphasis on IT? Should the name be
changed to reflect this?
From a practical point of view, many, although by no means all, of our
committee members have been involved with CADE since its inception. Since
we became independent of the conference organisation we have had two Chairs
who have each served for four years, the maximum time allowed by the
constitution. At the AGM next April a new Chair must be elected to take
over, and the committee will also need substantial new membership.
If we are to survive and flourish we need a new Chair and new committee
members who have a new vision and a commitment to develop CADE for the
future.
Could this be you?
The future of CADE will form the most important item on the agenda of the
AGM in April 2003, but we would like to start the discussion now. Please
contribute via this list, or by emailing me on [log in to unmask] You
may also like to check out the website (www.cade.ac.uk). Please contact me
ASAP if you are interested in standing for a new committee.
With best wishes,
Gill Chapman (outgoing Chair)
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