College Art Association annual conference, New York, February 15-18,
2017

Crossing Boundaries: Early Modern Women and the Arts Abroad

Session sponsored by the Society for the Study of Early Modern Women

The field of cross-cultural studies represents a fertile area of
investigation for early modern art historians. Recent scholarship has
examined artistic exchange across cultures through trade, diplomacy and
theft, the movement of artists across borders and oceans, and the
cross-cultural appropriation of images and objects. Yet, the roles of
women in these exchanges remain under-examined. This session
investigates the contribution of women as agents and promoters of
inter-cultural exchange and explores the place of early modern women in
the growing field of cross-cultural studies.

Like their male counterparts, early modern women traveled throughout
Europe and abroad. As they moved to other parts of the world, these
women brought their skills, experiences, and ideas concerning art with
them. Women commissioned works of art across borders and purchased
objects from all over the world, contributing the creation of the
international art market. As artists, patrons, and buyers women
facilitated and maintained artistic links across cultures.

We seek papers that analyze the role of women in producing,
patronizing, or viewing art and other visual media across national and
cultural boundaries during the early modern period. We especially
welcome papers that investigate the middle and far East, South America,
and Africa, or contact between Europe and these areas.
Topics may include, but are not limited to:
- Women as traveling artists or patrons
- Women creating for or purchasing art in the international market
- Women as beholders or users of inter-cultural objects
- Female artists, patrons or buyers working in a country other than
that of their birth

Please send an abstract of 250 words and a brief CV to Maria Maurer at
[log in to unmask] by Friday, April 8th, 2016.

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