AICAD Virtual Academic Symposium 20/20: a year refocused

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 AICAD Academic Symposium will now be held virtually from November 5–7.

The year 2020 has presented the world with a unique confluence of challenges. The combination of growing political division, a global pandemic, economies in flux, and increasing awareness of racial inequities have forced all of us to think and act differently at almost every level. The events of this year have completely shaken the status quo of higher education, particularly in art and design.

Administration, faculty, staff, and students have had to consider new realities in developing new systems of remote learning, campus climate, and equitable experiences.

This year has also forced us to try new and different methods in how we teach and learn from each other. It’s forced us to shift our perspective, to change the lens through which we view the world, and how we may fix what has been broken for so many long before this year.

Join us in this virtual forum as we refocus the events of this year to create a clearer picture of our world moving forward.

Register here.
AICAD member registration: USD 100 (Must register with AICAD member institution email)
General registration: USD 130

Interested in presenting at the AICAD Academic Symposium? Session proposals are due August 21. Proposal form.

AICAD is seeking session proposals for this year’s virtual symposium focusing on, but not limited to the following realms:

Change In Crisis
–Technology: Coming together from a distance
–Communication: Cognitive and creative evolution
–Future-mindedness / growth mindset
–Art and design education: Imagining/inventing toolkits for tomorrow, established and temporary curricula, inclusive pedagogies
–How do we understand, learn from, and contextualize this experience to help us plan for the future?

Continued work on Equity in Art and Design
–Centering equity in challenging times
–Dismantling colonial legacies in art and design education
–Embracing activism in higher education
–Making meaningful commitments to Equity and Inclusion in pedagogy
–Assessing merit and rigor while recognizing structural racism

New Economic Realities
–Creative and green economies: Navigational tools, future roles and jobs
–Post-Graduation: How do we prepare these graduates for the world ahead?
–The future of studios/spaces, emerging exhibition forms