The Department of American Studies at Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland, will host “Wordstruck: American Artists as Readers, Writers and Literati,” scheduled to take place May 13-16, 2015.

The goal of the conference is to explore the intellectual endeavors and other significant achievements of American painters from the colonial era to the post-World War II years. The organisers invite paper proposals that address the multiple questions that arise when we think about artists as creative individuals endowed with skills and sensibilities that distinguish them from ordinary people, but which at the same time enable them to make unique and valuable contributions to culture and society outside the realm of visual art. Each conference session will be opened with a keynote lecture by a distinguished international scholar invited by the organizers, followed by presentations accepted for the programme.

Here’s a list of possible topics that can be considered:

·     artists as writers (poets, novelists, playwrights, autobiographers, essayists, theorists, critics)
·     artists as thinkers, philosophers, visionaries
·     artists as educators
·     artists as inventors and scientists
·     artists as members of artistic movements, schools, circles, coteries, professional associations
·     artists as social activists
·     artists as political ideologues and activists
·     artists as socialites, celebrities
·     artists as entrepreneurs, businessmen
·     artists as subjects of critical studies and biographies
·     artists as characters/protagonists/heroes of novels and movies

This list is suggestive, not comprehensive. The organisers welcome papers on other related topics as well.

The organisers particularly welcome submissions of proposals from young scholars working in various fields of American studies and art history. Thanks to a grant from the Terra Foundation for American Art and the support of the MCSU Authorities, there is no conference fee and funds will be available to subsidize qualifying PhD students and junior academics at the start of their career by offering them free accommodation during the conference.

Proposals for 20-minute papers should include a title and abstract of no more than 300 words and a short professional bio. The deadline for submitting a proposal is January 15, 2015.

If you have any questions in advance of submitting, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the organizers. Please send proposals and inquiries by email to Jerzy Kutnik at the following address: kutnikjr@hektor.umcs.lublin.pla