From February 18-21, the College Art Association (CAA) held its 114th annual conference in Chicago, promoting scholarship and teaching in the arts. UC Riverside’s art history department, using its student success funds, sent six undergraduate students to the conference along with professor Yong Cho and department chair Susan Laxton. According to third-year student Kira Iokibe, the CAA Annual Conference is a place for professionals, artists, students, and scholars to gather in one place to share, exchange, and gain knowledge across countless fields of art, art history, and broader topics on pedagogy and current issues.

“For the art history field specifically, this conference allows for a discussion of topics not typically discussed in most university settings,” Iokibe said. “These can include sessions about examining the discipline of art history itself through a critical lens, or a deeper dive into specific areas of art historical study, such as Indigenous, Pacific Islander, and other minority groups and their visual culture.”

In addition to the degree-relevant information the students gained, the conference also afforded them a chance to build practical career skills that aren’t often as accessible to undergraduate students.

“Some important skills I gained by attending this conference were networking, how to ask better questions, and learning new ways to view research,” fourth-year Katarina Brown said. “As an undergraduate, I wouldn’t say I have many opportunities to see professionals in a non-working environment. It was nice being able to speak freely.”

Fourth-year Sandra Martus agreed, saying, “Attending professional conferences allows students to better understand and experience professional environments, and this conference allowed us to attend sessions specific to our field in art history, where we each individually study and make valuable connections for grad school and our careers.”

The funds that sponsored the event enabled the group to attend the conference and covered the costs of their flight, hotel stay, and access to select museums. Not worrying about the financial cost enabled the students to fully enjoy their trip, both during and outside the conference.

“We gained a bonding experience by traveling together,” second-year Emily McCartney said. “We see each other often for AHUA (Art History Undergraduate Association) events, but this trip provided a shared experience that I hope will keep us in contact with each other for our future professional development.”

Professor Cho added, “I thought the trip was wonderful. It is rare for undergraduate students to have the opportunity to attend a major international conference such as the CAA. I am so grateful that the CHASS Student Success Funds made it possible to financially support our majors to have this opportunity. I know that many colleagues at the conference were surprised to learn that our undergraduates received some funds to participate in the conference — they really admired this effort.”

FEATURED PHOTO. The students speak with Dr. Seunghee Oh, assistant curator of Chinese art at the Art Institute of Chicago.