The 36th Annual Boston University Graduate Symposium in the History of Art & Architecture

Conversations about the environment are a prominent and contentious aspect of life in the 21st century, but the environment has always been an omnipresent force. Serving both as a stage for human performance and as an active agent in shaping human actions, the environment permeates the consciousness and creative output of artists and architects, as well as influencing interactions with their works. The topic of “the Environment” serves as a nexus for discussions surrounding the natural, the man-made, the built, and the social, among others.

The 36th Annual Boston University Graduate Symposium in the History of Art & Architecture invites submissions that consider the theme of “the Environment.” How have interactions with, and interpretations of, natural and man-made environments informed artistic and architectural work? How do various locations, identities, and political climates impact the production of art and architecture?

Possible subjects include, but are not limited to, the following: landscape painting; architectural responses to the environment; garden design and landscaping; responses to climate change and sustainability; expressions of real or imagined spaces; ceremonial and spiritual engagement; land use and reclamation as it relates to artistic practice; environmental activism and justice; political interventions and implications; the gendering of environment; and climate disasters, displacement, and the anthropocene.

We welcome submissions from graduate students at all stages of study, and from any area of study.


Papers must be original and previously unpublished. Please send an abstract (300 words or fewer), a paper title, and a CV to [email protected]. The deadline for submissions is Saturday, November 30, 2019. Selected speakers will be notified by December 20, 2019, and are expected to accept or decline the offer within a week of notification. Papers should be 20 minutes in length and will be followed by a question and answer session. The Symposium will be held Saturday, March 28, 2020, with a keynote lecture (TBD) and graduate presentations in the Trustees Room of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

This event is generously sponsored by the Boston University Center for the Humanities; the Boston University Department of History of Art & Architecture; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the Boston University Graduate Student History of Art & Architecture Association.