Opening Remarks
Thu Oct 27 / 9:00 – 9:30 / Great Hall, rm 1022, Hart House
Welcome to the 2022 Conference of the UAAC.
Please join us for opening remarks by UAAC President Benedict Fullalove and Giancarla Periti, Chair, Department of Art History, University of Toronto.
President’s Note
How wonderful it is to be able to welcome our members back to our first in-person conference since 2019. While our last two virtual gatherings were more successful than we could have hoped, there’s no doubt that a live conference offers something that can’t be replicated online. However, we’ve learned that online does have much to offer, especially with respect to accessibility and so, in addition to the three days of live events, we have also scheduled a day of virtual presentations on Friday Nov 4. I look forward to many excellent panels and presentations. A very sincere thanks to all the organizers from the University of Toronto.
The three years of my term as President have been, to say the least, unusual and challenging due to the circumstances we’ve all had to negotiate. But I think that the UAAC Board has more than risen to these challenges. Much good work has been accomplished in realizing the three goals of diversity, communication, and sustainability outlined in the strategic plan which we adopted at our last in-person conference in Quebec in 2019. I am sure this work will continue.
I would like to thank the members of the Board for their dedication and hard work in support of UAAC. And I’d especially I’d like to thank UAAC’s administrator, Paola Aron Badin, without whom none of this would be possible.
UAAC represents a vibrant community of professionals all contributing to important, diverse and engaging work in the fields of art and art history, design, and visual culture. It’s also the case, as Charles Reeves reminded us three years ago, that many in our community, both students and colleagues, face the challenges of poverty and precarity. Please join me in contributing to the UAAC Travel Fund, which aims to help address those challenges.
It’s been a great privilege for me to have served this community as a Board Member since 2010, and as President over the last three years. I look forward to seeing you all this year in Toronto, and in the years to come at future conferences.
Dr. Benedict Fullalove
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Associate Professor and Director
School of Critical and Creative Studies
Alberta University of the Arts
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President, UAAC/AAUC
