As many of you may know, the IAFA has undergone Division changes in the past few years, which resulted in the formation of two new Divisions, Participatory and Convergence Studies and Visual and Performing Arts. Over the past five years the Board has been monitoring these Divisions and has concluded that these areas of scholarship would be better served by returning to a single Division, given frequent areas of overlap. We have thus created a new Division, Visual and Performing Arts and Audiences (VPAA), and are seeking a Division Head for this Division.
The Board would like to thank Barb Lucas and Stefan Hall for their years of service as the Division Heads for Participatory and Convergence Studies and Visual and Performing Arts, respectively. It is through their work that we have built strong communities of research in these fields at ICFA. Stefan will continue to work as the liaison for a new event on digital gaming, and we thank him for his continued service to IAFA.
The new VPAA Division will consider papers in the following areas:
- visual arts such as comic books, paintings, architecture, sculpture, photographs and illustrations;
- the performing arts, including music, dance and theatre;
- games, including electronic, board, card, miniature, and role-playing;
- fan cultures, including fanfic, fan artwork and cosplay;
- transformative texts, both fan and professional, including mashups and viral marketing; and
- audience/reception studies concerning audiences for any medium or genre of the fantastic.
The IAFA is now accepting applications for the position of Head of the Visual and Performing Arts and Audiences Division, effective immediately.
The Division Head is the person who sends out paper calls for his/her Division, collects and accepts paper proposals, creates paper sessions, helps to create panels, selects and moderates roundtable readings, and passes the work s/he’s done on to the 1st Vice President for scheduling.
Qualifications include current membership with IAFA (at least a couple of years’ experience with the organization so you have some understanding of how things work at the conference), easy and dependable internet access and comfort level with computers, organizational skills, the ability to work as part of a group working together on the ‘big picture,’ a willingness to work through the transition with the previous Head beginning this fall, the ability to attend March conferences while you hold the position and to attend the Division Heads’ meeting run by the 1st VP at the conference, plus, of course, the time to do the work involved. Knowledge of the fields outlined above is required. Division Heads hold office for a term of 3 years (with a probationary first year) with the possibility of renewal for a second 3-year term.
If you’re interested in taking on the work of VPAA Division Head, please contact Sherryl Vint, 1st Vice President (sherryl.vint@gmail.com), with a cover letter about your interest in and qualifications for the job. Applications for the position should include a CV. The IAFA Board of Directors will consider all applications for the position.
The deadline for applications is August 15, 2012; a decision will be made by September 1, 2012.