What is Eastern European Art?, Society of Historians of East European, Eurasian, and Russian Art and Architecture (SHERA) sponsored session at the 111th College Art Association Annual Conference, New York, February 15–18, 2023

This panel explores and challenges understanding about Eastern European art from the Middle Ages to the present through presentations that engage with the artistic production of different regions. The visual material of Eastern Europe has not been at the forefront of art historical conversations in part due to political ideologies, conflicting definitions of what constitutes Eastern Europe, or lack of access to and interest in the material, to name but several issues. The wealth and  complexity of the artistic production of Eastern Europe in various media require more thorough investigation, especially from a comparative perspective, as well as more theoretically grounded methodologies that could account for the rich cultural connections that extended in the regions of the Balkan Peninsula, the Carpathian Mountains, and further north that contributed to distinct visual idioms. Papers for this session could explore local developments in art from the Middle Ages into the present, connections between different regions and across media, issues of terminology, methodology, and theories in the study of Eastern European art, as well as modes of integrating visual material from Eastern Europe in teaching, as well as research, curatorial, and artistic projects. The overall aim of this session is to begin to define what Eastern European art is today, and help establish its footing on the map of art history.

Session organizers
Alice Isabella Sullivan, Tufts University
Maria Alessia Rossi, Princeton University